How to write a Cover Letter

Like a powerful résumé and a good business suit, the cover letter is fast becoming indispensable in the job search. Perhaps no other single question is heard so frequently by career professionals… "Do I need a cover letter?"

The answer is a resounding Yes! A cover letter is an essentially a brief letter accompanying your résumé which first and foremost asks prospective employers to take their valuable time to read your résumé.

Ideally, your cover letter should match your résumé in format. It should be neither too short (one paragraph) or too long (most all of a page or more than a page). When at all possible, your cover letter should specify the date, as well as the name, title, company, department, and address of the individual for whom it is intended.

DEVELOPING A SUCCESSFUL CAREER PLAN

1) Self-Evaluation; 2) Researching your career choice; and 3) Developing a plan

"Self-evaluation"

Oh boy, what fun!? Seems today that everybody wants to 'evaluate' or psychologically 'mess' with everything we do, say or who we want to be. Ever get the feeling that regardless of what you do or who you are...someone wants to change it? Ever feel that there are countless different 'right ways', none of which seem to fit? OK, so here's another one? Nope. We don't want to mess with your skull, just point you in a direction that may help you in your job/career. Might as well do it, 'cause we spend more time on our jobs than in most other activities (unless of course you're under 30.... I think I remember that age!). 

Self-evaluation can be the start of career planning. It's basically figuring out what will fit with you. Then again, 'self-evaluation' can be just another ivory tower, 'do this or be unhappy forever' type of 'think tank' exercise. Not here. We've taken all the psycho-babble stuff, and run it through a 'translator' so it will come out practical, and useful. Then again, you do have the option of skipping this completely. 

The Interview Success Plan - Interview Gameplan

Step 6 - Interview Gameplan

Many books are available that discuss interview behavior. We could go into a review of interview behavior, but why reinvent the wheel? Among the best and least expensive sources are the guidelines available through your organization's personnel office. Why? Because the guidelines are often the basis for formal training in the organization.

Here are the tips that we've picked up in our own experience: 

• Don’t smoke, chew gum, tobacco, or anything else.

The Interview Success Plan - Interview Day

Step 5:  Interview Day Preparation

1. Get your rest.

2. Don’t get distracted or excited by little things, don’t schedule meetings over controversial issues, or do anything that might break your concentration prior to the interview.

3. Taking into account the time of your interview and traffic, go early to find parking and make sure that you have money for parking meters.

6. Be on time.

7. Don’t take any exhibits or any reference letters. The vast majority of interview boards will not consider exhibits or reference letters. If you absolutely feel the need to take exhibits or letters, call and talk to the person supervising the interviews to obtain prior approval.

7. Usually there is one telephone number to call for information. The person answering your call may be temporary, new, or otherwise not fully informed about the procedures. When in doubt, always ask for the person supervising the interview. Write down the name of the person you spoke with and what was said. (Public Service Only)

8. Dress appropriately.

The Interview Success Plan - Inappropriate Questions

Step 4: Inappropriate Questions

A majority of private companies and public service agencies have policies regarding inappropriate questions. There are also state and federal laws which govern the hiring process. These policies are usually available from the personnel section or central human resources function.  

Interviews should be based on "job-related" criteria and questions based on those criteria.  If you've been asked an illegal question, talk to the personnel section, human resources, or an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) specialist.

Here are examples of inappropriate topics and questions:

The Interview Success Plan - Answers and Answers

Step 3:  Answers, Answers, Answers

We've found a number of ways that people use to prepare their answers to interview questions. Some people will write specific answers to as many specific questions as possible and memorize the answers. Another way is to write outline answers to specific questions and memorize the outline answers. 

Our choice is to look at categories of questions. For some categories such as the "General Experience", you can prepare an answer covering all your relevant experience. The key is to be able to think during the interview and adjust your answer to fit the question. For example, "How does your current position qualify you for the job?" is simply a variation of "How does your experience qualify you for the job?". The answers to questions on your education should always focus on the aspects of your education that are a definite benefit to the job that you’re interviewing for.

The Interview Success Plan - Potential Questions

Step 2:  Potential Interview Questions

Match the underlined words to the question headings or keywords in the Interview Question Bank. For example, many of the underlined words from the example above fall under the category of "Personal Qualities".

