Writing Letters for Cold Canvassing (IT) Jobs?

jtan163 asks: "I'm trying to help a friend write job applications for cold canvassing jobs in the IT industry but we're quite stuck. His CV/Resume shows his skills and employment history and even to some extent, what he is looking for. So, what do you put in the letter for cold canvassing IT (and probably any other field) job applications? With cold canvassing, is the letter really important or is it just 'fluff' so the CV/Resume doesn't get lonely in the envelope (electronic or otherwise)? We'd love to hear about what has worked or not for you. Or, if you happen to be a job application consumer, what you look for in, or at least what would make you consider (or at least not throw out), a cold canvassed application?"

Comments

Re:Print them on the cheapest paper you can find

[AuMatar]

Depends on your sector of the tech field. For admin work, possibly. In programming, especially embedded, the market is very good right now. I have more firms wanting to interview me than I can keep track of, and one or two about to make an offer. This is after I've cut down on my interviewing, as I won't be available until the end of September.

Re:You could have it professionally done

[Linux_ho]

Absolutely!
You would not believe the difference that a nice looking, well written resume and cover letter can make. This is one area where hiring a professional is the best financial decision you can make, unless you have an eye for layout and tasteful yet distinctive color and fonts, well-honed grammar and the ability to objectively focus on your selling points without drowning the reader in detail. A professional resume consultant is usually worth every penny they charge.

Re:You could have it professionally done

[Larry Lightbulb]

A ditto from me. My wife had her resume rewritten (I think it was via Monster) and at $300 for a couple of pages it seemed like a waste of money.

But companies started falling over themselves to give her interviews, and she was able to choose where to go rather than taking what was offered.

Re:You could have it professionally done

[dagnabit]

FWIW, I used TunaRez and was very happy with the results. They are tech-savvy and publisht their prices up-front so there's no wondering what each function they provide will cost you.

Re:You could have it professionally done

[mcmonkey]

Argh!

First, someone above mentioned "What color is your parachute". Absolutely 100% required reading.

Second, someone also suggested calling rather than mailing an unsolicited resume. Absolutely 100% correct.

We're technical folks, you're looking for a technical job, why aren't you taking a technical approach?

If I told you to write a program, what the first question you would ask? Ok, after, how much am I paying? You'd ask what the program is supposed to do. You need to know the desired features, the target audience, etc. before you can get started.

You friend should do the same with a job search. Okay, What is the purpose of the cover letter/resume? The purpose of the resume is to get the interview. Period. That's it. So sure, send "fluff" if you like wasting your time, paper, postage, time of the person you're sending it to, etc. Otherwise, the cover letter and resume should peak the target's interest. The goal is to get that person to invite you in to their office.

A call is better than an unsolicited resume fore several reasons.

First, a personal call has more weight. There are jag-offs out there spamming 1400 recruiters at a shot. For all I know, the resume you sent me is one of 1400. You call me, I know you're not on the phone with 1399 other people at the same time.

Second, a personal call demands attention. I may give you brush off, but at least I have to do it when you call. A resume comes in the mail, I put it in a 'to do' pile, I shuffle it around, maybe I read it, maybe I don't.

Third, a personal call gets you to do a little more of your homework. An unsolicited resume to the 'HR Department' or 'IT Hiring Manager' gets filed away. Odds are, it is never even read. You find the person you want to work for and call that person by name, A)you've done a little research into the company and judged it as a potential target. No sense in wasting my time by sending me a resume, having me call you in, only for you to decide my company isn't right for you. B)You've got my attention. Mail to 'Generic Title' ends up in the stack of papers I really should go over but don't have time for. Mail to 'Mr. Smith' at least gets opened. A phone call to 'Mr. Smith' at least gets my voice mail, if not me in person. And if I don't return vm, you don't want to work for me anyway. C)If I'm paying attention when you call, I realize you've done your research to find my name and phone number for your targeted search. You've shown you're willing to work towards your goal. You're up on 75% of the competition already. (And you're blowing the unsolicited resume crowd out of the water.)

Forth, you may get out of writing a cover letter all together (or at least have an easier time of it). The call may end with a request for your resume. You'll need to include a cover letter, but you'll mostly just need to refresh my memory of our phone conversation. (Dear Mr. Smith...resume as we discussed...my experience as I mentioned...also bring these skills to the table...hugs and kisses, and so on. It practically writes itself.) If all goes well, and this is the goal of the conversation, we end by arranging the face-to-face interview. No cover letter needed!

And there ya go! You've done a little work targeting me as a potential boss, and in doing so, set yourself ahead of the unsolicited resume crowd and created the impression of a focused, not-looking-for-the-easy-way-out, go-getter that would make an excellent addition to my team. Congratulations, when can you start?

Now, about the parent post. Get some help with cover letters and resumes. Can be professional, can be an experienced friend or family who's been through the job hunt/hiring process a few times. BUT! remember, you have to back up every single word of that resume. You can dress it up, you can spin it, but it better be true. And you had best be able to discuss it. If you put it to paper and send it in, it is fair game. If I ask you about something on you

Cover Letters

[ignorant_coward]

Cover letters can seem hard, but I've noticed that if I have a lot of trouble thinking up a cover letter for a job it means that probably isn't the right job for me. A resume can be only so long, so a person with strong experience has to leave stuff out. This leaves the cover letter as a prime location for adding additional details and making them relevant to the company you are applying to.

That is, if companies even bother reading the thousands of cover letters they get...sigh.

I did this once

[ReidMaynard]

Back in 1982, and I was looking for a part-time, afternoon only tech job while I went to school in the morning.

I printed up a bunch of resumes, got out the phone book (yellow pages) and just started going down companies who I thought would hire tech people.

I just started with the A's and spend afternoons driving to the address and leaving my (single page) resume.

WHen I got to the C's, and I was leaving my resume with a particular company, the receptionist said "hold on" and she walked away.

She came back and said, ok go on in. I went into the VP of Development's Office (he was the whole dev dept) and he asked how I knew about the job. I said what job. Aparently he was just about to place an adv in the newspaper. We chatted for about 10 minutes, and I got the job.