From Finance to Writing Own Business

From Finance to Writing Own Business Success Story > From: Job To: Startup From Finance to Writing Own Business “I don't miss the sweaty morning commute or the feeling that I was living for the weekend.” * From Finance to Writing Own Business Feeling trapped in her asset management job, Katherine Preston left on an adventure that took her to the US, got her a book deal and gave her the inspiration to launch a start-up. We asked her to share her amazing story. What work were you doing previously? I was an investment writer at an asset management company in London. What are you doing now? It's rather a long answer! I work as a public speaker and a writer. My first book: Out With It: How Stuttering Helped Me Find My Voice, has been published by Simon and Schuster and hit the shelves in April 2013. I am also the Creative Director of ExchangeMyPhone, a business I co-founded with my partner that pays people for their used cell phones. Jeremy and I created the business as a way to make old cell phones into vehicles for good, and every cell phone payout can be turned into a charity donation. Why did you change? I had a very sensible job and worked with lots of wonderful people, but I felt trapped. I felt as if my life was being ruled by my voice. I stutter, and my speech was starting to dominate my thoughts and my career. I decided to hand in my resignation and spend a year facing my biggest fear. I flew to America to interview a hundred stutterers, researchers and speech therapists in order to discover why we all stuttered and debunk many of the misconceptions that shrouded the condition. I had long dreamed of being a writer, and in the wake of my year of interviews, I wrote my memoir. During my research I met Jeremy and joined him in his dream to start his own business. When was the moment you decided to make the change? It seemed to happen very quickly (I left for America three weeks after I handed in my resignation!) but it was an accumulation of moments that began with the painful realisation of how stifled I felt. Gradually I realised that I wanted to find out why I stuttered, and I wanted to take the leap to purse my dream of becoming a writer. Are you happy with the change? Happy doesn't quite do it justice. I love the life I have. It's not always easy but I wouldn't change it for the world. It's full of adventure and I'm surrounded by people who inspire me; people who are doing work that they believe is meaningful. What do you miss and what don't you miss? I miss all my wonderful friends back home in England and the safety of things like a salary and health insurance. I don't miss the way I felt about myself. I don't miss the sweaty morning commute or the feeling that I was living for the weekend. How did you go about making the shift? Leaving to write the book happened very quickly. Once I made the decision to leave, I researched the subject, planned interviews, bought recording equipment and booked my flight. Starting ExchangeMyPhone was a much more gradual process. We created a business plan, saved up the money we need to launch and learnt as much as we could from other entrepreneurs in New York's thriving start-up scene. How did you handle your finances to make your change possible? We control our expenses, live within our means and work hard. Both Jeremy and I are naturally very scrappy people, so we do what needs to be done to make life work. What was the most difficult thing about changing? The uncertainty: the fear that the gamble might not pay off. With the book, I set off with no agent or publisher behind me. I signed with Simon and Schuster three years after I left England â€" up to that point I had no idea that anyone would ever publish the book and my desk was stacked with a rather depressing stack of rejection letters. In both launching our own business and writing a book, there's been no clear path to walk down. We've had to create our own journey. So, we try to make educated decisions and adapt every day. What help did you get? In writing I was incredibly well-supported by my family and friends. I have a writing group that keeps me on track and inspires me to create the best work I can. In our business, we have been amazed by the strong network of start-ups in the city. What have you learnt in the process? It's wonderful to have a plan, but nothing ever goes entirely how you expect. I've learnt that you have to be open to change, spontaneity and the opportunities that arrive when you least expect them. What do you wish you'd done differently? I feel as if I'm tempting fate if I say that I don't regret anything at all. There are lots of small things that I could have done differently, but there is nothing fundamental that I regret. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? If you have a dream, go after it. And never give up. What lessons could you take from Katherine's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

9 Ways Perfectionists Can Stop Being Self-Destructive

9 Ways Perfectionists Can Stop Being Self-Destructive In a recent team meeting our leader, an avid sailor, showed us a clip from the movie Wind. In the movie, Will Parker, played by Matthew Modine (yes, yum), loses the Americas Cup to the Australians and decides to form his own syndicate to win it back. I noticed how no one on the boat took over anyone else’s job. Granted, no one was slacking so there was no slack for a perfectionist-type to pick up. But what if someone had been goofing off when they should have been preparing to rein in the jib? Would the perfectionist in the group have tried to do her job and theirs? Perfectionists in the workplace often have the tendency to over do it, which causes self-destruction and burnout. Growing up, perfectionists might be  those who study and prepare for exams to ensure they will get good grades. In sports we play our best, our most competitive to help our team win. So when is the desire to be the best become the worst? When you feel worn out instead of rewarded. Attention to