Quick tip about cover letters!

So over the past few weeks, I have noticed a common theme with applications, in particular - cover letters. What is lacking is why the candidate is interested in the job and I hear the same theme from my hiring managers and fellow co-workers of them stating - nobody puts this in their cover letters! Always state what interests you in the position, department and company.  State this in the third or fourth paragraph of your cover letter. It will help increase your chances to be picked out of the hundreds of applicants for the jobs you are applying too! I hope this helps and please email me any questions!

Help A Recruiter By Doing The Following Things!

I read on a daily basis probably about anywhere from a few applications (cover letter and resume, profile information) to over a 100. So while I understand that applying for a job is cumbersome, so is trying to understand an application. Here are a few tips that I am advising and asking for you to please take the time to do the following when you are preparing your resume and/or cover letter for a job:

1. Spell out acronyms - never assume that the person reading your resume understands or knows that abbreviation, shorthand, etc.
• This includes degrees too and make sure to get your degree name right (especially important for niche industries)
• If you state a future year, please put the month and year as it is hard to tell if you will meet the basic requirement sooner than later or not for a while.  If you don't have anything you may not be selected to interview. 
• All you need to put is:
• Expected graduation date: June 2011
2. Make sure to list out your job duties on your resume underneath the employment section. I have seen a lot of applicants recently mention a job or school in their cover letter, but it is not on their resume. If you speak to it in your cover letter - make sure it is on your resume for consistency and so the reader of your application can learn more about what you mention in your resume.
3. Spell check, spell check - I can't say it enough!!
4. Make sure you list all the programs that you have working knowledge of and that are listed on the job description. Even some that you may think are "no brainers", etc. So many people fail to do this and hiring managers may not select you because of this. 

I hope these tips help! This information is based on reviewing applications and working with hiring mangers so the tips may help your application get noticed and get that first call for a position!