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

Tips for career changers: Federal Jobs

Are you a career changer?

If you are an experienced worker looking for a Federal job, you are in good company. More than 40 percent of the people hired by the Federal Government last year were experienced workers over the age of 35. These tips will help you to get credit for your expertise.

• Estimate your GS level. As mentioned in this article, the Federal Government classifies positions according to the complexity of their job duties and their level of responsibility. People qualify for a given level based on education, experience, or a combination of both. The most common classification system is the General Schedule (GS). To find your GS level, use the table on page 6 to estimate the level you qualify for based on education alone. If you also have relevant experience, your GS level will be higher than that. If you have had relevant managerial responsibilities or do complex work independently, you might qualify for a GS-12 or above. To be certain, read the job descriptions in vacancy announcements.

• Understand job requirements. Vacancy announcements often say that a worker needs experience equivalent to a particular GS level. A vacancy announcement at the GS-12 level, for example, might say that you need 1 year of experience at the GS-11 level. Some announcements give examples of what that experience could be. Others don't. The simplest way to know if you qualify for a job is to read the job duties. If the work described there is only slightly more complex or responsible than work you have done in the past, you might be eligible for the position.

If some of the required experience for a job seems unique to the Federal Government, explore further by calling the agency or the contact person for the position. You might learn that your private-sector experience meets the requirement.

• Be flexible about titles. If you want to be a manager or supervisor, do not limit yourself to openings with those words in the job title. Jobs with widely varying levels of responsibility are often listed under the same title.

• Be specific about past experience. Human resources managers will study the details of your application to decide if you qualify for a job. They will compare your past work to the kinds of tasks performed at different GS levels. Managers will pay close attention to the amount of time you spent in each job. They usually will estimate exactly how many months or years you have done each major job task.

When creating a resume or writing statements about your skills, show your level of expertise by explaining who you reported to or worked with and how your work was used.

• Explain past job titles. Use job titles that clearly describe what you did. You may want to put the equivalent Federal title in parentheses next to your actual job titles.

• Consider Senior Executive Service. Finally, if you have substantial experience in high-level leadership positions, you might qualify for the Senior Executive Service (SES). SES positions require you to answer a set of standard questions about your leadership ability. A review board established by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management will certify your qualifications based on your answers and your experience. For more information, see www.opm.gov/ses or call (202) 606-1800

http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/employ/govtjob/fedjob.htm#tips

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Will a resume get you a job?

Will a Resume Get You a Job?

That question is asked over and over again in Career Placement Centers, Employment Offices and on forums on the Internet. Will a resume get you a job?

The short answer is “no”. A resume will not get you a job. What a resume will do, if it is done effectively, is pave the way for an interview. Employers use resumes to decide who they think is best suited for the job and typically weed out enough poorly written resumes to narrow the candidate pool to 5-6 good candidates. (Some companies have a higher number than that and others have a lower number. It depends on the organization and how they structure the interview process.)

If you want to be counted among those 5-6 candidates who are called in for an interview, then your resume DOES have to be outstanding.

Will a resume get you a job? Now, let’s answer that question a different way. A resume is a necessary part of getting a good job. Does that contradict the first statement? No, it doesn’t. A resume on its own can only do so much, but without it, at least with most companies, you cannot even get anyone to acknowledge you. You must have a resume in order to get your foot in the door in many companies.

Of course, not any resume will do. Some of the people that you are competing against for jobs are going to spend a lot of time and money crafting excellent resumes. Yours has to be just as good – preferably better.

You don’t need a professional resume service, either. What you need is the right information and the best guidelines to provide you with everything you need so that you can create your own top-notch resume.

It may take more time to write an excellent resume, but a poorly written resume isn’t going to do any good at all, so either write the best resume you can write or don’t bother writing one at all. It’s just that important.

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Cover Letters for Teachers

Cover Letters for Teachers

Why are cover letters so important? They provide the prospective employer with a brief review of your skills and abilities in the form of a letter. These types of letters are written much differently than resumes and can have a potent impact on your future employer.

The best news is that writing one it isn’t that difficult. An excellent teacher is always going to be in demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for teachers through 2014 will grow somewhere between 9 and 17% per year.

“Experts predict that over the next ten years the nation will need 2.2 to 2.4 million teachers. That means there will be 150,000 to 250,000 openings for teachers in the nation's elementary and secondary schools. The needs are greatest in urban and rural communities and in curricular areas such as special education, mathematics, science, bilingual education, and English as a second language.” This information comes from www.recruitingteachers.org, a non-profit organization based in Belmont, MS.

What does that mean? It means there will be continued growth in the field of education. If you are a good teacher, you should not encounter problems in finding a great job in a location that you desire.

