Post on 05-Dec-2014
description
How to Use a
Job Description to Prepare a
Cover Letter
Created By: Amy Middleton
Twitter: @orangewalk
Personal Site: crankybabicult.com
A quick aside-
These slides vary in lengthclick through at your own pace
(don’t use auto-play)
Why Cover Letters Matter
Now, imagine you are looking for someone to do a service for you…
You want someone to walk your dog.
Why Cover Letters Matter
You create an ad:
Dog Walker Needed
Must love dogs.
Why Cover Letters Matter
George emails you:
I love dogs! I have 6 of my own and we go walking every day!
Why Cover Letters Matter
Ringo emails you:
To whom it may concern.
Please see attached resume.
Meanwhile Ringo is thinking:
If I didn't love dogs, why would I be applying as a dog walker?I've already addressed this in my resume.I hate cover letters.{ }
Why Cover Letters Matter
Who are you more impressed by?Whose resume are you going to bother
to open?
Why Cover Letters Matter
Now imagine that your dog has diabetes, and you need someone who can meet his medical needs while going on slow, labored walks with him.
Why Cover Letters Matter
You make your ad:
My dog has diabetes, and I need someone who can meet his medical needs while going on slow, labored walks with him.
Why Cover Letters Matter
George emails you:
I love dogs! I have 6 of my own and we go walking every day!
Why Cover Letters Matter
Paul emails you:
So sorry to hear about your dog! My terrier had cataracts and a heart condition towards the end of his life, and I learned everything I could about the disease in order to care for him. Our slow walks together are some of my best memories of him.
Why Cover Letters Matter
Who are you going to follow up with on this ad?
What You are Seeking is Seeking You
If you are an employer, you want to know that the person you hire isn't just a great person.
You want to hire the right person for your specific job.
What You are Seeking is Seeking You
Your goal as a job candidate is to prove you are what the employer is looking for.
What You are Seeking is Seeking You
This presentation will help you
use the job description
to prepare a cover letter
that proves you are what they are looking
for.
The Job Description
Think of the job description as
Your secret weapon
The Job Description
They are showing you exactly what they are looking for.
The Job Description
But when job descriptions stop looking like this:
Dog Walker Needed
Must love dogs.
The Job Description
And start to look more like this:Responsibilities: Student advising duties include counseling students about academic policies, programs, and options, assisting students in the development of meaningful educational plans, and supporting students by helping them to identify and assess alternatives and the impact of their decisions. An Advising Dean supports students as they develop greater responsibility for their educational goals, evaluate post-graduate options, and transition to life after college. Resource referral duties include maintaining a comprehensive knowledge about all academic policies and procedures, core requirements, pre-professional information, and all non-major specific information. An Advising Dean will work collaboratively with faculty, academic departments, the Center for Career Education, other campus resources and other departments within the Division of Student Affairs to provide students with necessary scholastic, co-curricular and personal resources. Programming duties include supporting the programming efforts of the Center for Student Advising and large scale Student Affairs programs such as the Summer Advising sessions, Pre-First Year Summer Program…
The Job Description
It’s hard to know what you should be responding to.
The Requirements Outline
This should help you get a better handle on things:
Exercise 1: Create a
Requirements Outline
The Requirements Outline
In this exercise, you'll turn the job description into a bulleted outline.
The Requirements Outline
A paragraph contains too many ideas to deal with at once.
Resource referral duties include maintaining a comprehensive knowledge about all academic policies and procedures, core requirements, pre-professional information, and all non-major specific information. An Advising Dean will work collaboratively with faculty, academic departments, the Center for Career Education, other campus resources and other departments within the Division of Student Affairs to provide students with necessary scholastic, co-curricular and personal resources.
The Requirements Outline
Step 1: Break paragraphs into sentences.
Resource referral duties include maintaining a comprehensive knowledge about all academic policies and procedures, core requirements, pre-professional information, and all non-major specific information.
An Advising Dean will work collaboratively with faculty, academic departments, the Center for Career Education, other campus resources and other departments within the Division of Student Affairs to provide students with necessary scholastic, co-curricular and personal resources.
The Requirements Outline
Even a sentence has too many ideas to deal with at once.
Resource referral duties include maintaining a comprehensive knowledge about all academic policies and procedures, core requirements, pre-professional information, and all non-major specific information.
The Requirements Outline
Step 2: Break sentences into unique ideas.
Resource referral duties include maintaining a comprehensive knowledge about all academic policies and procedures, core requirements, pre-professional information, and all non-major specific information.
