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Cover Letters, Resumes And The Job Hunter...What's It All About?
from: Heather EagarAny good job hunter needs a resume package. The cover letter and
resume always go together and do the same basic thing in
slightly different ways. A job hunter without both of them will
probably not get very far in the search for a good career
position.
With that in mind, let's take a look at what these crucial
documents should do for you. The first part, the cover letter,
is a short one page letter consisting of three or four
paragraphs. It serves as an introduction to the resume. It is
the part that will always be seen by the gatekeeper.
The second part is the resume itself. Many job hunters make the
mistake of thinking they can just leave a resume without a cover
letter. That is like putting on a suit and tie, but forgetting
the shirt or the pants. They are a package and they go together.
The resume itself may be in either functional or chronological
format. The functional format concentrates on skills. The
chronological format concentrates on employment listings. The
most effective resumes use elements of both formats to create a
combination resume that gets results. It should be laid out in a
graphically appealing style, with adequate use of white space,
bullet points to draw attention to important parts, and
conservative fonts used. While you will occasionally bold face
or italicize a font to draw attention to a point or break up a
large section of type, changing fonts often makes it hard to
read, so stick with one basic font. Also never go smaller than
ten point type, and if possible stick with twelve or eleven
point. Those sizes are easier to read. If your cover letter and
resume are in a small type and hard to read, they simply will
not be read, and will not help you.
Many job seekers wonder how they should present the resume
package to the decision maker. There are several acceptable
methods. If mailing it, use a large nine by twelve white
envelope to avoid folding your materials. The white envelopes
look nicer than the tan manila commonly used in business. Also
large envelopes are generally the first thing people open when
they get their mail. If not the first then they may save the
large envelope for last. Since people tend to remember the first
and the last - the alpha and the omega - while forgetting much
of what is in the middle, either first or last is a good thing.
If you are hand delivering your documents stop by an office
supply shop and pick up a clear plastic folder with a pressure
binder spine and place your cover letter and resume in it. It
makes a great presentation and will complement it perfectly. Use
these tools well and you are on your way.
About the author:
Heather Eagar provides reviews of the top
that put you in charge of your career so that you can get the
job you deserve. sign-up for your free
Tips E-course.
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