What about that amazing teaching position at that awesome new school that you have your eye on, though? Do you think the competition for that position will be greater? Of course it will. The great paying jobs always demand the best and the brightest people. That is why your credentials and qualifications will have to be presented in the most incredible way if you are to get the job of your dreams.

One aspect of making a great impression on a prospective employer is to create a fantastic picture of who you are - with words. Let your cover letter show the school administrators just how remarkable you are.

The cover letter has one goal. That is to get the employer excited about the resume. It is a marketing tool, just like the resume is. Sell yourself in a compelling and exciting way.

What makes the best impression on employers? The wise use of accomplishments with anecdotes will win over a principal or school administrator much faster than simply stating what you did and where you worked. Let your best qualities reach the employer through carefully written examples and stories. Don’t just state what you are capable of, show what you have done in the past with vibrant language that attracts and invites the employer to want to know more.

You are a part of a significant sector of the labor market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Preschool, kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and secondary school teachers, except special education, held about 3.8 million jobs in 2004. Of the teachers in those jobs, about 1.5 million are elementary school teachers, 1.1 million are secondary school teachers, 628,000 are middle school teachers, 431,000 are preschool teachers, and 171,000 are kindergarten teachers.”

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 want to pick up the phone and call you for an interview?
Let your cover letter generate interest in your resume, then let your resume hold the employer’s attention so that you are invited in for a face to face meeting.

The cover letter builds on the resume and leads the employer toward it. Make it glow. While it may not persuade an employer to grant you an interview by itself, it is a vital part of the whole package that sells an employer on YOU.

Making Your Resume Stand Out

How can a resume stand out without standing out so much that it gets tossed in the trash can? Tough question and there isn't an easy answer, but there are some things you can certainly do to make your resume look as awesome as possible without alienating a prospective employer.

First, load your resume with keywords. Ok, let me rephrase that. Load might not be the best word. Inject keywords into your resume to embolden it. Use words that show action as well as words which are common to your particular field. Many companies use software to review resumes and search for keywords. If your resume doesn't have the right ones or have them in the right amounts, you won't get selected for an interview.

Second, make sure you use a job objective to clarify exactly what it is you are looking for and how you will be an asset to the organization. Don't assume it will be clear to someone who reads your resume. Be clear and be concise.

Third, use white space to your advantage. Don't make your resume so verbose that it wearies the eyes of the reader. Allow for breaks between paragraphs and sections.

Fourth and last, use the best quality paper that you can afford. Actually, if you can't afford outstanding paper, find someone from whom you can borrow money and buy the best paper you can find. It will be worth it. No one will take a resume seriously if it is on 20 plain white paper. Make it look good - and that means white, opaque, linen paper.

So, now you have a pretty good idea of what you need to do to make sure your resume looks as good as possible.

For more information, check out: Professional-Resume-Example.com

Are you considering changing careers?

Changing Careers?

Are you considering changing careers?

There are times when you reach a plateau and need to change your career path if you are to achieve your dreams. For some people, a change is brought about when a family is started.

Regardless of the reasons involved, make sure the change is well-thought out. Taking your work-life in a new direction has its own pros and cons. Be sure you know what all is involved.

If it's truly time to switch career tracks, the ideas below offer some excellent advice for updating your resume to reflect the new direction your career will be taking.

As you know, your resume has to be outstanding. When changing careers, your skills and achievements may not perfectly fit into your new position, so you have to pay especially close attention to the format you use and the words you choose to define yourself.

First, select a resume format that best highlights your skills, accomplishments and abilities. Most likely, this will be a functional format. The reason is that it is far better for career-changers. Why? You have the ability to place more emphasis on the work you have done and the accomplishments you have achieved rather than on the employers, education and dates the work was done.

It does make a difference. Be sure to list your achievements near the top of the page. Let the hiring manager see what you have to offer instead of what your job title was or where you worked. List your skills below that. There are many places where you can see what a Functional Resume Format looks like, including the site listed below.

While important on some level, who you worked for is not of as much value (unless is it a major corporation) for the simple reason that you are changing from that field or industry to another one. What you did while you were an employee there is only valuable if it relates to the new position you are seeking. Why?

Let's say you for Safe Pest Control as a graphics designer for their product labels and now you want to re-focus your career in a new direction. Now, you want to be a graphic artist for a craft magazine. While the two involve artistic abilities, many of the tasks and responsibilities will not be the same.

Placing those skills and aptitudes where the prospective employer can see them first, is vital, especially when you remember that your resume gets scanned, not read. You have to grab the reader's attention right away or you won't grab it at all.

