Each part of your cover letter reveals something important to potential employers — whether you want the job or not. And unfortunately for some job seekers, not all of the revelations are positive.

Take a look at some examples of real-life cover letter sentences that don’t quite make the cut in the competitive hiring landscape.

1. “My skills and experience are an excellent fit for this position.”

At the beginning of every cover letter,  state the position you’re applying to. Then describe exactly how your skills and experience are a good fit.

Employers are not interested in applicants who will jump at just any job. They want applicants who have their eyes on the open position and who have relevant experience. By generically stating you’d be a great fit for the position, you admit to hiring managers that you haven’t taken the time to find the specific job title, review the qualifications or think about how your specific skill set meshes with the role.

To avoid this perception, be specific.

Your initial statement should sound something like this: “With ten years of experience in the stock market, I am seeking a position as a day trader with ABC Investments.” This shows you actually care about the particular position and took the time to research the job title and customize your cover letter.

2. “I have been looking for an opportunity to work in this industry.”

Employers want to hire someone who cares about their company, not someone who finds all companies in a particular industry interchangeable.

Don’t wait for the interview to show you’ve done your homework. For example, when applying for a store manager position at Jamba Juice, a statement like, “I have a dedicated work ethic and years of experience as a chef,” doesn’t work. Jamba Juice is known for hiring upbeat, energetic employees. The business specializes in smoothies — not French cuisine.

Instead think about how your past experience applies specifically to Jamba Juice.

If you write a cover letter specific to an industry and not a particular company, you’re wasting an opportunity to show your passion for this specific company — something hiring managers look for.

3. “Thank you for taking the time to read my resume.”

Studies show that people who ask for raises are more likely to get them. The same concept is true in your job application. Ending a cover letter with a request for an interview will lead to more job offers.

Weak closing messages like, “Thank you for your time,” or “I hope to talk with you soon,” give the hiring manager a choice: To call you back, or not to call you back. Asking for an interview creates the impetus for the hiring manager to at least call back in response to your application.

Address your cover letter to a specific person. Look up the name of the hiring manager or human resource manager before you send it off. If the company website does not list the hiring manager’s name, call the business directly. You’ll show a heightened level of interest and indicate you’re serious about this job.

4. “I am an experienced, goal-oriented team player.”

Hiring managers read cover letters all day long. They are used to reading the same words and phrases in each letter. If you write a cover letter with the generic format, you express you’re a generic candidate who didn’t put much thought into how your experience or goal orientation fits in with the role.

Resumes and cover letters should show personal qualities, not tell about them. (Click here to tweet this thought.)

Instead, think about writing statements like this: “I served as the COO of Plant Pharmaceuticals for ten years. During that time, I managed a team of 50 people and set aggressive revenue goals. Last year, our executive team wanted to increase departmental revenue by three percent, but I was able to bring in an additional six percent by introducing an innovative social media strategy that drove over 100,000 new sales.”

The last statement shows all of the same generic qualities, but backs them up with actual facts.

5. “I’m everything that you’re looking for… and more!”

Job postings often include keywords that show what the company wants in an employee. These keywords represent skill sets that are important because they can be used in your cover letter.

Incorporated these keywords into your cover letter so that hiring managers — and more importantly, applicant tracking systems — will better understand that you have the necessary talents and pay attention to each detail.

If a job posting requests an employee who is punctual and willing to learn new skills, you should incorporate these two attributes in your cover letter. This instantly shows that you understand the needs of the position.

6. “I look forward to you’re response.”

It sounds crazy, but spelling and punctuation are common cover letter problems. In a recent study by Grammarly, we learned there are five errors on a typical cover letter or resume. The top mistakes include verb tense, hyphen use, formatting and careless spelling mistakes (words that are spelled correctly but used in the wrong context).

Before sending your resume or cover letter, always spell check and proofread your document first. Better yet, have a grammar-minded friend do it for you. Misspellings, typos and errors show you lack attention to detail.

A cover letter is one of the first pieces of information a hiring manager receives about you. Many hiring managers use your cover letter to read between the lines and figure out what type of person you are. This piece of paper will determine if you get an interview or not.

So what do you want your cover letter to portray? That you’re careless, generic and arrogant? Or that you’re meticulous, dedicated and passionate? Although the interview will ultimately determine if you are hired, your cover letter is your secret password to make it to the interview.

Max Lytvyn, co-founder and head of product strategy for Grammarly, drives the future direction and technical integration of Grammarly’s product portfolio. Connect with Max, the Grammarly team and more than one million Grammarly Facebook fans at www.facebook.com/grammarly.

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The post 6 Things Your Cover Letter Should Never Say (But Probably Does) appeared first on Brazen Life.

The film has serious staying power — and not just for audiophiles. Why? Its lessons about love and pop culture also apply to work, specifically how to find a job that belongs in your list of all-time favorite careers. (Click here to tweet this list.)

