ShareThisDear Mr. Walberg:I am not getting very many responses from companies I contact and wonder if it's my resume or the poor job market in Michigan. Also, how important are cover letters? I primarily job search online and rarely send a cover letter with my resume because I am not sure what I should include in a cover letter. Do you have suggestions?-- K.B. in Sterling Heights, Mich.Dear K.B.:There could be many reasons for a lack of response in your job market. A weak job market could be a factor, and most resumes can be strengthened, but let's touch on a couple of other reasons.-- You primarily job search online, which means that you are only responding to posted job openings, and you are competing with everyone else, anywhere. Certainly you should continue following up on leads online, but what about contacting companies that your research tells you need people with your background? You don't need an invitation to advertise your worth. Do the homework. Identify employers that need you, get names of managers and contact them directly, asking for an opportunity to meet in person. All progressive employers should be interested in talent whether they have current openings or not.-- Write a cover letter for every company you contact, online or direct. The cover letter introduces the resume -- tells why you're sending it. If you are responding to a posted or advertised opening, the cover letter identifies the job specifically and where you found it. Your cover letter should highlight the reasons you feel you are a good match for the job, without repeating everything in the resume. Then, in closing, your cover letter asks for action -- requests a mutually convenient time to meet in person.If you want a job, whether it's posted or not, explain why you're forwarding a resume, then close your sale by asking for an interview. One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make is to send out dozens of resumes, then sit back and wait for responses. Never wait for responses. Make your pitch, sell your worth, ask for action -- then, in a few days, follow up with another contact.You make things happen. Opportunities don't come knocking on your door. You do the knocking!(Marvin Walberg is a job-search consultant based in Birmingham, Ala. He can be contacted at P.O. Box 43056, Birmingham, AL, 35243. E-mail him at mwalberg(at)bellsouth.net.)
There could be many reasons for a lack of response from companies
Submitted by SHNS on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 16:02
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