Your success in your job search does not hinge on the quality of your resume. Many employers expect to receive a cover letter. The cover letter and other supplemental documents will help ensure your success and smooth transition into a new position. Documents we work with you to develop include:

It is not an easy process to sit down and market yourself on paper. In fact, most people make one of the following common mistakes in creating a letter that:

Is too generic and dis-interests the reader.

Your cover letter can ultimately impact whether your resume is even reviewed!

You might have heard that some employers do not read cover letters, but do not be misguided. Consider this:

If 50% of the companies you apply to do not want a cover letter and throw it away, and the other 50% expect a cover letter and will not read a resume without it…

What do you think? Since you do not always know which 50% you are applying to, it is best to use a cover letter and be safe rather than sorry.

Remember, this is marketing and you have only got one chance to make a great first impression.

We recommend three versions of the cover letter to assist you in the application process:

Letter to the agency or recruiter.

When you are asked for salary history, there are two ways to go about it. First, you can give them what they want which is a complete list of your actual salary history. Or, if there is a concern of being screened out for having made too much or too little money (as in a career change or major cost of living change), you can simply add a sentence to your cover letter which provides a range regarding the last several years of your career. We can assist you in determining which angle would be most appropriate for you.

If you have never sent a targeted thank you letter when following up on an interview, you are missing out on a highly strategic tool that could make or break the impression you convey to the interviewer(s).

Many job seekers believe that a thank you letter makes you look like you are kissing up to the employer. While it is a proactive strategy to write a thank you letter, this is hardly the only reason to write one. In fact, only about 1% of job seekers bother to write these letters. Of that 1%, most of them think it is simply a courtesy, and lose out on the actual value of creating the letter.

The thank you letter has several powerful benefits besides just saying thank you:

First, and most important, if the interviewer met with six or seven other candidates, by the time he or she is done, you might be little more than a faint memory. You may have left your interview certain that you had the job, but then you never heard from them again. What happened? Someone else turned their head since your interview!

Second, you might have left the interview shaking your head in disappointment. You couldn't believe you: "said that" … "reacted that way" … " forgot to add that important information" … "couldn't convince the employer you had the skill" … "froze up in nervousness."

Just about anything could happen, but now you blew it! Or did you? What if you had one last chance to get in front of the employer and sell yourself? One more opportunity to share all the information you wish you had said in the interview? With the thank you letter, you can.

Third, the competition could be very stiff for the position. In this case, your thank you letter could make all the difference in the world. We have actually seen instances wherein the employer was stuck choosing between two highly qualified candidates, so he/she hired the one who got their thank you letter in first. Notice here that the employer seemed to expect he/she would receive thank you letters. This is because the higher the position, the more the thank you letter is expected. It is not just a courtesy, it is a requirement.

In order to meet these necessary goals for creating a truly targeted thank you letter, we only write them after speaking with you about your interview.

Also, it is necessary to create individual letters for each person who you interviewed with. Never take for granted who has the final authority or persuasion in a hiring decision.

There comes a time in every career when one of these letters is needed. With the letter of resignation, you provide a formal notification of your terms of resignation. This is not only a polite and professional step to take, but it will also ensure that there is no miscommunication regarding your ending date or other special circumstances. We can assist you in creating this letter.

At the opposite end of the spectrum lies the letter of acceptance. Again, highly professional, but also establishes "in writing" what you believe the terms of your offer are. Although not a legally binding document, it will certainly help to clarify any verbal miscommunication. We can also assist you in drafting this letter.

Finally, there is the letter of reference. You may have, and should have, previous employers that you use as references. If you have never received letters of reference from them, you should not wait any longer. In many cases, employers, colleagues, professors, and other individuals you ask for letters of reference from are hesitant to prepare one. This could be due to lack of time, distrust in their own written communication skills, or uncertainty as to what goes in a reference letter. But you can use this to your favor! If a reference is hesitant, offer to write a letter yourself and present it for approval. You can tell them that if the letter is acceptable, they would only have to copy it on letterhead and sign it. This makes it convenient for them, and provides you with the opportunity to ensure you are presented in the best light possible. We can work with you to create tailored Letters of Reference that reflect your contributions.

At some point in every job search you will be asked for references. Do not wait until you're in that position to think about getting prepared! The beginning of your job search is the best time to determine who as reference you should be using. If you are concerned about who you should use, worried about confidentiality or facing other confusing choices, it is even more important that you receive assistance in creating a targeted reference page. When the interviewer asks you for references, there are no good excuses not to have them.

We will assist you in selecting the best references to meet your goals and create a reference page for you.