detail, preparation and organization are all great things! However, when you beat yourself up for any mistake, it is not a great thing, it is self-destructive and unhelpful. Image Source Perfectionists must find that discerning eye to recognize situations where they need to give themselves a break. Mindfulness is one key way to slow down and be gentle on you. Often perfectionism goes hand in hand with people pleasing. Remember that you may a feel short term high for taking care of someone else’s needs but when you consistently avoid self-care, you crash and burn. Here are 9 ways for perfectionists to be the perfect (ha!) asset to their team: Realize that everyone has a role. No one is more important than the other. If we don’t have lights on in the building, we cannot see enough to work-  our maintenance team member is just as important as our leader. Trust your team. This also means no hoarding work â€" instead teach junior team members their own responsibilities. Delegate work accordingly. Focus on your  job.  What can you do to improve? Are their webinars you can attend? White papers you can research? Have you done your best today? Cheer each other on. Smile and look your colleagues in the eye. Ask them about what’s important to them. I have a list of my colleagues fave NFL teams in my cubicle (lots of non-natives in Florida). Make it fun. It was complete chaos in the movie on that sailboat, but everyone was still having fun. Listen to each other. Self-explanatory. No arguing with the Captain. When it’s 11pm and your agency President decides to revise the entire pitch deck, you just do it. And you smile at them from the audience the next day during the pitch. Spoiler alert, we won the new business. No arguing with the Captain. Be prepared and realize that it takes years of practice. See all of the gadgets  and gear in the picture at the top of this post? Those are the props that our leader brought into the meeting to illustrate his point. Just like sailors, we all have things we do to prepare ourselves. As I type this post, it’s 5:31pm and my breakfast is prepared and in the fridge for tomorrow. (Hey, perfectionists still are compulsive taskmasters at heart â€"just the healthy  ones may choose their undertakings with mindfulness). Stay hungry and determined. Yeah, you still get to go for it. Columnist Archive

What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Astronauts - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Astronauts - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Its not like astronauts are braver than other people; were just meticulously prepared. Astronaut Chris Hadfield, Canadian astronaut and commander of the International space station Surprisingly, entrepreneurs may learn profound lessons from astronauts. Astronauts are trained to be expert pilots, but it is their tremendous courage, ability to perform while living on the edge, and knack for succeeding in doing what others say is impossible which truly sets them apart. Successful entrepreneurs possess many of these same character traits.  They devote themselves to their business goals and work tirelessly to achieve the necessary momentum to launch their new business.  Launching rocket ships  and new businesses require great skill to guide the projects into an unknown realm. Close examination of human space exploration may provide strategies to help make a new business “take off and stay in orbit. Plan for a failure and work backwards Chris explains that  in the early days of shuttle launches, the risk of having a catastrophic event â€" that is, death â€" was 1 in 9. He said,  â€So it’s a really interesting day when you wake up at the Kennedy Space Center,” about to head to space, “because you realize that at the end of the day you’re either  going to be floating effortlessly, gloriously in space, or you’ll be dead.” In some ways launching a new business parallels launching a space mission. There’s so much that can go wrong and there’s always the chance that the start-up could fail. According to Bloomberg, 80% of new businesses do fail. Taking on a new venture and flying a space shuttle requires the astronaut and the C.E.O. to be accountable for every detail. The shuttle is one of the most complicated things ever built, and according to the standard astronaut saying, “There is no problem so bad that you can’t make it worse.”  If each person on the team wasn’t fanatic about every detail someone could die. Hadfield stresses that competence is a key factor in becoming successful. Entrepreneurs could avoid making costly mistakes if they treated launching their businesses like a space mission. Guy Kawasaki, founding partner at Garage and co-founder of Alltop, previously Apple Evangelist and author of 9 books including The Art of the Start: Time Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything gives this advice to entrepreneurs on how to avoid failure: He suggests conducting a ‘pre-mortem.’  Guy quips, “Don’t wait till your business fails to assess what went wrong.   That’s often too late as most people have left or have been fired. Before you ship, ask your team to imagine your company failed and look at everything that could have gone wrong.”  This strategy enables each department to examine their work and make necessary changes to prevent a failure before it happens. Imagine the worst case scenario: its probably not as bad as you think Hadfield, like all astronauts, had trained extensively, not just for the mission going right, but also for all the ways the mission could go wrong. He wasn’t out there alone, and he and his spacewalk partner had practiced incapacitated crew rescue, so he knew whatever happened, they could deal with it.  