Tips on persuasive career change cover letter

So you want to change careers? It is tougher to find a job in a career you have no experience in than to find a job that you are experienced at. Those of us who have a “been there done that” mentality and are always eager to expand our horizons are not content with another of the same type of career, however. Unfortunately, those sitting on the other side of the interview desk screening resumes often do not understand this. This is when a persuasive cover letter comes into play.

In your career change cover letter, you want to focus on your SKILLS rather than your EXPERIENCE. The employer will want to focus on experience. It is your job, then, to effectively and concisely get across your relevant skills and why they are a match for this particular job. When crafting your cover letter, keep these points in mind:

· Hammer home what you can bring to the company. Employers are not interested, at this point, in what they can do for you. Perhaps you can bring a fresh perspective. Of course you have developed skills that fit perfectly with this career.

· Explicitly match your skills and experiences to the skills required for this position. Think and write in terms of “I can perform Task A because if requires Skill A, which I acquired while doing Career B.”

· Lay out a table. Often, a two-column table will help get your competencies across. Head the first column “Skill/Job Requirement” and the second “experience”. Then proceed to fill in the table, matching your experiences with the employer’s requirements.

After you send the letter, be sure to follow up with a polite telephone call. Many times, this will prompt the employer to pull your letter from the stack and scrutinize it more carefully.

Changing careers can be challenging, but the correct approach can make your job search more fruitful.

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Resume writing tips

Having an attractive and informative resume can be the key to getting your dream job. While it is true that your qualifications should speak for themselves, often a resume that is eye catching can make the difference in getting your foot in the door. Here are some suggestions for better resume writing:

· The Header

Begin by writing the word "Resume" at the top of the page. Just below that, supply your name, home address, and phone contacts. If you have an e-mail address, include it in the header information.

Do not include your date of birth, place of birth or marital status. Employers are prohibited from asking for this information in an interview under U.S. Equal Opportunity laws. Eventually you may have to give this data on a job application but until then, keep it to yourself. If you voluntarily give out this information, your prospective employer can use it either for, or more importantly, against you.

· Objective

Include an objective after the header section. In your objective, explain what you are looking for in your next job. Keep it short but thorough. Use active verbs. For example: "To secure a position with a cutting edge firm that will utilize my extensive Internet skills". Be specific. Tailor your objective to fit the position you are applying for. You will probably want to have several different versions of your resume on file, depending on what job you are applying for.

· Experience

When listing experience, start with your present or most recent job. List the year pr range of years, your title, the company and the location in bold, underlining your title. Using active verbs, describe your duties. Avoid the phrase "responsible for". Simply tell what you do. For example: "Management of multiple high profile projects." Use past tense verbiage for past experience. If you worked in several different fields during your career, emphasize those duties, which pertain to the position you are applying for by listing them first.

Some firms prefer that you limit your resume to one page only. For many people that is virtually impossible. Therefore, your experience should only cover the past ten years.

Avoid "holes" in your experience. If a gap in your career is obvious it can be addressed in the interview. It is better to be honest than to "fudge" on experience.

· Education

List any degrees you have earned, beginning with the most recent. Include the type of degree earned, the institution it came from and the year it was attained, in bold face, with the degree type underlined. Don't clutter your resume with lists of courses unless those courses pertain to the job being applied for. Even then, show only the most important classes or certifications.

· Professional Accomplishments

Use this section for any professional organization you belong to which pertain to the prospective job. Also list here any significant awards you received, such as being named Employee of the Year. Just as in the Experience section start with the most recent award, give the year, the name of the award, the company that gave it, and why it was given. Use bold face for the year, the name and the company, and underline the award name.

· Special Skills

In some instances you may want to highlight any special skills that were not specifically covered in other sections of the resume.

· Appearance

As to the overall appearance of the resume, make sure you use plenty of white space on your page. Keep it clean and uncluttered. It is a good idea to use bold horizontal lines to separate the sections from each other. Be sure to "print preview" your resume if composing it with a word processing program so that you know exactly how it will appear on the page when printed. Always use the spell check program built into the word processor, but don't entirely depend on it to find all of the mistakes. Thoroughly proofread your finished resume and then have someone else look at is as well. Spell checking programs will not correct language usage problems. When printing your resume, consider the color and weight of the paper to be used. If you are applying for a job in an artistic field, brightly colored paper and/or eye catching type fonts may be appropriate and will serve to set your resume apart from others.

After your resume is completed to your satisfaction, turn your attention to writing the cover letter. This is by far the best device for getting your resume noticed. Write in the style of a formal business letter, addressing it to the hiring manager if possible. State what position you are applying for and give examples of how your experience makes you the best candidate for that position. Close by expressing an interest in arranging a meeting with the hiring manager at the earliest possible convenience.

Using these simple tips is sure to make your resume stand out from the crowd and position you as the best person for your dream job. Good luck!

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Writing resumes and cover letters

To start any job search you first have to have a resume and cover letter. These two documents are your potential employers’ first glimpse of you. It’s these documents that will make them decide whether to contact you – or not. By following the practical advice below, you can create a resume and cover letter that will give you the step ahead you need.