Read each list of questions carefully. Many of the questions are similar. We’ve tried to include as many variations as practical. Too often, people make the mistake of studying specific questions. When you study only specific questions, it’s easy to be thrown off when a different question is asked.

Review your Interview Wraps from previous interviews. Use your experience from previous interviews to help you on this interview.

The Interview Success Plan - The Job

The Interview Success Plan is a step-by-step plan that identifies the key requirements of the job that you're interviewing for, gives you practice interview questions, and then helps you build a series of practice job interviews.

Step 1:  The Job

Review the job announcement or job advertisement. Identify the skills, knowledges, and abilities specified for the job. On a job announcement or job advertisement, the skills, knowledges, and abilities may be found in the description or under headings such as: 

The Job Search

Being organized will greatly aid your job search.

Here are some tips for an effective job search

1. Make a list of important things to do every day. Outline daily activities to look for a job.

2. Apply for jobs early in the day. This will make a good impression and give you time to complete applications, have interviews, and take tests.

3. Call employers to find out the best times to apply. Some companies take applications only on certain days and at certain times during the week. 

4. Write down all employers you contact, the date of your contacts, people you talk to, and special notes about your contacts.

During Interview - What you can ask

It is important to remain calm during the interview. The following is a list of some typical questions which are asked during an interview. Study them carefully and prepare well-thought-out answers. This will help you overcome your nervousness.

During the Interview..... Do ask:

1. What are the responsibilities of the job?

2. What qualifications are you looking for in this job?

3. What type of person are you looking for in this position?

Resume Tip - Make an effective Resume

Your resume is an advertisement about you. 

If you are working with an Employment Agency, have your resume ready before your first face-to-face meeting with them. Agencies may or may not help you develop your resume. Many are not experts in writing resumes, but they certainly see a lot come through their offices. You can use a professional resume writing service, however if you follow the sequential information provided here, you will save yourself a lot of money.

Have you ever heard the statement, "Don’t judge a book by its cover"? Because your resume is the first thing a potential employer will see, many will judge your resume whether or not they will grant you the time for an interview. Keep in mind that many companies don’t only look for experience, they look for accomplishments, whether you can handle more than one task at a time whether you are a stable individual with a proven track record. You are probably thinking, "How could I ever portray that in a resume?"

Ten Tips for Staying Awake in meetings.

Ten Tips for Staying Awake

Meetings are an evil fact of life in Corporate America. Sitting through them can be hard enough, but when you're running a meeting it's just as difficult to speak to a room full of snoozing salespeople. Here are some tips for managers hoping to engage their salespeople during meetings from Eli Mina, author of The Complete Handbook of Business Meetings:

1. Give each member a lead role on a selected agenda item such as when he/she will make a presentation or facilitate a discussion. No member should be allowed to sit back and observe a meeting. 

Need a lift, be good at work

Being a good worker alone does not get you that promotion

You may be a great worker but is your etiquette stopping that much-deserved promotion. Yes? Then its time you turn to us for some good etiquette lessons.

Appropriate business etiquette can have a significant influence on your career, promotions and pay hikes. Etiquette makes a huge difference in the way you are perceived by the management and by your colleagues. So, if you don·t want to miss the bus, pick up these pointers.

Don't abuse technology

Career Tips - Relocation Hangover

Relocation essentials never leave home without it.

Relocating to a new place is a difficult and a painful process. Moving to a new town means starting out all over again. Leaving your friends, comfort, familiarity is difficult. Over and above that the process of packing and unpacking is hateful. So, it is imperative for you to be meticulous when it is time to pack your bags, lock stock and barrel.

Where are you moving?

On the job, you are obviously moving to another town or city. Get to know the city. Make efforts to understand the city, from the point of view of people, their attitudes, civic sense and the rules of life out there. Moving to a new place can be both exciting and disastrous, so know about it. As they as, it is important to be Roman in Rome.

Building team spirit

The winning spirit for teams

Rihom is arrogant and standoffish, preferring to keep his contact with colleague minimal; thinks he is the undisputable authority in his field, he works in seclusion. Rihom’s condescending attitude is insufferable and those who are forced to interact with him. It’s a belittling experience. Working in a team is a different ballgame altogether for him!

