{"id":83,"date":"2010-07-21T21:05:39","date_gmt":"2010-07-21T21:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monsterindia.com\/career-advice\/cover-letters-to-recruiters-83\/"},"modified":"2024-07-17T12:01:31","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T06:31:31","slug":"cover-letters-to-recruiters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monster.co.th\/career-advice\/cover-letters-to-recruiters\/","title":{"rendered":"Cover Letters to Recruiters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;     Normal   0               false   false   false      EN-US   X-NONE   X-NONE                                                     MicrosoftInternetExplorer4                                                   &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                &lt;![endif]--> <!--  \/* Font Definitions *\/  @font-face \t  @font-face \t  @font-face \t   \/* Style Definitions *\/  p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal \t  .MsoChpDefault \t  .MsoPapDefault \t  @page WordSection1 \t  div.WordSection1 \t   \/* List Definitions *\/  @list l0 \t  @list l0:level1 \t  @list l1 \t  @list l1:level1 \t  ol \t  ul \t  --> <!--[if gte mso 10]&gt;   \/* Style Definitions *\/  table.MsoNormalTable \t   &lt;![endif]--><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span>In the world of recruiters and executive search firms, resumes rule. But this doesn&#8217;t mean you should ignore or forgo sending cover letters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span>&#8220;If a candidate&#8217;s resume is a good fit to what I&#8217;m looking for, then I&#8217;m going to take a look at the cover letter,&#8221; says Dan Anderson, a partner in St. Paul-based executive search and recruitment services firm C. Anderson &amp; Associates. At Anderson&#8217;s firm, both the resume and cover letter are filed for future reference.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span>Your Situation Dictates Your Cover Letter Approach<\/span><\/b><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span>So what do recruiters look for in a cover letter? It depends on which of these three scenarios you&#8217;re dealing with:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span>Ad-Response Cover Letters:<\/span><\/b><span> If a search firm is handling a job opening, gear your      cover letter to the ad&#8217;s desired qualifications.      &#8220;Let&#8217;s say I&#8217;m reviewing responses to a Monster posting,&#8221; says      Anderson. &#8220;If the candidate has taken the time to tailor the cover      letter and bring out how their background meets the qualifications I want,      my impression is going to be that they&#8217;re a sharp individual.\n<p>&#8220;One of the best cover letters I ever saw was written by a gentleman      who took each point from the ad requirements section and answered every      single one with a precise summary of how he fit my client&#8217;s needs,&#8221;      he adds. &#8220;When I read it, I thought, \u2018Finally! Somebody answered the      question.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span>Referral Cover Letters:<\/span><\/b><span> &#8220;I always read a cover letter if it begins with      something like \u2018You worked with my friend so-and-so on a recent search,      and he told me about your service,'&#8221; says Anderson. &#8220;If you&#8217;ve      been referred to me by a source, this should be mentioned in the first      line of your cover letter.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span>Cold Cover Letters:<\/span><\/b><span>      These accompany unsolicited resumes. Recruiters receive dozens of these on      any given day, so be brief. &#8220;Think \u2018meat and potatoes&#8217; in terms of      communicating only your top qualifications, and eliminate any additional      fluff,&#8221; says Diane Oates, founder and director of Corporate Diversity      Search, a Webster, New York, firm that places women and minorities in      Fortune 500 companies. Anderson adds that for this kind of cover letter, it&#8217;s      also a good idea to tell the recruiter your salary requirements, your      target position and industry, and your availability for relocation or      travel.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span>Eight Rules for Cover Letters<\/span><\/b><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span>Regardless of what kind of letter you&#8217;re writing, use this advice from recruiters to guide your efforts and maximize your chances for success:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span>Remember Your Purpose:<\/span><\/b><span> &#8220;Candidates need to ask themselves why they&#8217;re      writing to the recruiter in the first place,&#8221; Anderson says.      &#8220;Are you answering an ad? Introducing yourself? Or just spamming some      generic letter out, which is never going to be very effective.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span>Be Brief:<\/span><\/b><span>      &#8220;Brevity is extremely important on any cover letter to a      recruiter,&#8221; says Anderson, who prefers cover letters be a half-page      or shorter.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span>Narrow Your Focus:<\/span><\/b><span>      When replying to an advertised opening, your cover letter will focus on a      specific opportunity. But when writing a referral or cold cover letter,      many candidates are too broad in their job targets. &#8220;Don&#8217;t try to make      yourself all things to all people in your cover letter,&#8221; Anderson      advises. &#8220;As a recruiter, I&#8217;m looking for specialists with certain      sets of expertise, not generalists.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span>Set Realistic Goals:<\/span><\/b><span>      Don&#8217;t use the cover letter to try to secure a position several steps above      your current level. &#8220;Recruiters can only place people into positions      that are the next logical step for them,&#8221; Anderson explains.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span>Emphasize Your Main Selling Points:<\/span><\/b><span> &#8220;I like to see cover letters that profile a      candidate&#8217;s top qualifications,&#8221; says Oates. &#8220;Whether that&#8217;s a      high GPA, a unique skill set or a strong record of professional      advancement, write it down.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span>Explain Unemployment or Gaps in Your Work History:<\/span><\/b><span> Otherwise-qualified candidates who don&#8217;t articulate      good reasons for being out of a job or for a gap in their employment run a      high risk of being screened out.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span>Never Overstate Your Qualifications:<\/span><\/b><span> Oates advises candidates to avoid exaggerating      qualifications in order to be seen as a perfect match to an advertised opening.      &#8220;Your cover letter, like your resume, should be completely truthful      and accurate,&#8221; Oates says. &#8220;Never falsify or misrepresent your      background.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span>Follow the Rules of Business Writing:<\/span><\/b><span> &#8220;I like to see coherency, fluid sentences and      concise writing,&#8221; Anderson says. &#8220;Leave out the flowery language      and generic descriptions, don&#8217;t include personal details like your marital      status, don&#8217;t forget to include your contact information and of course,      make sure you spell-check.&#8221; Consult business-writing references for      guidance.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the world of recruiters and executive search firms, resumes rule. But this doesn&#8217;t mean you should ignore or forgo sending cover letters. &#8220;If a candidate&#8217;s resume is a good fit to what I&#8217;m looking for, then I&#8217;m going to take a look at the cover letter,&#8221; says Dan Anderson, a partner in St. Paul-based [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-83","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-resume-cover-letters"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monster.co.th\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monster.co.th\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monster.co.th\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monster.co.th\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monster.co.th\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.monster.co.th\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39391,"href":"https:\/\/www.monster.co.th\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83\/revisions\/39391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monster.co.th\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monster.co.th\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monster.co.th\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}