1. Treat your resume and cover letter like the perfect mix-tape

Job search, like music compilations, is a subtle art with “lots of dos and don’ts,” as High Fidelity’s protagonist, Rob Gordon, notes. “You’ve got to kick it off with a killer to grab attention … then you have to cool it off a notch. There are lots of rules.” Your resume and cover letter should be customized for every job you pursue.

With each version, make it easy for hiring managers to distinguish you from other applicants flooding their inboxes. Lead with a strong, need-to-read intro about your standout accomplishments and in-demand talents. But hold up.

Showing off only helps if you show employers you have their best interests in mind. Job search might seem like it’s all about you, but by focusing on the company’s objectives, you’re much more likely to snag an offer. Rob Gordon finally got the message and made a mix for his ex full of music that would make her happy.

Make your application less about you and more about your audience. That’s how you woo people and get hired.

2. Lust isn’t love — or long-term satisfaction

It’s not just fear of commitment that keeps Rob Gordon from everlasting love. His biggest hangup is the inability to shake that first buzz of instant chemistry with someone new. Even as he tries to win back his ex, he flirts with an attractive journalist over shared music obsessions. “When is this going to stop?!” he screams and ejects the mix he’s working on for this new lust interest.

He knows that eventually they’d run into their own set of issues as a couple. His energies are better spent working things out with his current flame who’s out of his league. Similarly, in today’s job market, it’s tempting to get caught up in a cool company’s shiny perks or new startup smell.

So what if the place involves a two-hour commute, pays less than your serving job and doesn’t include benefits? Here’s what — you might be single, healthy and up for anything, but will you be satisfied at this place in a year? As you get older, will the beer pong Fridays be less tempting than stock options? Are you a good fit or are you both just on your best behavior?

Write down a list of your short-term needs and long-term goals to see if they align with each company before you accept an offer.

3. Turn your passion into a career

Rob Gordon might be all mixed up about relationships, but he struck gold in the career department. He starts by owning a record store where he gets to listen to music all day, then risks it all to start his own label. Of course, he makes a lot of sacrifices along the way — mostly not making the big bucks. Doing what you love often means living paycheck to paycheck.

This is true whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or climbing the corporate ladder (hey, some people are passionate about finance). Start saving money and make the most of lean years by turning every freelance gig or long night at the office into valuable lessons. Find a mentor and hang with people who share your professional interests.

It worked for Rob and his employees: “I hired these guys for three days a week and they just started showing up every day. That was four years ago.” Obsession, when used wisely, can turn a day job into living your dream.

Jamie Gadette is a freelance writer and Lead Content Strategist for JobDash, an innovative EdTech company delivering Career Services software for colleges and universities. You can follow her music-obsessed updates @JamieSLC

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The post What High Fidelity Can Teach You About Finding a Great Job appeared first on Brazen Life.

Your cover letter has to be excellent to make a good impression. If you include these five elements in your letter, you’re almost guaranteed job-hunting success. Try it — play along as you read.

You need…

1. A compelling first line

Too many cover letters start with “I am pleased to submit my application for the marketing assistant job posted on your website,” which is a snooze-fest. Even “I’m excited to apply for your marketing assistant position” is about eight hundred times better because you sound like a human being.

If you want to go beyond “I’m excited to apply for…” you have a few options. Consider starting by dropping a name or with an anecdote (“If the Jell-O Wrestling Club’s latest match hadn’t ended with two injured contestants, it wouldn’t have been facing the biggest PR disaster of its short life. But now I had to fix it.”).

By the way, it’s helpful to include a name (as long as it’s spelled correctly — quadruple check this, please), but you don’t need one. “Dear hiring manager” is fine and preferable to “To whom it may concern” or “Dear sir or madam,” no matter what MS Office’s Clippy tells you.

2. A list (but not actually) of all you bring to the company

The meat of your cover letter should talk about your skills and accomplishments, but not in the same way as your resume. Your resume is a bulleted list; your cover letter should be written in sentences.

For example: “I thrive in fast-paced environments and love tight deadlines. At my previous position, I often filed reports finished long before they were due.” Or: “I’m a multitasker — I manage four social media accounts and have grown followers an average of 30 percent over each year I’ve had this job.” Or “My marketing strategy at XYZ company yielded purchase orders of over $2 million.”

Not “I have extensively researched your company and can contribute to your bottom line.” That’s meaningless.

3. A story: show it, don’t tell it

Ever since the first cavemen huddled around a fire and tried to explain the stars, human beings have been storytelling creatures. You can use your cover letter to tell the story of why you want to work at company X, how you became interested in field Y or why there’s a big gap on your resume. Nobody wants to hear your whole life story from birth onward, but consider this:

If it weren’t for my elementary school music teacher, I might never have become a writer who specializes in advocating for the arts. The only time my parents took me to Baltimore’s symphony hall, it was because they accidentally bought tickets for the opera Amahl and the Night Visitors, thinking it was some sort of holiday variety show. But Mrs. Lindquist? She made sure I made it to the Meyerhoff three times each school year. I was fortunate to attend school in a well-funded district that valued music education, even if it wasn’t a high priority in my family. Not all kids are so lucky.