Resource referral duties include maintaining a comprehensive knowledge about
• all academic policies and procedures • core requirements• pre-professional information• all non-major specific information
The Requirements Outline
Resource Referral Duties maintain a comprehensive knowledge about
academic policies and procedures core requirements pre-professional information all non-major specific information
work collaboratively with faculty academic departments the Center for Career Education other campus resources other departments within the Division of Student Affairs
provide students with necessary resources: scholastic co-curricular personal
Your Requirements Outline should be concise: no sentences or serial commas.
The Requirements Outline
Once you’ve created a Requirements Outline, you should know exactly what the company is looking for.
Now it’s time to show that you are the right person for the job.
The Response Outline
It’s time for:
Exercise 2: Create a
Response Outline
The Response Outline
Your Response Outline is going to respond to each item in your Requirements Outline.
The Response Outline
Must be a hard worker I am a hard worker
Requirement Response
The Response Outline
Try to Respond to each Requirement using
SkillsExperienceAccomplishments
The Response Outline
Your Requirements Outline asks for:
•Knowledge of lifesaving and first aid techniques.
Skills
The Response Outline
I know first aid and CPR.
•Knowledge of lifesaving and first aid techniques.
You could respond with skills:
Requirement Response
Experience
The Response Outline
I have been a certified American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor for the last three Summers.
•Knowledge of lifesaving and first aid techniques.
You could respond with experience:
Requirement Response
Accomplishments
The Response Outline
Last Summer, I rescued a child using CPR.
•Knowledge of lifesaving and first aid techniques.
You could respond with accomplishments:
Requirement Response
The Response Outline
Remember, the purpose of this outline is to help you confidently respond with your strengths and abilities.
Filling in Missing Pieces
At this stage, avoid using qualifiers such as
HoweverButEven though
Filling in Missing Pieces
“I don't know the software,
but I can learn”
is better framed as....
Filling in Missing Pieces
“I can learn the software because ___________.”
I already know other products in the suite.I am familiar with the interface.I have used a similar program for two years.
Filling in Missing Pieces
Your Requirements Outline states:
•Must have at least 6 months exp wrapping sandwiches (hoagies, heros,)
{ }but you don’t!
Experience
The Response Outline
I have several months’ experience wrapping sandwiches
•Must have at least 6 months exp wrapping sandwiches
If you have five months’ experience rather than the required six, you could say :
Requirement Response
The Response Outline
I am an adept wrapper, with 8 months’ experience quickly wrapping packages of various
sizes.
•Must have at least 6 months exp wrapping sandwiches
If you are a skilled gift wrapper but have no sandwich wrapping experience, you could say:
Requirement Response
Skills
Putting it All Together
By this point, your Response Outline should be a reflection of your Requirements outline, making it clear that you are the person the company is looking for.
Putting it All Together
5+ years relevant work experience Highly proficient with MS Outlook
applications• calendar• email• evite
Confidentiality and discretion are required with private business matters
Well organized Strong interpersonal and multi-
tasking skills Precise attention to detail Excellent verbal skills
I’ve worked as an Administrative Assistant for the past 7 years. I’m an expert at MS Outlook including
• Calendar (I support the calendar of 3 EVPs and 2 SVPs)
• email• evite
I am professional and discrete with confidential matters.
I’m a great organizer. I created a filing system that was rolled out corporate-wide.
I have strong interpersonal, verbal, and multi-tasking skills.
I have excellent attention to detail.
Requirement Response
Putting it All Together
work collaboratively with faculty academic departments
the Center for Career Education work collaboratively with faculty academic departments the Center for Career
Education other campus resources other departments within the
Division of Student Affairs
Requirement Response I have worked
collaboratively withfaculty (often liaising
with students and clarifying policy)
academic departments (including establishing course requirements)
Campus resourcesStudent Life Dept.
Putting it All Together
Your Response Outline provides you with the meat and potatoes of your Cover Letter.
Putting it All Together
Review itFeel good about itOwn it
Use it
Putting it All Together
Armed with a solid list of your skills experience and accomplishments
tailored to your Job Description, writing your Cover Letter should be easy!
Finishing Touches
A few final suggestions for your Cover Letter
Finishing Touches
Use your Response Outline as a resource, but only include relevant items
Finishing Touches
Do some research about the company beyond what you’ve read in the job description
Finishing Touches
Be professional but personal Show personal interest in the position and company
Finishing Touches
Get feedback on your Cover Letter
Invite someone (or everyone) to review it for grammar, punctuation, and content
Finishing Touches
If you can edit the subject line, include your name (this helps the recipient find your letter if your email is forwarded and it loses the “from” line)
FWD: Internet SEM/PPC Professional
FWD: Amy Middleton: Internet SEM/PPC Professional
Finishing Touches
Good luck!All the best in your job search