Going blind on his spacewalk could have led any normal person into a panic but Hadfield was able to maintain composure. He had planned for so many years for things that could potentially go awry in space that he didn’t allow this to throw him. After a while, as it turned out, he cried enough to clear whatever had been blocking his vision â€" which turned out to be the anti-fog used to keep the helmet visors clear. Chris suggests that you should care what others think and you should sweat the small stuff. In space this could be the difference between life and death. In business it means seeking feedback, learning from mistakes, focusing on important details and being meticulous in how you execute your plan. Short cuts aren’t acceptable when it comes to providing high quality service to customers and caring for your employees and suppliers. Scale your business slowly: the real thrill doesnt come from speed Hadfield described the experience of flying back from the moon like riding a meteor. He re-entered the atmosphere at what he called breakneck speed. Some might think that the sheer speed of flight would be exhilarating for an astronaut. But Hadfield expressed that his thrill came from watching the beauty outside along the way and the delight in reaching a new space and a different perspective of the world. Successful entrepreneurs aren’t focused on the speed at which they launch their business. They recognize that success comes with patience and hard work. Enjoy the process of building something great and delivering on a promise.  Don’t rush your business’s growth so that you risk compromising the quality of your products and/or your services. In time your business could be something magnificent and could provide something new that improves the world.  Guy Kawasaki reiterates this point in urging entrepreneurs to scale their businesses slowly. He quips, “I’ve never seen a business owner complain that they’re business failed because they grew it too slowly.”   Critical traits for success: persistence and tenacity Hadfield’s story of sheer persistence, tenacity and of taking pleasure in the journey speaks to anyone who goes into a business for the sake of purpose. Chris’s description of the preparation for the launch, the excitement around the possibility of being in space and then his awe in being weightless is a great metaphor for building a business and actualizing a dream. The second half of his journey, returning to earth, was equally exhilarating for him, as now he had experienced things that could inspire others to dare to dream. He could now teach others about confronting their fears, taking risks that culminate in the joy of doing things that are new and challenging. Hadfield’s tenacity and persistence is reminiscent of many iconic entrepreneurs. Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Elon Musk are well-known for zeroing in on what’s important. Their combination of vision, conviction, and stubborn tenacity make them unstoppable visionaries. One piece of advice Warren Buffet’s gives to get rich, “Be Persistent:  With tenacity and ingenuity, you can win against a more established competitor. Think like an astronaut, look to the future Larry Page the CEO of Google and Chris Hadfield have some surprising things in common.  Hadfield’s career is centered on findings in space that could help scientific research to improve the future. In a recent interview Page said that his focus is also on the future. Page’s goal is to help two-thirds of the world gain access to information for the sake of improving their quality of life. Page showed examples of young people who started business in agriculture and solved major problems that impeded their success by learning on the Internet. Hadfield and Page had a similar state of mind. They both think about what the future is going to be and how they can help create it. They’re both work on things no one else is working on and are willing to take risks to make discoveries. Page went on to say that Google likes to work on things that no one else is working on.  If run well, Page sees corporations as being an agent of change.  Page pointed to Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who has a worthy goal of going to Mars. Thats why Page would rather give life savings to Musk instead of a charity when he dies. Value additionality Both Hadfield and Page believe in doing something that wouldnt happen unless they were doing it. They try things that people wouldn’t think are possible and try to get around fears that are irrational; Chris did this by learning everything he could about space from grueling training and being an aviator pilot to becoming an astronaut. Only after intensive training was he then able to overcome his going into outer space and photographing everything he saw there. Hadfield attracted attention by making it cool again to imagine leaving planet earth through his whimsical, goofy videos and Facebook updates. Shows how to brush your teeth in space. How to cook in outer space.  And how being in space affects your body.   Hadfield shared his research on how being in space could worsen your vision.  He achieved his goal in generating excitement around scientific research from astronauts in orbit. He took a novel approach to giving people what they wanted to see in outer space; “They don’t want another lecture; they want to see cool stuff.” Page uses the example of balloons in space that could help allow Internet access in places that currently don’t have access to Internet. He shows impressive success stories of young business owners in Nigeria who used Internet for research that helped them launch their businesses. He’d like to allow more people in undeveloped countries to prosper by using the Internet as an educational tool. In Hadfield’s book, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything,  he says, “most people, including me, tend to applaud the wrong things: the showy, dramatic record-setting sprint rather than the years of dogged preparation or the unwavering grace displayed during a string of losses. Astronauts must be diligent, willing to take risks,  have grit, be accountable and fanatic about detail and look to the future. It’s clear that high soaring astronauts like Hadfield embody many of the traits that epitomize high soaring entrepreneurs. One thing for sure, neither is a journey for the meek and timid.