This description may have conjured up the memory of someone of the likes of Rihom. On the other hand, you may catch yourself wincing as you nearly fit the description. Either way, effects of this on a company is damaging and the sooner one realises it, the better it is.

Few ways to help you get the raise you deserve

Mounting frustration and reluctance interjected with the odd burst of determination to ask for a raise. You may have been a steady performer, whizzing past every deadline and taking on added responsibility with relative ease. The catch, however, is that your pay packet hardly goes with your performance and it’s hardly any consolation.

Walking into the boss’s cabin and asking for a raise can be downright intimidating. However, to have relative satisfaction in your job, you need to have a salary that makes you feel good, you need to muster up the courage to pop the question.

Career Tips - A Controlled Workaholic

Clockwork!

No social outings, no workouts, no time for the family and no time for yourself. It's lacklustre. The sparkle in life disappears when you have nothing to look forward to, nothing but your work to think about. Workaholism has reached epidemic proportions and its alarming repercussions can turn "Karoshi' (Japanese for death and suicide from overwork) for Bangladeshis too.

With technology hooking up home, the possibility of working round the clock is just about annihilating the home experience.

Career Tips - Dont Lost your Savor

Avoid being a victim of downsizing, upgrade yourself.

It’s just like an outdated product in a department store. When you are no longer a product in demand, and obsolescence stares you in the face, you have no choice but to give in. Being downsized or laid-off is a common feature in today’s workplace.The accelerated pace of technology has changed business processes and so demand professionals who can handle these implications become necessary.

Persons who are not alert to the subtle changes face the danger of being thrown out of work. This is more so in the IT industry where only the fittest and the fastest can survive the onslaught of obsolescence in technology.

What professionals need to know about communication skills

Yawn! Boring speeches and it is time for you to catch up on some daydreaming. Wishing that the speaker had better communication skills, you gaze unhappily out of the window, a faraway look in your eyes! Or it could be a colleague who is blissfully unaware of the grammar faux pas he is committing and highlighting his ignorance.

Either way, lack of communication skills impedes progress and tarnishes the image of an individual. Studies reveal that persons possessing powerful communication skills stand a better chance of being successful and have an easier climb up the corporate ladder. (In simple words, present yourself the ‘gift of the gab).

Career Tips - Winds of change

Winds of change!

Monday morning…blues at work, you wake up feeling lousy. Hurry, scurry and you finally make it to office half an hour late!

You just seem to be settling down when you are summoned. Your boss wants you to do the project no one else wants and there’s no way out of it. This was the last thing you wanted to happen, “I’m just beginning to settle down” you groan. It gets to you, and it’s no good complaining!

Everyone hates unwelcome change, especially when it’s foisted upon them without warning.

Career Tips - Before you hit the wall

Tension levels escalate and exhaustion peaks as you find yourself working unearthly hours to meet deadlines. Learn to handle stress!!

Before you hit the wall…

Deadlines perpetually round the corner, important business meetings, a pending visit to the dentist, home shopping, hustle here, bustle there…

Tension levels escalate and exhaustion peaks as you find yourself working unearthly hours to meet deadlines. Trying to maintain equilibrium while juggling work and family takes its toll and it's only a matter of time before fatigue and burnout overtake you!

Career Tips - Success at the earliest

The making of an elite young company-be an early success story! 

Success at the earliest! 

A band of go-getters who let nothing stand in the way. ‘Age no bar’ is the axiom, the consequence- a breed of young achievers, an age when prodigies abound! Few realize that there’s more to it and merely achieving is not enough.

What goes into the making of this elite young company?

A vibrant personality

To join the ranks of a manager you need to spruce up your self. A spring in your step and a warm and friendly disposition is better than a standoffish manner.

Communication - A must for success

Communication and self-promotion is as important as the skill you possess

Rihom's interview seemed to have gone just fine. He appeared to have presented his skills competently to the General Manager (finance). His resume indicated that he was the right person for the job. Yet he was not selected for the post of finance manager. So what happened? According to the GM, Rihom was quiet and rather withdrawn. He failed to show any kind of interest towards the prospective job. As a result company finally chose someone with less talents, but more enthusiastic and confident. The moral of the story; communication and self-promotion is as important as the skill you possess. 

The first thing an employer looks for is the ability of the potential candidate to communicate effectively and enthusiastically. Here are some tips on how to improve your communication skills.