This is how a writer opened her cover letter to a nonprofit that brings music education to schools that don’t have it. It’s six brief sentences, but tells a full story. It’s also funny and insidery, with the references to a fairly obscure opera (for those not versed in the musical world) and the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. This letter got the writer an interview.

Think how different it would have been if she had instead said, “I am applying for your open position because I am passionate about music education and want to help children experience it for themselves.” Kinda blah, right? Think about how your experiences make a story and include details.

4. Some humility

“I know I am the perfect candidate for your job.” No, you don’t. “You owe it to yourself to invite me in for an interview.” Yikes. Don’t put yourself down, but keep in mind that you’re one candidate out of many, and you definitely don’t know that you’re the best (even if you feel that way and your mom agrees).

Besides, your cover letter is an opportunity to line up your skills with the company’s needs — not to talk about how great the job would be for you. (Click here to tweet this thought.)

Some experts recommend using twice as many “you”s in your cover letter as “I”s. That’s hard to do, but it’s a good goal to aim for, since it keeps you focused on the company’s needs. Consider the differences between these two examples:

“I’m really excited about this opportunity because working with children has been a lifelong dream of mine, and your company would give me the potential to grow. This is definitely my dream job, and I know I’m the perfect candidate for you.” (Six “I”s, “me”s or “my”s, two “you”s.)

“Your ad mentions you’re looking for someone who’s good with numbers. At my last job, I was nicknamed ‘human calculator’ for my skill with reports.” (Two “you”s, two “I”s — much closer.)

5. A great closing line

Here’s what is not a great closing line: “I’ll call you next week to set up an interview.” Maybe that worked in your parents’ generation, but these days, that’s far too pushy.

Instead, try:

“I’m excited to speak with you about the opportunity to join the team!”

Or “I’m eager to help ABC Co. continue to set itself apart from the competition.”

Or even just “My resume is attached, as requested, and I look forward to speaking with you further about this job.”

Ideally, you want to straddle the line between excited (good) and Overly Attached Girlfriend (bad). Then just add a “Sincerely, your name” and you’re done. Seriously, that’s it.

Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?

Rachel Kaufman is the author of Cover Letters for Creative People, an ebook about nailing the perfect cover letter in your job search. Get your own copy here.

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The post Killer Cover Letter Tips for Your Job Search appeared first on Brazen Life.

This is your opportunity to introduce yourself to an employer and make yourself stand out among a competitive applicant pool. Your cover letter lets the employer know you are a good match for both the company and the position — or not.

Avoid the following mistakes to get your application noticed — in a good way!

1. You didn’t follow instructions

What were the instructions in the job listing? Many employers will request a specific subject line, salary requirements or additional documents, such as a writing sample.

Not following instructions will immediately eliminate you from the applicant pool. Double check your cover letter against the job listing, and have a friend proofread before you submit.

This is your chance to show off your written communication skills, so avoid making costly mistakes. You shouldn’t have to explain in your letter that you’re detail-oriented; a good cover letter that follows the instructions will demonstrate that.

2. You used a canned message

You won’t get an interview if you submit the same generic cover letter with every application. Tailor your cover letter to the job you’re applying for to prove you’re not only a qualified candidate, but also serious about this job in particular.

A great cover letter will express enthusiasm for the company and demonstrate you have the relevant skills and experience the position requires. Your cover letter should directly relate to the role and industry you’re applying for; don’t discuss unrelated career goals or experiences.

Cheryl E. Palmer, M.Ed., CECC, CPRW and Career Development Expert, warns against using form letters: “Recruiters can spot a form letter a mile away. Form letters send the message to employers that the job seeker is not interested in the specific position that the employer has available, but rather that the job seeker is sending out resumes to everyone without giving any thought to what the employer is looking for.”

3. You regurgitated your resume

Your cover letter should enhance your resume, not repeat or summarize it. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Instead of rehashing the skills and experience listed in your resume, expand on why that experience makes you a great candidate for the job you want.

Keep your cover letter short (one page or less), but include details that aren’t provided in your resume. Offer specific, relevant examples from your previous experience to make your application shine.

4. You weren’t professional

Don’t include personal details unless the information directly relates to the position you are applying for. You need to keep your tone professional. Though most applications are submitted online, this isn’t an excuse to be casual. Use a formal greeting and signature. Use professional stationery if you mail in your application.

When in doubt, it’s best to use a standard cover letter format. Sandy Malone, a professional wedding planner and the star of TLC’s Wedding Island, confirms that most hiring managers aren’t impressed by gimmicks: “Just stop with the ridiculous-looking and colorful resumes. Unless you’re a graphic designer, keep it simple and follow a standard format. I don’t want to hunt for your credentials. That just annoys me.”

