Why I Wont Be Reading Your Cover Letter -

Why I Wont Be Reading Your Cover Letter -We recently had an open position we were trying to fill and I was amazedor should I say appalledat the blanket responses we received from job seekers. qualifikation candidates sent us titelblatt letters describing experience they possessed that was completely irrelevant to our opening it was the same as someone having a degree in veterinary medicine but seeking employment as an IT director. Did these job seekers really think that going on and on for paragraphs about irrelevant experience was going to make me want to read their resumeor even more sointerview them?I think I understand the dilemma here Truly active job seekers are sending out countless job applications as quickly as humanly possibleprobably exasperated by the sheer volume of applications they feel pressured to submit. Its not a shot-in-the-dark game, people. Or a game of numbers. I truly dont believe its a situation where you have to submit 200 applications to receive two call-ba cks. What it comes down to is a matter of focus and relevancy. Can you make the correlation between your experience and career background and what the employer truly needs? Ill give you a perfect example.We occasionally will have openings for certified or professional resume writers. We place an ad for the opening online with some very specific requirements and ask that the candidate respond with valid and convincing reasons why he or she would be the best fit. Some candidates go on and onalmost endlesslyabout having authored books, written articles for medical journals, or their technical writing experience. None of which has anything in common with resume writingother than the word writing. This is frustrating to hiring managers as they are wading through hundreds of job applications. It almost seems like a waste of time. I find myself thinking, Why cant they tell me what I need to know? I specify in the ad that I need to know about criteria A, B, and Cand whether you possess thos e skills. Ninety-nine percent of job seekers fail to address their experience in these areas. Why? I am not sure if its laziness or a result of being overwhelmedbut what I can tell you is that youre only hurting yourself and your chances for an interview.I know that when youre submitting as many applications as you can you may feel hurried, rushed, or like you dont have the time to make a customized submittal. Truth be told, youre wasting more time if you dont. Take the time to specifically address each requirement, and provide the hiring manager with the absolute most relevant experience you have that matches the requirements of the position. You may be surprised at the results.Jessica Holbrook Hernandez is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast. She creates high-impact, best-in-class, resumes and cover letters that transform job searches into interviews and ultimately job offers. For more informatio n about professional resume writing or to read more career and job search related articles visit http//www.greatresumesfast.com or call 1.800.991.5187.