Graduate Directories University of Manchester Careers Blog

Graduate Directories University of Manchester Careers Blog It’s all systems go here at the Careers Service as Fresher’s week starts. Today the 2012/2013 editions of TARGET Jobs GET directory, Guardian 300 and The Times Top 100 have all been delivered. The GET Directory is packed full of useful information.   This year’s directory includes help and advice on applications, interviews and further study, on Graduate career sectors, UK employment by region and it also has an index of employers, professional bodies and course providers. The Guardian 300 is another really useful publicationlisting the most popular graduate employers as voted for by students and graduates in the UK.   With company profiles and information on top employers it’s well worth a read! The Times Top 100 is a guide to the most popular graduate recruiters recruiting graduates in 2012/2013. Its recommended retail price is £17.00 but you can pick it up for free along with the other guides in the Careers Resource Centre. Ill keep you informed about all the publications arriving over the coming weeks. All Graduate Undergraduate job hunting Graduate Directories University of Manchester Careers Blog In my last post I mentioned that you could come into the Careers Service at The Atrium to pick up free copies of this year’s graduate directories. Just to let you know that they have now all been delivered and are available for take away. Titles include: Times Top 100 GET Directory Guardian 300 Prospects Directory If you want to apply for a graduate scheme starting in 2013 these guides provide an insight into programmes offered by large employers.   Although the broad aim of each of the guides is the same they have separate features you may or may not want to use. Times Top 100 Of all of the titles this is the only hard back edition retailing in shops for £19,00. It has   useful articles on understanding the graduate job market, job hunting and a specific insight into PWC chosen as this publications ‘top graduate employer’. Each employer listed in the guide has a two page spread containing information on; The type of vacancies they offer The number of vacancies they offer The starting salary Minimum entry requirements Application deadline GET Directory- With advice on applications, interviews and assessment centres, an overview of top career sectors and a really useful UK employment guide this is a particularly useful directory for graduates now living around the UK. Each employer listed in the guide has a one page profile detailing information on; The job roles they offer The specific degree disciplines   they are looking to recruit The number of graduate vacancies they are offering The application procedure Guardian 300 â€" Launched in 2011/12 this directory is still the new kid on the block, but dont let that put you off it’s still a really useful resource.   A particularly useful section in the directory covers major sectors in graduate recruitment, providing an overview of the sector as a whole, a list of top rated employers in the industry and other related areas you may also be interested in. Each employer listed in the directory has a two page spread containing information on; The type of employer they are (what industry they work in) What opportunities they offer The selection process The core skills they require you to have. Prospects â€" From the producers of prospects.ac.uk this directory has essential tips on applications, interviews and assessment centres along with a really useful chapter on different career sectors. In this chapter you can find out where people with your degree are now employed and a list of companies you may want to consider. Towards the back of the directory there is also a really useful list of employers indexed by the type of work they offer- ideal if you know what positions you are interested in. Each employer listed has a one page profile detailing information on; The roles they offer The location of work Preferred degree   disciplines The benefits of working with the employer I’ve also spent some time last week compiling a full list of the graduate scheme closing dates listed in these directories. I’ve listed them A-Z and by closing date You can access them here. Please be aware that although closing dates might be stated we would always advise you to get your applications in ASAP to avoid disappointment. All Graduate

Resume Writing Service NYC - Know the Right Process For Getting Excellent Services

