The 21st century is the most competitive job market in history. Any advantage a job applicant can get over the competition should be considered very valuable. In order to get hired for a job, you need to personally impress your employer during the interview. But before that can happen, you need to stand out from the crowd of job applicants so that you are seen as a valuable human resource and invited in for an interview.
This is where the cover letter and the résumé prove how valuable they are by selling your qualities to an employer. Your résumé is sometimes referred to as your curriculum vitae, but both documents serve the same function – selling your valuable qualities to an employer. The cover letter and résumé work together in order to promote your education, experience, and other skills in a way that places value on you as an employee. Once a human resource manager places value on the skills you possess, you will be invited in for an interview.
Most people don’t realize this, but the goal of the résumé is not to get you hired; the goal of the résumé is to get you a job interview. Once you are invited in for an interview it is your job to sell your skills to an employer in a direct way that is completely personal. But we will talk about job interviews in detail later, for now we are concentrating on the résumé and the cover letter.
The cover letter has a goal of supporting the résumé – selling other qualities the résumé leaves out. Your cover letter allows you to clearly state which job you are applying for and explain why you believe you possess the skills needed for that particular job. The cover letter is the most overlooked and often ignored aspect when many people apply for jobs. This is a shame, truly a missed opportunity, since it is the cover letter that allows you to sell yourself to a potential employer on a personal level.
Countless students from the most expensive colleges and universities realize immediately after graduation that their degree isn’t worth much without job experience – often quite a bit of experience. Even experienced and well-educated people realize that in a job market so competitive it takes more than just “experience” or “education” to succeed. The key to success is realizing that not all cover letters and not all résumés are created equally.
One of the biggest advantages you can gain over the competition is the realization that a professionally written résumé and cover letter can give you a big advantage in the 21st century job market. If you present a state-of-the-art résumé outlining your education and experience with a quality design, it instantly makes a first-rate impression on any potential employer. And if your cover letter is written on a personal level that is fully customized to suit your needs, your potential employer will be sold on you before the job interview begins!
I started a company called Résumé Design Service in order to help job-hunters gain an advantage over the competition. I wanted to help people gain the ability to place value on their skills. I’ve been doing this for a while now; I’ve even gathered a small staff of qualified people to help me out. I provide the best service possible and I guarantee all my work.
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