Marketing Managers Need Cover Letters, too?

Marketing Managers Need Cover Letters, too?

Well, yes. If they want to get jobs, that is.

A cover letter takes the best of your qualifications and characteristics and makes them exciting and enticing to prospective employers. It’s a carefully crafted letter that leads the employer to the resume to see why you are the best candidate for the job.

Competition for Marketing Managers is keen. You have to stand out from the crowd in a positive, exciting way to ensure you are the one employers are determined to hire.

How do you accomplish this?

If you have already written your resume, the words you need are basically prepared for you. It’s much easier to pull from the resume and reflect on your character when you have put the time in to document your professional personal history.

The cover letter builds on the resume and leads the employer toward it. Its goal is to get the employer excited about the resume. The cover letter is a sales tool, just like the resume is. Sell yourself in a compelling and exciting way. Inject energy and let your best qualities reach the employer through carefully written examples and anecdotes. Don’t just state what you are capable of, show the employer with vibrant language that attracts and invites the employer to want to know more.

Let your personality show, but remain professional.

Are there a lot of Marketing Manager positions available? Yes, there are probably a lot of positions you COULD get, but do you want just ANY old job? Or, do you want a job where you will have opportunities to succeed, make more money and send your career to new heights?

You have to be your very best to get the great jobs. What skills and abilities do you have that you can offer the employer – and – how can you do so in a way that makes the employer pick up the phone and call you for an interview?

Start with your own “marketing materials”. Your cover letter and your resume are your sales resources. Make them work for you.

The cover letter is the first thing an employer sees. Make sure it is impeccable. Proofread it just as meticulously as you did the resume. No mistakes. Not one.

State clearly what position you are seeking and tailor the cover letter, just as you did with the resume, to the specific position and employer.

Mass marketing general resumes and cover letters to a host of employers is a thing of the past. Targeting a resume and cover letter is essential in today’s competitive environment if you are to be successful.

Look at it this way: Your competition is doing it. If you don’t do it, too, who do you think is going to get the job interview and the job offer?

“Employment of advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012, spurred by intense domestic and global competition in products and services offered to consumers.” (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Finding the perfect job in a great company will always take some work, but the rewards will be worthwhile if you take the time to work through the job search process right.

A good cover letter alone isn’t likely to persuade an employer to grant you an interview, but it is part of the whole package that WILL encourage an employer to want to get to know you better. Make it an exciting and enjoyable read and you will find yourself being offered the next Marketing Manager position you apply for.

Best of luck!

Written by Carla Vaughan-Bosteder Best-Interview-Strategies.com

Why is it Important to Prepare for an Interview?

The Job Interview: Wing it? Prepare for it?

A lot of us tend to think that interviews are just a formality. A substantial number of interviewees also feel that the recruiters ask the same questions in every interview and hence, they do not need to prepare for interview. However, the reality is that a most of the interviewers are not looking for your answers, they are looking for your confidence level and consistency through your answers. Therefore, you need to be very confident and consistent in your interview.

Preparing for an interview is more important when you are sitting for a HR interview in contrast to a technical interview. If you have studied your subject well you will most certainly get through a technical interview. However, HR interviews are more focused upon testing your attitude rather than you knowledge and unless you have done some rehearsal for your answers, you might get deviated and lose the interviewers.

The best way to prepare for an interview is to make a list of commonly asked questions in an interview and prepare your answers for it. Try to be as honest as possible. Do not try to furnish false information to impress the interviewers as it can backfire. Always remember the people sitting in the interviewer chair have seen as lot of interviewees and they are looking for an additional spark in you.

Just be confident and consistent in your answer. Stick to your position, even when they try to confuse you as it is just a strategy they might be using to judge your consistency. A little preparation and a little caution is your key to success in any interview.

For additional information on job interviews, follow this link: Top 10 Interview Questions

Interview Questions

What You Need to Know About Interview Questions

The interview is a sales meeting and you are both the salesperson and the product. The basic question in every interview, whether it is asked or not, is "Why should I hire you?" All other questions center on this one issue. Basic interview questions can take a variety of forms. Generally, questions will ask about you, your qualifications, experience, skills and motivation. If you have prepared for the interview and are confident about your qualifications, none of these questions should be difficult.