Resume Writing Service NYC - Know the Right Process For Getting Excellent ServicesLooking for a resume writing service NYC for your job application? The good news is that you are not alone in this dilemma. Most of the companies out there today find it difficult to make a decision because most of the companies cannot write an interesting resume.However, the only way to be assured of getting the best services is to approach a reputable resume writer in your area. This will save you from the hassles of searching the net and reading many wrong stuff on how to write a great resume. The reasons behind this include low budget rates and quality of workmanship. It is very important to hire a freelance writer because they know the job of writing a resume very well.Most of the resume services NYC are very good in their work and do not charge too much for their services but with the rising number of competitors they have, the service charges have been drastically reduced. This has been an amazin g help for people to get the required amount of money for paying for their service. One can take the assistance of a professional resume writer and obtain the desired results within the stipulated time. In case you are really in need of a resume writing service NYC, the best way to approach them is through email.You will be able to find a good resume writer by approaching them through email. Moreover, you will also be able to get a list of other resumes that the writer has written in the past. After you are done with your email correspondence, you can then get your resume written. With this, you can have your resume sent to your employer without the need to go personally to them.So now you know the important aspects of using a resume writing service NYC. Now how can you choose the right one? Well, there are certain parameters that must be kept in mind in order to get the best and correct service.First is to know how experienced the writer is, especially if you do not have your own s kills in writing a resume. Ask them if they are experienced and therefore they are able to provide the desired service. You can ask them to tell you about their previous work. This will help you assess their skills and if they can deliver the required results. It is very important to employ the services of a reputed resume writer in order to get the desired results.There are certain things which they need to consider while writing your resume. The first thing is that they should highlight the specific requirement of the job which you are applying for. For example, you have the job of a Junior Project Manager and you are applying for the job of a project manager in the company. The resume writer should then write about the experience he has with regard to the kind of projects he has worked on.Another important aspect which should be included in your resume writing service in NYC is the cover letter. You should always be able to mention about your achievements, your level of developme nt and so on and so forth. Apart from this, you should always mention how you can help the company to accomplish the objectives in a professional manner.

Job Seeker Creates Incredible QR Code Video Resume

Job Seeker Creates Incredible QR Code Video Resume 88 Flares 88 Flares The creativity of job seekers continues to surprise, impress, and inspire me.  Impressive Hire Me campaigns have caught most of my recent attention, as exampled by a Hire Me Chipotle campaign I wrote about just a couple weeks ago, but today Im sharing another form of creativity in the job search â€" QR Code Video Resume If youre not familiar with Quick Response Codes (QR), the best way to explain them is to simply compare them to a barcode that can be scanned from your smart phone.  Once scanned, the QR code directs your phones internet browser to open up a website, a video (youtube, vimeo, etc), an email subscribe list, or really anything you can imagine.  Its damn cool, and the QR code has some pretty sweet potential for creative job seekers as shown by the example Im about to share. Sweet QR Code Video Resume Victor Petit takes a somewhat normal PDF resume and transforms it into something extraordinary.  I wont ruin the surprise QR code ending for you, so go ahead and watch the embedded video.  Oh and shout out to Alstin for making me aware of this! QR CODE Content-rich Resume from Victor petit on Vimeo. As Im sure you saw, Victors use of QR code is pretty incredible.  Here is what I like about Victor Petits strategy: The QR code is an add on and isnt his entire job search strategy.  While most of us have smart phones, you still need to account for the person who has no idea what to do when flipping that resume over. The QR code helps the viewer finish the puzzle of the resume and makes the experience interactive. The video that Victor creates seems to be somewhere between 25-40 seconds at the most.  In this situation, over a minute would probably be too long. What are some creative uses for QR Codes in the job search that youve seen or want to try?