5. You didn’t proofread

This is one of the most important steps: Proofread, proofread, proofread!

In addition to correcting any spelling or grammatical mistakes, you have to get the details right. You don’t want to start your cover letter with “Dear Sir” if the hiring manager is a woman.

Also, double check the company name and position title so you don’t send the wrong template from a previous cover letter. Lastly, be sure to back up your skills and experience. If you claim to be extremely organized and have strong writing skills, your cover letter should reflect that.

What else would you add to the list? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Whitney Eidman is the Community Manager at Doostang, a community of over one million elite professionals with inside access to thousands of top jobs. Connect with Doostang on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

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The post Cover Letter Mistakes That Will Send Your Application Straight to the Trash appeared first on Brazen Life.

Any good movie provides a context, or a frame, for viewers to understand the main character and his actions. The context is not only what motivates the main character and allows him to overcome great obstacles; it’s also how the audience relates to that character’s story.

Batman’s frame is his parents’ death. In The Lord of The Rings, the frame is Frodo and Sam’s friendship, and in Harry Potter, it’s Harry’s status as an outsider. Just like these Hollywood blockbusters, your resume needs context to tell your story, too.

You probably already know your resume has less than 10 seconds to grab someone’s attention. By adding context, you give hiring managers a frame for your experience and accomplishments so they can quickly digest your story.

Often a strong frame can actually shape how potential employers understand your skills and qualifications. So spending a little effort to set the stage is well worth it. And since almost all communication and job applications are online these days, it’s easy to set up your stage.

Take these three simple actions to frame how recruiters and employers will view your story:

1. Show employers you’re more than a name

What’s your desired job title? Writer? Marketing Specialist? Business Analyst?

Whatever it is, add that title behind your name in your email from field. Yes, that’s it. Easy, right? Simply go to your email settings and change your name to something that alludes to the position you want.

For example, if you’re in sales, then you’ll want to send employers emails from John Doe — Sales Leader. Even before the recruiter or hiring manager reads your email, you set an expectation. Right off the bat, you identify yourself as someone who can help them with their sales.

2. Reinforce your brand at the end of your email

Once a hiring manager has read your introductory email, you’ll want to make two things clear. First, make sure your email signature matches your from setting. Then, directly below your name, include a link to your your LinkedIn profile. Make it easy and seamless to find out more information about you.

Of course, your LinkedIn profile should also carry the same context, or frame, to fully take advantage of the branding opportunity. So double-check that your LinkedIn headline matches your email from setting and signature.

There’s a reason all those infomercials run a fake timer to insist you to “call now before time runs out!” Advertisers know they have a limited window of time to get someone to act. When it comes to the job hunt, you’re in the same boat as those informercials.

If you can convince an employer to act — to visit your LinkedIn profile as soon as they finish reading your email — then they’ve already invested more time in you than they do with the average applicant. Once a potential employer takes that step to learn more about you, you increase your chances of them wanting to get to know you better in an interview.

3. Make your resume file name more memorable

Too often, job seekers call their resume file resume.doc. While this may make sense sitting on your personal desktop, a recruiter who receives hundreds of resumes a day won’t feel the same way.

Make it easier for them to remember who you are and what you do. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Use the same title you used for your email from setting. For instance, Jonh_Doe_Sales_Leader.doc.

Remember the key is to make sure every time they see your name, it’s associated with what you do. That’s how you start your story. Then, your resume simply unfolds that story.

Now you have a surefire way for employers to view you as a sales professional, IT specialist or project manager before they know anything about you. You’ve created a frame through which they can view your experience. Hey, it works for Hollywood; why not you?

Steve P. Brady is an executive resume writer who blogs on resume writing and career development.

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The post How Using Your Job Application to Tell a Story Can Get You Hired appeared first on Brazen Life.

A nontraditional cover letter can take the form of a list of quotes, a table or chart or an infographic. It doesn’t even have to be a letter at all, if it succeeds in getting a hiring manager’s attention.

Here are five examples of nontraditional cover letters (and some non-letters) that landed people interviews:

1. The chart

Try listing the job ad’s requirements on the left and matching them to your qualifications on the right, like in this example, which landed a recent grad a position at a major metropolitan newspaper.

You don’t have to crack jokes (here’s an example of a more formal approach), but you do have to actually make an effort to read the job ad and think about how your qualifications make you a match.

Hiring managers say they like this format because it saves them time. If you’ve done the work for them of showing how your skills make you a fit, you’ve saved them from having to puzzle it out.

2. “Getting to Know Charlie”

Charlie Drozdyk, author of Jobs That Don’t Suck, wrote a cover letter called “Getting to Know Charlie” where, instead of talking about his work experience, he quoted friends and family members saying somewhat bizarre things about his personality. (He even quoted his first girlfriend as saying “He’s cute, but I can’t imagine dating him.”)