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What You Should NEVER Include in Your Professional Resume

By Tracey Drake

There is one golden rule in resume writing- never include information such as hobbies, race, marital status and political information on a resume. In the 1960s it used to be very popular to include a lot of personal information on your resume. That was an era when the employer wanted to know a lot about your personal life because they would use that information in the decision making process. That was also an era when there were not as many discrimination laws and employers were able to hire and fire on a variety of different reasons. Times have definitely changed and most employers have decided that they don’t need to know that information. Choosing individuals to interview and hire has become a lot more objective and they would prefer that they only know your work history rather than you personal history. Despite all of this, there are still those individuals that decide to include that information either as filler to make their resume longer or because they simply don’t know any better.

You are only setting yourself up for disappointment by including personal information on your resume. The number one item that is included on resumes, that shouldn’t be, is marital status. Potential employees should never know whether or not you are married, single or have children. This suggests that you will be preoccupied with sick children, trips to the doctor, teacher conferences, school events, etc. These things will get your potential employer preoccupied with thoughts of you missing work. Employers should also not know if you are single. This may make them think thoughts like, “Great, we’ll get him or her to work long hours or weekends!” If you are married, they might think that your spouse won’t want you to work late.

Your height and weight should also not be included in your resume. This does not really matter to your position and it is definitely too personal, but people still include this on their resumes. Also, nobody cares whether or not you like to bowl, golf, surf the Internet, take long walks on the beach and play with your puppy. These are just not necessary for a resume and your hobbies are not selling you on the position.

Other aspects that should not be included on your resume include religious and political affiliations. These open you up to personal preferences and prejudices. Potential employers may be very tempted to use this type of information against you.

Another popular feature that was included on resumes “back in the days,” was personal photographs. This is not a portfolio or an actor’s promotion pack. You are not trying to land a part, but a career. Your picture shows people what you look like and this may make them disregard the important information on you resume. This also allows them to make assumptions about you and you shouldn’t give people that opportunity. A picture will also open you up to prejudices and may keep you from getting interviews.

If you have not been in the job market for quite some time, it is time to make your resume comply with today’s guidelines. Too many individuals fail to update their resumes on a regular basis when you should be doing this regardless of whether or not you plan on leaving your current job. It is better to be prepared and always have a resume ready than to have to update one that is twenty years old.

Many students are led astray by word processing programs that suggest you had areas such as hobbies and interests. These areas are not essential and they should not be used. These areas simply add filler and nonsense to a functional resume. You are also tempted to leave personal comments that you will not want included in your resume. If you are unsure about certain areas of your resume, have friends, family, colleagues and career-counselors examine your resume and give you suggestions. Many career-counseling offices at colleges offer free resume counseling services.

© Career-Launch – specializes in effective and focused resume packages, written by industry certified professional writers. Career-Launch has written thousands of successful resumes to date for clients across a diverse range of industries and career choices. Any reproduction or reprint of this article must include this information.

Article Source:

Tracey Drake

Article at EzineArticles.com

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How Much Character Does Your Resume Have?

How much character does your resume have? Are you allowing some of your personal and professional traits to show through the resume?

Employers are wanting to know how well you can do the job, sure, but they are also wanting to make sure you will get along well with the other members of the team. How well will you fit in with their organizational climate?

Even though you will find some questions in the interview focused on your personality traits, you can make a good impression by injecting some of them in the resume and even the cover letter.

If the position you are seeking involves a lot of teamwork with others, show how well you work in a team setting in your resume or cover letter. Use clear examples. If the position requires a lot of leadership ability, then make sure that is targeted in your resume as well. Think ahead and organize your resume so that you can address some of the possible needs that the employer has - before you have that interview. Don't answer every need as you'll still need to continue to make a good impression during the interview.

An employer is trying to find the right person for the job. Make it easy and offer concrete evidence of your skills and abilities, but also provide solid information about your character, too. It will help him/her to make a better decision - and will certainly assist you in impressing the employer from the start.

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Civilian Jobs

If you happen to be looking for a job right now and would be interested in seeing what is available at various military installations around the United States, take a look at the link below:

Randolf.af.mil

You can search by state, by region, career program and more. It's a great way to see what is available in the way of civilian job positions. Who knows, you might find the job of your dreams. :) There are excellent benefits, too.

Take a look and see what's there.

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A Good Cover Letter is Essential

When your resume and cover letter first reach the prospective employer, the employer will start to form an opinion about you. How professional are you? Are you detail oriented, ambitious, responsible and/or qualified for the job?

The first thing the employer will notice is your cover letter. You can bet the employer knows the power of a good cover letter.

It needs to be error-free and well-written if it is going to receive the attention it deserves. A single mistake could cost you an opportunity for a job interview, so take the time to do it right.

You must understand the power of a good cover letter if you are to write one effectively.

Writing a good cover letter entails thought and time. Map out the information you want to place in each section, then go back through and fine tune it. Don't try to write brilliantly from the salutation to the signature in the first draft. Revise it each time you go through it.

For more information about cover letters, check out this link: Cover Letter Guideline