How Long a Cover Letter Should Actually Be and Other Standout Tips

How Long a Cover Letter Should Actually Be and Other Standout Tips We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. While most of us know what goes into a good resume, cover letters are more mysterious.Cover letter writing may seem like a necessary evil when you are looking for work, butits just as important as preparing your resume. Crafting an awesome cover letter will help get your foot in the door and land that job. But what actually makes a good cover letter? How long should a cover letter be? Who should I address it to? Take a look at some sample printable templates to help you with your letter. Its no longer good enough to have an impressive resume; you need a good cover letter too.Hiring managers and recruiters spend, on average, 7 seconds on a job application when first scanning it and deciding if the candidate is worthy. With this in mind, your cover letter must be spot on, laser targeted and very compelling. Likewise, you need to ensure that you plan your schedule for creating your job search plan and interview schedule. Using an editable calendar will help you with scheduling everything related to your job search. The Resume Was the Easy Part Writing the perfect cover letter is a lot harder than writing a good resume. Your resume is your resume; it doesnt really require a lot changes no matter how many different potential employers you send it too. Not so with a cover letter. They have to be customized to every job you are applying for. Far too often jobs seekers focus all of their attention on creating the perfect resume leaving the cover letter as not much more than a perfunctory, Here is my job application. No Getting Around It There is no getting around it. A cover letter is a necessary evil in todays job market. Its a job seekers best hope of catching the attention of a recruiter, headhunter, or hiring manager all of whom receive tons of resumes. A well-defined brand wins interviews, maximizes salary potential and puts job seekers in the top 2 percent of candidates considered for positions, Salvador says.The cover letter is a key part of your marketing package, she says. Use it as an opportunity to convey your brand and value proposition. Creating the perfect cover letter is your first foot in the door to landing your dream job. We are going to demystify the whole cover letter writing process so you can wow them before they even get to your resume! What is really come down to is making a compelling case for why youd be awesome at the job, without repeating your resume. What is a Cover Letter? At its core, acover letter is just a document that introduces a job candidate to the hiring manager and makes a case for why the candidate is the right person for the job. Its your first impression. 101 Best Cover Letters Price: $10.98 Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 But its so much trickier than that. A cover letter cant just be a rehash of your resume; it has to be a stand-alone document. How long should it be, how should it be formatted, should you puff up your wares to use an old expression? So many questions! Dont worry; we have you covered. So, How Long Should a Cover Letter Be? It should be longer than a couple of lines but do not waste your time writinga novel either. 70% of hiring managers said the shorter the better. Somewhere between 250 and 400-word count is a good amount. However, you should focus more on the content than how many lines on the page you are taking up. So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads. Tweet This Be sure your paragraphs are short and to the point, no more than three or four sentences long. Leave an extra line of white space between the paragraphs. It makes the letter easier to read. Far too often job seekers focus all of their attention on creating (what they perceive to be) the perfect resume and 1% on the cover letter, which ends up being a simple form letter sometimes just stating here is my job application. Dear Generic Thing Here It should not be hard to find the name of the hiring manager who will be reading your resume. You can find that information on LinkedIn, from news articles about the company or the companys annual report. If all those fail, call up the company and ask for the name. Dont use a generic Dear Sir or Madam or To whom it May Concern.Cover letters addressed that way dont get much attention which means your resume wont get any attention at all. Research the company and the particular job you are applying for, this helps you customize your cover letter. Too many applicants skip this step because most are not applying for a single job but carpet bombing job openings. It takes some time and effort to do that kind of research when youre applying for a lot of jobs at once but it shows a hiring manager that you are interested in their specific job and that will set you apart from other applicants with more generic letters. Dont Talk Like a Robot Butler You want the tone of your cover letter to be respectful and somewhat formal, this isnt a text to your best friend, but you dont want it to be sooo formal that you dont sound human or sound like a time traveler from the Edwardian age. I do so most earnestlydesire to secure a position with your most esteemed place of business kind sir or lady. No one wants to work with that weirdo. On the other hand, you might want to ban the buzzwords. Dont use phrases that have been so often overused that they no longer have meaning; stuff like team player, thinks outside the box, or detail-oriented. Hiring managers have seen those cliches adnauseam and they will show that you have not put any original thought into your cover letter. Formatting Your Cover Letter Treat your cover letter as the most important document of your job application process. This is the very first document the hiring manager will see so it must be compelling enough to convince the reader to review your resume. Use abasic block style format that is easy to follow and always looks professional. Once youve got the basics, you need to include an explanation (why are you writing it), who are you and why they should look at your resume. How long should your cover letter be? No more than 1 page in length and should be targeted to the job application. Use