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HOW
TO WRITE A DOUBLE-DUTY COVER LETTER
By Quick
and Affordable Resumes
There are many rules out there about what to do and what
not to do when it comes to writing cover letters and
resumes.
Let's start with the one-page resume rule. You will find
advice stating to keep the resume to one page if you
have less than ten years of experience or are a new
college graduate. Some experts will advise keeping the
resume to one page in length no matter how many years of
experience you have.
Which expert advice should you follow? Probably the
majority -- which tends to advise on keeping the resume
to one page if you have about ten years of experience in
a non-supervisory role, and two pages if you are mid to
senior level.
Even the one-page rule can be broken for those with less
than ten years of experience if they are in a very
project oriented position such as information
technology, engineering or construction. These positions
tend to list many project highlights.
If
you are very senior level, you can get away with a
three-page resume, or longer. For those in academia and
scientific fields, a curriculum vitae is recommended,
which can run up to ten or more pages.
Okay, enough about resumes. There are just as many rules
about cover letter too. Some say to keep it brief;
others say to tell a story. Unlike the divided opinions
about resume length, most experts will agree to keep the
cover letter to one page.
There are many different cover letter formats to use
such as the resume-style that combines paragraphs with
bulleted statements; a narrative that is all paragraphs
and no bulleted statements; and the two-column approach
that compares the company's requirements with your
qualifications, side-by-side.
A
variation on the two-column approach is to use two
separate paragraphs that are headed by titles. These
include one for Your Requirements and another for My
Qualifications.
So
what do you do when you have between 10 and 15 years of
experience or too much information to fit on one page,
but not enough to fill two pages? What length should
your resume be then? Should you reduce the font size to
force it on one page? That is not recommended.
The solution to this sticky problem is to create a
double-duty cover letter. The opening of the letter can
read along the lines of:
As
an expressed interest in being considered for a position
managing your company's global business development
initiatives, I have attached my resume for your review
and consideration. I offer twelve years of experience in
sales and business development with major technology
firms, with achievements that include global expansion
projects.
I
am confident that my qualifications are a good fit with
your company's needs. For instance, in my career I have
achieved the following results:
*
List a key achievement
*
List another key achievement
*
List another key achievement
*
List another key achievement
*
List another key achievement
The advantage in this strategy is you will be able to
include your achievements that might not have fit on
your resume, whether one or two pages. Moreover, it will
add value to the cover letter and avoid the risk of
writing cliche statements for lack of something better
to say.
Whatever you do, make sure you list more about your
achievements than you soft skills. It is okay to list
that you are a team leader, effective communicator and
business development strategist. But the reader will
want to see more about what you've actually done and the
challenges behind each accomplishment.
Be
sure to include dollar signs and percentages for greater
impact aka quantifiable and qualifiable achievements.
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