Since Drozdyk was applying for entry-level copywriting jobs, where good writing and a sense of humor are important, he managed to get four interviews with this letter.

3. E-stalking your target

In some industries (like advertising), people Google themselves all the time. So Alec Brownstein decided to turn that to his advantage and buy ads that would display next to the names of creative directors at top New York ad agencies.

For a total outlay of $6 (ads for such unpopular keywords are cheap!), Brownstein got a job.

4. Eating the company’s dog food

In business, “eating your own dog food” refers to a company that makes its employees use its own products (you know Apple employees can’t get away with using Android phones).

In your job search, eating your dream company’s dog food can make you a killer candidate. Hanna Phan decided she wanted to work for SlideRocket, a company that makes presentation software (like Powerpoint). Instead of submitting a traditional application, she made her cover letter into a presentation using SlideRocket’s software. She tweeted it to the CEO, and she heard from him an hour later.

5. Faking the company’s dog food

Chipotle doesn’t make a product you can use in your job search (well, unless you get hungry). But Bianca Cadloni wanted to work there. She built a website called “Will Work For Guacamole” that mimicked the look of a Chipotle napkin. The spot-on visual branding, combined with an aggressive Twitter campaign, got her noticed.

While she didn’t land the job with Chipotle, she was offered a marketing internship at a different agency, which ultimately turned into a paying job. (“Thank you for not hiring me, Chipotle,” she wrote.)

Ultimately, whether you decide to use social media as your cover letter, write a nontraditional letter or try any other gimmick is a judgment call. A startup might be more receptive to getting funny objects in the mail or seeing you show up at their office in a gorilla costume; an established magazine might prefer a more traditional approach. So long as you do your research into the company, you’ll be equipped to take the right risks.

And remember: while it seems like these nontraditional cover letters are everywhere, that’s just because nobody ever writes a news story about how a simple, well-written letter scored someone a job.

What are your favorite nontraditional cover letters?

*Yes, yes, the debate still rages. It’s kind of like the global warming “debate” at this point, though. Just write one.

Rachel Kaufman is the author of Cover Letters for Creative People, an ebook about nailing the perfect cover letter in your job search. Get your own copy here.

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The post 5 Creative Cover Letters That Worked appeared first on Brazen Life.

Here are some pointers on how to craft the perfect cover letter:

Use details to show how your experience is relevant

Make points in your cover letter that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. Is it a marketing job? Specify the roles you’ve played and tasks you’ve undertaken that make you a qualified candidate.

If your cover letter looks like a template, the recruiter will likely feel you aren’t making an effort, and the letter probably won’t speak to why you’d be a great fit for the job you’re applying to.

Give it personality

Avoid sounding monotonous or boring in your cover letter; recruiters will assume you’re like that in person, too. Be excited about the position (but avoid using exclamation points), and be inspired by the work you would do for the company.

Be confident

Sign the letter “I look forward to hearing from you” rather than “I hope to hear from you and that you think I am qualified for the role.” Assume you will hear from the company in your tone—otherwise they will sense your lack of confidence and question your qualifications.

Use proper spelling and grammar

The best way to turn off a recruiter is to use improper grammar or spelling. This says that you don’t have an eye for detail, that you don’t necessarily truly care to work at the company and that you’ll make the same kinds of mistakes when you come on board.

No one wants internal or client communications to be filled with errors; it’s bad business. To brush up on your grammar for free, check out EnglishGrammar101.com for online grammar lessons.

Allude to your network as it pertains to the job

Networking is a critical part of your job search today. If you’ve met someone within the company, reference that person and why they inspired you to apply. It helps even more if the person you’re submitting your resume to is someone you’ve met—tell them why you enjoyed meeting them and why you’d like to work with them. (Appealing to their ego doesn’t hurt!) You can network your way into the job without looking desperate.

Consider length

It’s critical that your cover letter not be too long. Keep it concise and to the point. Recruiters read so many cover letters in a day they might only skim the really long ones. You want to be heard, so keep that cover letter tight.

Before sending the letter, read it over and put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes. In a sea of competitive cover letters, is this a cover letter you’d be inspired to respond to?

Cara Aley is a freelance writer who writes about everything from recruitment strategies to doctor reputation management. She is currently VP of Operations for Two Degrees, a one-for-one food bar company.

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The post Your Guide to Writing an Eye-Catching Cover Letter appeared first on Brazen Life.

Tim, a Brazen Life contributor and the founder of ApplyMate.com, decided to take a break from writing about job search recently and instead put himself in his reader’s shoes and applied for a job. The catch: he went for a job even though he thought he wasn’t qualified for it. He got the job and wrote a series of posts about how he did it on his blog.

Take a look here where Tim discusses the dreaded “experience gap” and explains how he used the experience he has to sell himself:

I have a blog, so I started there. I also write for Brazen Careerist (here’s my latest post), so I used that too. The site where I was applying is one that reviews high-end men’s gear so writing about careers isn’t a natural fit. But it is something, and it shows I can and do write for a large audience.