a basic block style format that is easy to follow. Dont use fancy fonts or excessive highlighting, bolding or underlining. Arial, Calibri, and Times New Roman are classics for a reason. Resumes that Work!: Templates, Examples and Formats Tailored to the Job Price: $12.99 Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 What Should be Included Introduction: Why you are applying for the job. Fit: Why you are the exact candidate the hiring manager is looking for. No one wants to read what you have done; they want to understand what you have achieved. Its also important to show that you will fit in with the companys culture. Read through the companys website and press releases to see how they present themselves. Keywords will jump out at you, include some of those words in your cover letter. Skills and Experience: Unique qualities that you will bring to the job. This is the place to stress the value you can provide regarding experience and the successes you have had from past experiences and how that can be leveraged for future success. Be very specific and use numbers and statistics which, are more tangible than words, ie managed to increase market share by 20% in a very depressed market-moving my company from 4th to 2nd position in 18 months. The hiring manager is searching for someone who can increase company earnings, streamline processes or save money. While your cover letter should be brief, it needs to get that persons attention. Let your resume tell the complete story. Be sure to include highlights of your experience that is specific to a company or industry. End your cover letter on a positive note, be sure to thank the reader for his or her consideration. Honestly is the best policy It might be tempting to exaggerate your qualifications and experience but it is not worth the risk.Dont put anything in your cover letter that is not true and that you cant back up. If the employer finds out that you lied, youre finished even before you have a chance to be interviewed. You can even be fired if the company finds out that you lied on your application after you land the job, so be very careful when you are presenting yourself to an employer. Dont Make Them Guess This advice probably seems obvious to some of you, but you would be surprised! Hiring managers see hundreds, possibly thousands of cover letters and resumes. Dont make the person guess which job you would like to be considered for when you apply. If you are responding to a job posting, use the exact job title in your response to the hiring manager can match your cover letter and resume to the correct position. Some companies use computer software to sort cover letters and resumes. If you dont use the right keywords, it can be overlooked. Summarize your qualifications in your cover letter, dont rewrite your resume. Tell the reader why you would be a stellar candidate for the position, without rehashing the contents of your resume. The cover letter is meant to encourage the hiring manager to invite you to a meeting. Take this opportunity to convince him or her why getting face to face with you would be a good idea. Perfection is not when there is no more to add, but no more to take away Antoine de Saint-Exupry Double, Triple, Quadruple Check Do you want to ensure that you will not be interviewed for a job? Submit a cover letter and resume with spelling and grammar errors. Straight into the bin. Go over these documents yourself, use a spelling and grammar checking program like Grammarly, and have a few friends and family members check them for good measure. It can be hard to spot your own mistakes because youve read the documents over and over. Those mistakes will jump out at a first-time reader though. If your documents have these types of errors, it wont matter how sterling the contents are. This is your chance to make a good impression. It wont matter whether you have excellent skills or the right educational background if there are grammatical or spelling errors you resume will not be considered. Forgetting to include your contact information is another detail that you may overlook. If you are emailing it or applying via a website, make sure you put your name at the bottom of your correspondence along with your cell phone number and email address.If you are mailing the letter, put pen to paper and sign it. Sexy Kitty 4 You Please dont use an inappropriate email address in your contact information. I used the sexykitty4you example, not as a joke but because I once received a cover letter with that as the email contact. Did I throw it away immediately? No, I showed it, mouth agape, disbelieving, to everyone in my office and then threw it away. The only thing worse than using than an inappropriate email address if failing to include any contact information at all. If you are mailing your documents the old fashioned way, sign your cover letter. If you are emailing them or applying through an online portal, be sure to put your name at the bottom of your correspondence along with your phone number and email address. Print your cover letter, sign it, and scan it.The absence of a signature makes it look impersonal which is precisely what we want to avoid. Email everything to yourself to make sure the formatting has come out right.Then upload and send it to the company.Indicate in your cover letter that you will follow up with a phone call within a week. First Impressions Matter A great cover letter is your best and only chance to impress a hiring manager enough to get an interview and job offer. No matter how chocked full of fancy degrees and impressive achievements your resume might be, if you dont spend time crafting a killer cover letter, you wont even get that first foot in the door. Spend time on your cover letter in terms of rich content and less on how long a cover letter should be. Be neutral, avoid fancy fonts, excessive highlighting, bolding, underlining etc. And again, do a spell, grammar and syntax check at least three times. Keep it short, specific, clean looking and honest, and you will have hiring managers beating down your door! What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to find the opportunities that help you grow your best career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. 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