The first thing is your resume. Tailor each resume to the job that you are applying for – selecting only the relevant skills, qualifications and work experience. If you’re applying for a driving position, it probably won’t matter that you were previously a dog walker – unless you had to drive the dogs to the park. Try to fit your resume on one page if you can, or two – but never on one and a half, and format it so that attention is brought to your highest qualification. For example, if you’re applying for a kennel position, and you have no professional work experience with animals, but do have personal experience, then bring attention to you skills – pointing out what personal experience gave you the skill. If you do highlight your work experience, then list what duties you performed or what responsibilities you had in connection with the job. Use action verbs such as organized, performed, categorized, improved, created, increased etc. But try not to use the same word too much. If you wrote performed four times for one work experience, then check a thesaurus and find words to replace it with. For ideas on how to format your resume, look at examples of other people. The only “must” in a resume is to have your name, address, and contact at the top of the page, and include the little blurb “References available upon request” at the bottom. (But only if you do have references)

The next thing you need is a cover letter. This too should be tailored for each job. Format this in the form of a business letter and try to get the name of whom you are applying too if possible. Start by expressing you interest in the job and mention where you heard about it. If it was in a paper then name which one. In the body of the letter summarize your skills, qualifications, and education, but try not to just reiterate your resume. The most important thing is to explain why your qualifications and the job requirements are a good match, and it doesn’t hurt to mention why you would like to work for the company. Wrap the letter up by stating when you’ll be available for work and when the employer can reach you. Also mention that your resume is attached. In the last sentence, thank the employer for their time or consideration and say that you look forward to hearing from them.

When you’re finished writing your resume and document, proofread it carefully and watch for grammar mistakes. Then print them out using a good quality printer. If you don’t have one, then use one at an office depot or hire a student. Never send in a handwritten resume or cover letter. A good resume and cover letter won’t get you a job in themselves, but they will certainly help.

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Creating a winning resume

The path of your career is greatly dependent on a single piece of paper: your resume. It is as important to a businessperson as a portfolio is to an artist. Very rarely do you get an interview before that piece of paper is assessed and approved. Your resume is a prospective employer’s first impression of you and it’s your strongest tool. Presenting a professional package is imperative and arming yourself with a refined resume is worth your time and effort.

Success begins with concise clarity. All of your experience, employment history, abilities and attributes need fit on one page. Gone are the days of lengthy objectives and summaries, so it’s a good idea to compile an outline of the information you wish to convey.

The first section of your presentation should be work history. Your last three to four jobs is adequate, but if you feel prior history is pertinent feel free to list it off. Your most recent employer is listed first, accompanied by the dates you worked with that firm. If you just moved or have lived in many places, it’s also good to include the location--city and state is all that’s needed. Under the heading for that employer state your job title and responsibilities.

The second section should include a summary of your education. College, trade school and technical training are accounted for here. You’ll want to list the name and location of the institutions, as well as your course of study and any degrees, diplomas or certificates attained. Refrain from listing your high school unless you’ve just graduated or it’s the highest level of education you have completed.

Lastly, the third section addresses skills, interests and personal achievements. Although this section should take up the least amount of space on your resume, it should be packed with information. Listing computer knowledge, activities and awards helps give your resume a face and demonstrates that you are multi-faceted.

In some cases it is appropriate to also state a career objective before job experience is listed. If used, the objective should be written in an active form like: “To obtain an entry-level position in the e-commerce industry”.

Getting your information organized can be quite a chore, but doing so will make writing your resume a breeze. Here are some points to keep in mind when composing the document.

Don’t go nuts with underlines, italics or fonts. Keep it simple with one style. You can bring attention to key factors like names, titles and dates by formatting the text in bold or by changing the font size.

Use active language when listing off job responsibilities. By using the present tense, you are communicating that you still have the ability to perform these tasks. For example, instead of saying: “Assisted customers and wrote reports”, try using: “To assist customers and write reports” or “Assisting customers and writing reports”.

Write the resume like it’s being read by a speed-reader because it will be. Doing this will help to keep the language concise and will prepare the document well for its purpose. Instead of using complete sentences or thoughts, whittle your words down to the most important statements.

Garnish your presentation with a logo or letterhead. This is how you give your resume personality. A little creative license can be used here, but remember you must still convey professionalism. Err on the side of caution--if you have to ask yourself if what you’ve concocted is appropriate, it probably isn’t.

By following these guidelines, you and your resume will be set for success and it won’t be long before you’ll be adding your dream job to the top of the page.

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Need help writing a resume?

The combination resume combines both your skills and your track record. If you are looking to change careers, and want to highlight your skills, a combination resume is a great way to look good on paper. Here is how to lay it out!

Summary

This is the first area on the resume. Highlight your general skills, such as creativity, independent working, deadline-oriented, etc. Emphasize your experience as well as skills. A good example of this would be “Designer with 15 years of experience, including freelance and advertising agency work. Extensive experience in meeting deadlines, creative interpretation, and graphic artwork. Proficient in a variety of software suites.” By writing a summary, you can press the reader to read further by highlight experience, skills, and specific background.

Experience

This is the second area on the resume. Write the job titles and duties here. Make sure that your job descriptions do not over lap. For example, if you are a career administrative assistant, make sure you list the job title as administrative assistant, and list EVERY duty you performed during your admin. career. This is great for lateral moves with changes in job titles, but not duties. List the titles! Also, add any volunteer experience, adult education, etc. to this area. If you are changing careers, DO NOT leave this information out! List all the software you are familiar with. Basically, every thing you feel that puts you as advantage should be listed in this section!

Work History

This is where you list your work history.

Education

List your college credits, and any certifications you may hold.

Other Information

List awards, hobbies (such as web page design, not baking!) and other important information.

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