The next post in the series describes exactly how he revamped his resume for the specific job requirements. Biggest take away from this post: Tim didn’t just edit his resume, he completely rewrote it to seem like all he ever did was what this job required. And he didn’t do it by lying, but by only talking about his most relevant experience. “That’s all employers care about anyway, why talk about anything else?”

The final post, titled “Packaging and Spin,” talks about the importance of offering employers something different. Tim writes:

Why would I pitch myself to a company by saying, “Hey, I’m really excited about giving you more of what you already do really well!”? Employers are looking for something NEW. Fresh perspective, different ideas, alternative skill sets, new solutions. We can’t pitch ourselves as more of the same!

So I took a hard look at their site and noticed a type of outdoor gear that was somewhat under-represented. For example – they cover high-end, luxury travel gear extremely well, but there was room to beef up the equally high-end hunting and fishing gear. I pitched myself as just the person to help them capitalize on this opportunity.

What do you think of Tim’s strategies? 

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The post Hey, Have You Seen This? Job Applicant Explains How He Got a Job He Wasn’t Qualified For appeared first on Brazen Life.

Last week Brazen Life shared an excerpt of an email that was sent out to a list of 900 rejected job applicants. That email, originally posted on Gawker, is going viral, stirring up a ton of controversy  because of the hiring manager’s condescending and abrasive tone.

But if we can get over that for a minute, there’s actually some good stuff in the email, even if this guy does come off as a tiny little you-know-what.

So, pitchforks down, everybody. Below are my four major takeaways:

Observation #1: Competition for jobs is extremely fierce

I know what you’re thinking: duh. But this is important to remind yourself, especially if you’re out there trying to get hired in this competitive market. It’s easy to think you’re perfect for a job… and then feel totally rejected when you don’t get it.

This hiring situation is a great example of an extremely competitive applicant pool with overly qualified applicants. About 900 people applied, and only 50 made the short list? That’s less than 6 percent!

Also, the email drops names of major pubs that some applicants had written for in the past. That being the case, what are these people doing applying to a startup online news journal’s job posting on Craigslist?

These are the odds we’re up against each time we apply for jobs. It’s rough out there.

Observation #2: The first step in getting ahead of the competition is coming up with a decent application

Here’s where the advice actually comes in handy. Though the email did have decidedly snarky undertones, the suggestions in the bullet points were actually solid (and the majority of Gawker’s commentors agree).

Some applicants were committing rookie mistakes, like not attaching a cover letter, not following directions and not using spellcheck. Other problems were more stylistic, like “Don’t start every sentence in your application with a ‘I’.”

My personal favorite bullet point was the “Do give a good reason for why I should hire you.” If you think about it from the company’s perspective, a hiring manager has no reason to care about why the job is a good fit for you. Their priority is to fit the right person for the job description. As a result, hiring managers only care about why you are a good fit for the job – so tell them how you can help them, not vise versa.

Observation #3: Rock stars get hired

It’s no secret that hiring managers want to hire people that stand out from the pack. However, let’s back up for a moment. Say you’ve never written for NYT, HuffPo, WaPo, or any of the other name-dropped newspapers. What is one to do? Two things:

1. Brag about what you can. Maybe you were editor of you school newspaper. Maybe you wrote a blog post that got noticed and re-tweeted by a well-known influencer. Maybe you just have sick skills, and your writing speaks for itself. Be confident. A cover letter is no place for self-doubt.

2. Keep building up your rock star status. If you didn’t get this job, continue building up your portfolio by submitting your best freelance pieces to any online pubs that will accept them – so you’ll be more qualified and experienced next time around.

Observation #4: Job-hunting is not the right time to be overly sensitive to criticism

Looking through those 42 bullet points of gripes, I can’t help but sheepishly admit that I’ve committed one or two of those infractions at some point. I’m okay with the criticism; nobody’s perfect. Admitting when you’ve made a mistake is the first step to writing a better cover letter next time.

Though this hiring manager appears to have a major superiority complex, I can’t hate on the email too much because the advice does seem earnest. So take it for what it’s worth – and maybe it will help you down the road.

Tina Mercado’s career in project management and strategic marketing has taken her as far and wide as Spain, Mexico, South Africa, DC, and Boston. Tina is the author & illustrator of “You Can Do It, Bunny!” a picture book story about staying persistent while job-hunting. 

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The post What You Can Learn from that Ridiculous Email to Rejected Job Applicants appeared first on Brazen Life.

Job seekers, you’re in for a wake-up call: it’s not all about you. In the hiring process, employers ultimately want to find someone who can help the company, not the other way around. Applicants who understand this truth will naturally stand out amongst the unemployed masses and get more interviews.

Of course, job search documents should be about you, just not all about you. Think of it as, you and the company. Or better yet, the company and you.

