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How to Write That
"Door-Opening" Resume
and Effective Companion
Covering Letter

by David N. Klot, President, Professional Resumes, Inc.

In today's highly competitive marketplace, your resume and covering letter are probably the most important elements in the job search process. Unfortunately, the resume is also the great "disqualifier." By reviewing your resume, a potential employer can summarily eliminate you from consideration. It would be ideal if you could make an appointment with a potiential employer without a resume. Unfortunately, those times are long since gone. So, it is essential that the resume be prepared thoughtfully, carefully and with a view toward "getting the interview."

Writing effective, "door-opening" resumes and covering letters can requre a larger effort than it initally appears. Employers receive thousands of resumes weekly, and during periods of economic downturn, many more. The following is a brief guideline on how to construct an effective resume and covering letter, what to say, what not to say and how to stand a better chance of having it read.

Getting your resume read has become more difficult because the reading is often done by computers. Large, medium-sized and increasingly, small companies are employing an "Applicant Tracking System" strategy for pre-qualifying resumes. This technique selects key words and phrases and enables the hiring company to eliminate more unqualified candidates. It is a highly selective system that will eliminate your resume before it is read unless it is formatted properly and contains the relevant structure.

An important element to remember is that a resume is not the interview, but merely a means to the interview. A common error in resume preparation is trying to say it all in the resume. This usually results in an uninteresting, wordy document that probably says too much. By putting it all in writing, you are not giving the employer good reason to want to see you.The resume should be constructed so that the employer's interest is aroused and you become a candidate for the interview.

The resume is written only to get the interview!

• Keep the resume to one page, two at most. Most employers don't want to be bothered reading about you if it takes too long.
  
• Don't open your resume with an "objective." Objectives should be the exclusive province of recent college graduates or others who are entering the job market for the first time.
  
• Make your resume "accomplishment-oriented" and keep it that way, consistently.
  
• Chronological resumes are preferable to functional ones because the format is more traditional and easier to follow. Use functional resumes only when you must minimize gaps in employment and erratic career advancement.
  
• Present your resume in an easy-to-read fashion - typeset it if you can and have it printed on good quality paper. Avoid being "cute" - do not send pink paper with polka dots, attach money, enclose a photo, etc. Every approach that you consider to be "unique" has probably been tried before, many times.
  
• Take particular pains to avoid typographical and grammatical errors. As a reflection of intellect, a resume with typos or poor grammar may be discarded on that basis alone.
  
• Don't lie. If you did not graduate from college, don't say that you did. These are facts that are easily verified and, even if you do get hired, they may ultimately cause you to lose the job. The CFO of a well-known, listed company, was recently discharged when it was discovered that his resume stated that he had an M.B.A. when, in fact, he did not. There is nothing wrong however, with "event glorification."
  
• It is acceptable, perhaps beneficial, to respond to a job advertisement more than a week after it appears. Your resume has a better chance of being read if it is received in the "trickle" instead of the "flood" of responses.
  
• Never write "Health: Excellent." No one has ever written "Health: Poor."
  
• Always accompany your resume with a personalized covering letter. This indicates that the job has enough interest for you so that you took the time to personalize your response.
  
• An effective covering letter should also be short, precise, accomplishment-oriented and end with a request for an interview. Wherever possible, address the letter directly to the individual who makes hiring decisions. Avoid addressing it to "Human Resource Department" or "Personnel Department." Ask for the interview!
  
• When you respond to a classified or display advertisement, you are usually in competition with hundreds, if not thousands of applicants with similar qualifications. Therefore, directing a covering letter to a specific individual will bring greater returns.
  
• Research! You can find the name of the individual you seek usually by making a telephone call. If that doesn't work, consult industrial directories which are easily available on the Internet.
  
• Whereas the resume features accomplishments in your employment, the covering letter should emphasize personal characteristics (tenacity, communication skills, rapid promotions, etc.) and how your qualifications meet the advertiser's requirements.
  
• Persistence Beats Resistance! One, two or even three follow-up letters may be necessary to penetrate your target.
  
• Ignore requests for salary history or requirements. That request is an attempt by employers to either disqualify you or assume an unfair advantage during salary negotiations. If your resume and letter are interesting enough, that should be enough to provoke a response.
  

According to the experts, the return rate to job seekers using direct mail is usually about 2%. Therefore, the more resumes you send out, the more responses you will receive. This does not apply to highly specialized occupations that target an industry with only a few companies. In that instance, your efforts have to be concentrated on a few selected companies and require an aggressive marketing campaign.

I wish you luck in your job search efforts. After having written more than 20,000 resumes since 1970, I am convinced that it is truly the resume and covering letter that makes the difference. Take great pains to make yours "the perfect resume."

David N. Klot