At school they teach you to never judge a book by its cover. You’d be hard pressed to disagree, but when browsing through the thousands of books displayed in brilliant shops like Foyles in central London, it really is very hard to decide what to pick up and what to ignore. Just like busy Human Resources managers, I look at recommendations first as this can save a lot of time.
In the job seeking arena, this would be the equivalent of networking. You can jump to the head of the queue… but what about all of those other books that I’ve never heard about? What if they are the next great read?
Here is where the book cover comes into it’s own. Likewise, for job seekers, the covering letter becomes crucial. Why do we need covering letters? The answer is simple. Even with the best technology available, computers can only find words on a page. They cannot distinguish between: “I use CCTV” and “I install CCTV”. So somebody, somewhere, at some point in the job seeking process must read your CV. If they are faced with just one hundred CVs then the first thing they want is an executive summary. In other words, a covering letter to explain what the CV says, and why they really need to read more!
Like the book cover, the covering letter has to be designed to create interest. You may flip to the back cover of the book to read a brief summary, you may thumb through or speed read every page (or for speed you may just agree and say: “Yes, I’ll take it”). Next time you are in a book store, ask yourself what you’re actually doing? Think of the process you are actively engaged in, and then apply the lessons learned to your covering letter.
Conveying the correct image
Many people think of the covering letter as a letter to introduce their CV. They’re wrong! The covering letter conveys an image of you, as well as the salient points of the narrative. It explains why you are applying for that opportunity and makes employers eager to find out more about you. If it sounds drab, then the impression of you will be the same.
After employers read your covering letter, they should be keen to read your CV. Even if you lack all of the experience, your enthusiasm or motivation can make you stand out alongside more suitably experienced or qualified people.
You can imagine the number of CVs we receive at SSR when I say that our monthly e-mails exceed one million. Now translate that into the Human Resources department of one of the vast national employers like ADT or Siemens. Recruiters, then, become experts in presentation. The only guarantee we can give is that your CV will be delayed if the style is impractical. By impractical I mean that we’re unable to copy or scan it and send it to the key people who need to see the application.
Quite rightly, you will want your application to stand out. Let me suggest that you don’t experiment with style. If your spare time job is anything other than the consulting editor of Vogue then do not try emulating them.
From a purely practical view, books and magazines are displayed on shelves, CVs and applications come in piles, e-mails and lists of scanned documents. You will hear stories of how some people have managed to secure the job of a lifetime by being different. That is just one person in a thousand. By far the majority of these do not get through and your application is too important to leave to chance. Give your future employers what they expect – a covering letter, plain and simple.
One last word on presentation. If your document resembles War and Peace then it will be shoved to the back of the pile unless your covering letter is brilliant. The reader will not have time to analyse all of your life history. Your covering letter and CV must be concise.
Worry about spelling… and the job!
One of my mentors in the army used to say: “You have people who worry about spelling and people who worry about doing the job”. Well, if you are serious about the job, then plan to ensure your spelling is right!
Nowadays, we understand that the spell checker on your PC may be set to American (and they cannot spell). We also recognise that an Eastern European CV and one from the East End of London will use different expressions so some latitude may be given, but the covering letter that will promote you the furthest is the one that says: “I’ve taken the time to proof read this letter… now read my application.”
The essential function of the covering letter is to convey to your potential employer that you are extremely interested in obtaining this position while introducing your skills and exactly where they match the job role.
Your covering letter also gives you the ideal opportunity to mention anyone that might be endorsing you from inside the company. A recommendation from within is a bit like an author winning the Booker Prize. If it is your neighbour, then mention their name. Naming gives the employer a reference for you, and it can show your liking of the company, it’s culture and working practices. Use all of the leverage you have. Don’t wait for the interview.
Just like moving, a covering letter is vital when trying to explain why you are interested in undertaking a change in your career. As your CV is meant to communicate how successful you have been in your previous jobs, it will be full of non-related roles. The days of the crystal ball have long gone. Your covering letter should explain where your skills and motivations best match how you can use your past accomplishments to contribute to the company’s success. The rest is about luck, practicalities and the willingness of an employer to think about taking a risk on you.
Relocation and ‘no shows’
I could not count on one hand the number of times security professionals have accepted jobs and then not shown up on the first day! Both employer and applicant have suffered huge expense and time in getting together, only for the first day to be a ‘no show’.
Highest on the reasons for no shows are those that said: “I am willing to relocate” and yet fail to do so. Regardless of the reason for people not relocating to another area when they say they will, an employer only has to experience this hardship once before they are wary of any promise to relocate. If you are genuine about relocating, then explain how and why you are able to relocate, or the applications from far flung corners of the world will be relegated to the Last Chance Saloon.
Now, no shows provide you with a second chance, but only if you grasp it. In the event that you receive a rejection letter – it happens to the best of us – then take the time to send another letter asking to be reconsidered should that role (or a similar one) be made available.
Use the same skills to draft your reapplication letter and reattach your CV. When a ‘no show’ happens – and they are more frequent than you would think – whose enthusiasm will be remembered?