The next time you’re writing to a company that you’d like to work for, keep these three tips in mind:

Get to know the company — intimately

It’s true that you might be sending application after application to dozens of companies everyday, but if you don’t do your research beforehand, your effort is completely wasted. Basic or shallow research won’t cut it. You need to really learn about the company, its employees and its spot in the marketplace. If you know the company, you’ll be better equipped to communicate what you offer in the context of the organization’s needs. It will also show throughout the hiring process.

Analyze the partnership

Once you’ve done the research, think about what your application means for the company. Think about the needs of the company, its shortcomings and strengths, along with those of their competitors in the field you’re applying. Get down to what makes this company special (or what it needs to become special). What are your strengths? How would they complement the company or department?

Write about yourself (in terms of the company)

Instead about thinking of this open position as the job you want, think of it as the gap the company needs you to fill. Keep your focus on the company as you write your resume, cover letter, or one-page proposal. Concentrate on the company’s specific needs and how you can assess them.

Joanna Riley Weidenmiller is the CEO of The One-Page Company. Prior to launching One-Page, Joanna was the CEO of Performance Advertising. Joanna earned her BA in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia and lives between Beijing, China, and San Francisco.

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The post Rude Awakening: In Your Job Search, It’s Not All About You appeared first on Brazen Life.

But every once in a while, a company takes a risk and adopts a creative approach to hiring. Here are eight instances where some part of the hiring process wasn’t completely standard:

1. Crankset Group: When the firm needed to hire a chief results officer, it posted a four-page ad on Craigslist specifically asking that applicants not send resumes. Instead, job seekers answered questions about “culture, life, ambitions, motivation, fun, etc.,” Chuck Blakeman, founder of the organization, wrote on his blog. And in case you were wondering, the 45 who sent resumes did not get a call.

2. I Love Rewards, Inc.: When the consulting firm received a whopping 1,200 applications for nine jobs, it invited applicants to attend an open house. Just 400 attended. In this instance, just showing up was a large part of the application process. Attendees mingled casually with employers on one floor, while on a different floor, individual candidates got 5 minutes with an interviewer.

3. Google: One would expect the search giant to master the job hunt, and the multi-billion dollar company knew what geeks it was looking for. Google plastered California- and Massachusetts-area billboards with complicated mathematical questions, and figured whoever could solve the puzzle would be a good fit, NPR reported.

4. Quicken Loans: For this mortgage company looking to hire 200 mortgage bankers a month, job fairs weren’t realistic. Instead, Quicken took to the streets in “road rallies,” where employees recruited from malls. So what stores made the list? Best Buy, Circuit City and TGI Fridays.

5. Sunglass Hut: Talk about a cool blogging gig. The winner of a Sunglasses Hut contest for fashion bloggers landed a six-figure salary, a fully furnished apartment in New York and a $1,000 clothing allowance.

6. Electronic Arts: The video game company used American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) to create a job advertisement for potential programmer applicants to decipher. To attract high caliber candidates, they placed billboards with the ad in front of competitor offices. Some applicants responded by providing their resumes in ASCII.

7. 37 Signals: When the web design company decided it was time to hire an office manager, it posted a rather atypical job description on its blog. “Instead of a boring list of skills—this software, that many years of experience, ‘team player,’ etc.—we wrote a list of 26 things that this person would have done in a week had he or she been working here,” company founder Jason Fried wrote in Inc.

8. Southwest: During first-round group interviews at the airline, applicants are asked how they’ve used humor to defuse tense situations. It’s part of a series of ways Southwest tries to identify candidates who have a great attitude. The company has a long history of using offbeat interview tactics to screen for mindset.

Tatiana Christian has had a lot of experience with job ads recently as she searches for a job. She blogs about that and other topics at ParisianFeline.

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The post Beyond the Resume: 8 Nontraditional Approaches to Hiring appeared first on Brazen Life.

But while it gives you the opportunity to work with companies focusing on different topic areas, it could mean that those areas, while interesting, aren’t aligned with your experience.

Perhaps that is exactly what attracts you to the position — the chance to dive into something new. Employers often favor candidates with some experience in the field, so how do you break into an industry that you know little to nothing about? Can it even be done?

It is challenging, for sure, but it is possible.

Almost a month ago, I started as the marketing communications specialist for Monroe Veterinary Associates in Rochester, N.Y. Now believe me, I’m no expert when it comes to animal health. But I do love pets (especially doggies!) and I believe in keeping them healthy, so I used that passion and my marketing expertise to get my foot in the door and land the job.

Maybe you’re facing a similar situation and you’re applying for a job that doesn’t exactly match your experience, or you’re thinking about breaking into an unfamiliar industry. Here are some strategies that can help you do just that.

Research the heck out of the new industry

If there is an industry you find interesting, it shouldn’t be such a chore to do a bit of research about it. Find a trade journal or online magazine and read a few articles. A few places you might consider starting are America’s Career InfoNet and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

You don’t need to become an expert overnight; just be sure to pick up a few bits of information that can give you an extra edge during conversations with those currently working in the field.