Listen carefully to each question asked in the interview. Take your time in responding and make sure your answers are positive. Express a good attitude and show that you are willing to work, eager to learn, and are flex¬ible. If you are unsure of a question, do not be afraid to ask for clarification. Sometimes a good strategy is to close a response with a question for the interviewer. If you have researched the company beforehand, you will be better informed and able to ask more in-depth questions.

Focus on your qualifications but also look for opportunities to personalize the interview. There is nothing wrong with injecting some personal insight into your life. However, do not get too personal or dwell too long on non-job related topics. Show your potential to the company. Support your answers with examples from your experience. Avoid "yes" or "no" responses to questions.

Use caution if you are questioned about your salary requirements. Try to avoid the question until you have been offered a job. If that isn't possible, turn the question back to the interviewer and ask what salary range the position falls in, or what others in similar positions are being paid.

The interview is not over when you are asked if you have any questions. Come prepared to ask a couple of specific questions that again show your knowledge and interest in the job.

Source:
http://jobs.utah.gov/jobseeker/guides/07_34.pdf

Click here for more information about Answering Interview Questions.

An Interview Tidbit

When interviewing, it is important to reflect your responsibilities in ways that allow the employer to create a mental picture about what you are capable of doing.

This is done by telling stories, or anecdotes. Stories show the employer what you are capable of doing rather than just telling them.

Look at this situation:
The interviewer asks the same question of candidates #1, #2 and #3: "Have you ever been in a situation when you have had to soothe an employee who felt as though he’d been treated unjustly by a co-worker?"


Candidate #1 responds: "Well, I remember doing that once, but it was a nightmare."

Candidate #2 responds: "Yes, I listened considerately until he finished venting."

Candidate #3 responds: "Yes, I have been in that situation before. In fact, not long ago, a co-worker in an office next to mine was angry that her boss was asking her to stay late 3 days in a row. I asked her to come to my office for some coffee and we worked out a way for the two of us to share the work load so that we both could get home at a decent hour."

For more information, click on this link: Interview Anecdotes

Do You Want to Get the Right Job?

Do You Want to Get the Right Job?

Your resume and cover letter can be very helpful in getting the right job, but how do you go about finding that perfect job in the first place?

There are many situations where people are headed down one career path and find themselves given another opportunity altogether that is even better than the one they initially chose. Other times, someone may interview for one position, but the hiring manager thinks your skills and accomplishments fit better with a different position.

Don't rule out a job or a career path just because it was not what you were initially considering.

Many people start off in one career and decide later in life to pursue another career or even their hobby. The experience almost always is more enjoyable and more profitable. Whether you create the opportunity yourself, it falls into your lap or are given direction by someone else, you should always be open to the possibilities around you. Your dream career might not be what you anticipated when you start your job search. It might be something you haven't considered at all.

One thing that can really help in this situation is understanding your expectations for a job/career. What is it that you want from your job? What is the minimum salary that you will accept for a position? How much flexibility do you need to care for your family? Are you more inclined to work by yourself or as part of a team?

In order to understand and appreciate what will make you happy, you need to spend some time analyzing your needs, desires and expectations. Unless you truly grasp what truly matters in your life, you will likely find yourself switching jobs somewhat frequently.

To read more about Careers and Jobs, go to: Career Planning

A Job Interview Technique

Job interview time! What are some techniques to help you make the most of this opportunity?

When you walk in the door of the interviewer's office (even if it is an office used just for interviewing purposes), start paying attention. Look for clues to give you pieces of information about the interviewer and the company. If you have done your homework and researched the company prior to the interview, this information will supplement your knowledge and give you an even broader base of understanding about the corporation, its climate and the expectations for employees.

The first few minutes of the interview will likely entail some general information about the organization and the position you are interviewing for. Listen carefully. You will hear more clues - hot buttons, sometimes - and can use them in your answers later in the interview.

The interviewer will provide you with very useful information. Use it to your advantage. If the department needs a fresh approach, you need to speak to that. If the position you are seeking is part of a team, relate how well you have worked as a team member in the past. If the area you'd be working in struggles with deadlines, offer quantifiable statements of your ability to meet deadlines in the past.

When you are able to fill the employers needs you will be the one to get the job offer. Some candidates listen better than others. If you listen, you will learn a lot about what you need to respond to later in the interview.

Look and listen - keys to your success.

If you want to learn about more job search secrets, click here:
Job Search