But please remember: secondary research only goes so far. It’s important to express your passion for and ability to learn more about the industry. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge you don’t know a ton about the area, but be sure to describe an experience that shows you know how to quickly learn new information. To prove during interviews that I can learn quickly, I talked about how I covered a few legal cases for my university’s newspaper during college, which forced me to learn (and accurately write about) complicated information on a deadline.

Talk to others in the field

These days, technology makes it easy to connect with anyone.

I can almost guarantee that no matter the industry you’re considering, you can find someone in the world who’s talking about it online. You can find industry Twitter chats, LinkedIn groups or even connect with a Brazen user who works in the field. Use these tools to make professional connections with people who have experience in areas that interest you.

Exude confidence in your area of expertise

Whether you’re a marketer, accountant, financial director, IT professional or something else, you need to be able to explain how your specific skills and knowledge can apply (and add to) the company and its industry. Even if you can’t bring subject matter expertise to the position, potential employers will love that you have useful skills combined with a unique outsiders perspective.

Personalize your cover letter and rewrite your resume

Hopefully you do this already, but if not, always write cover letters and resumes based on the job descriptions. Unless your experience matches up almost word-for-word with the job at hand (and it almost never does), spell out why you’re qualified (and that includes more than work history) in a clean, professional manner using your cover letter and resume.

Find a way to relate your skills and experiences to the job. For example, in the cover letter I wrote to apply for my current position, I included a sentence or two about how my family has always had a dog and how I’ve helped my mother with her pet-sitting business. I described my marketing communications expertise in the rest of the letter and noted how I could use those skills to help the company. A cover letter is a tool to let your personality and your passion shine.

Ruth Harper is a member of the Brazen Contributor Network. The opinions in this post are her own.

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The post How to Break into an Unfamiliar Industry appeared first on Brazen Life.

It’s a valid question because if a particular job fields hundreds of applicants, who has the time to read everyone’s application from start to finish?

“My name is ____________, and I am interested in the position of __________”

Yea, we’ve all started a cover letter like that.  It’s a safe bet and lets us start talking about our work experience right away.  Problem is, that line is predictable and a complete yawner for an employer staring at a mountain of job applications.  The opening few lines to a cover letter are valuable real estate that can hook a reader.  When used properly, they can also enhance the letter in general and make you a more desirable hire.

One of the many things I learned as a television reporter in Virginia was keeping a straight face while delivering “breaking news” updates on half an inch of snow. But here’s the most important lesson: don’t just report the news but tell stories.  I wasn’t just covering a military deployment.  I was covering how people were affected by the deployment.  I profiled two parents as they watched their only child go off to war and a wife who expected to give birth while her husband was away. Deployments can be a fairly routine exercise in a military community.   That’s why I had to find compelling storylines to make them meaningful, especially for an audience who witnesses the ceremony all the time.

Same goes for your cover letter.

Some of the most effective ones use a work experience/life adventure as a launch point for who you are and why you are different.  Your cover letter, like a solid piece of journalism, then becomes distinctive and has a twist. If I may be so bold, I will show you the opening lines to a cover letter I wrote a few years ago for a marketing job at a youth group I joined in high school.  I wrote:

It was April 1998, and I had to be the coolest kid in the world.  I had just arrived at the Jamestown 4-H Camp for my first youth group convention.  But I wasn’t supposed to be there.  That spring, I was a timid 8th grader who had just snagged the invite of the century: a chance to sit alongside my older cousin, a revered senior and president of the organization.  Man, was I excited…

Set aside, if you will, the fact that I did not land the position.  If I recall correctly, I lost out to someone with more experience, but the hiring manager did note that he enjoyed my cover letter and said it was clear that I had a passion for the job.

Do you need to have experience in journalism or creative writing to assemble a winning cover letter? Hardly, although it always helps to have a friend with strong editing skills look over your work once it’s finished (even Hemingway and Fitzgerald had an editor).

You just need to write your cover letter as if you are telling a story to a friend or parent.  How would you say it?  Tell an anecdote about your current workplace.  Think back to an experience that made you want to go into the particular field.  Find a way to relate your life to the job in question and give an employer something he or she will remember.

Bottom line: be interesting.  Hiring managers expect your cover letter to be a dud because most of them are.  A colorful and well-composed letter that starts with a bang will surprise them and make you memorable.  Everyone’s cover letter will include work experience, job skills and salary requirements.  No one else’s will contain your stories.

So, I repeat: do recruiters and hiring managers read cover letters?

The answer is completely up to you.

Danny Rubin works as a consultant for the media research firm Frank Magid Associates. Prior to working at Magid, he was a television reporter at WTKR, the CBS affiliate in Norfolk, Va.

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The post What Being a Television Reporter Taught Me About Writing Good Cover Letters appeared first on Brazen Life.