Notes From The Recruitment Desk Has Moved...

And been reborn as The Recruitment Desk. Be sure to keep following here.

Building A Strong Body for Your Cover Letter

Like a lot of things in life, when it comes to Cover Letter's, the nicer the body, the more attractive the prospect.

We can spend all day moralizing. It's just human nature. The sooner you accept it, the sooner you can get over that no matter what, if you're Cover Letter looks like this:

Chances are we've already lined up a couple of people to interview but will let you know.

Thankfully, crafting a nicely toned and attractive Cover Letter doesn't require much sweat. In fact it's not very hard at all, should you remember a few basic things:

1) There Are No Rules For Writing A Cover Letter. Too often we are made to feel that, should a Cover Letter not fit within some imaginary perfect ideal, it is an immediate reflection of how unacceptable as a human being you are. Don't get caught up in that. No one is perfect so write the Cover Letter that you feel best reflects you.

2) Remember your reader. We want to be reading it as much as you want to be writing it. Be short, be sweet, and get to the point.

3) Make it professional.

The last one is the hard part. Everyone has it in themselves to get over their fears or self doubts and tell someone why they are worth a damn. It's a skill you have to learn to do it in Corporate Speak.

Corporate Speak is a passive tone of voice that tries to communicate information as much like a professional robot as possible. It is pleasant, welcoming, and polite. It is courteous of the professional time the reader took out of their schedule to read it. And it shows that you know how to play by the rules. Resumes and Cover Letter's that veer too far on the left toward creativity risk alienating the reader. But that's another post.

This is why it is best to a build a Cover Letter template to which simple modifications can be made from job to job.

I know what you're thinking. You're always told that you need to personalize your Cover Letter for every job. Pull up five job descriptions for similar positions and read them all. They may all ask for different levels of experience, and they may all be worded differently but they all ask for the same basic things. Those are the things you build you Cover Letter from.

It's personal preference, but I think all Cover Letter's should have four paragraphs.

In as few words as possible, start with a pleasantry, state the position you are applying for and where you saw it posted. Every employer wants this information anyway. Give it to them up front.

The second paragraph is a little about yourself. The job you're doing and the company you're doing it for. How long you've been doing it and maybe what lead you to doing it, if relevant.

The third paragraph is why you're good for the job that's being advertised. Give examples of what you have done that is similar to what is being asked for. Make specific reference to achievements. Give me anything that shows that when it comes to this job, you're more than another nobody. You're this:

  
Close by thanking your reader for their time and encouraging them to contact you at the number provided at their soonest convenience, should they wish to discuss further.

Provide a salutation

Sincerely,




Michael Lippert,
Enclosure

Make sure the spelling and grammar are good, make sure you are happy with the message communicated, save and send.

You'll have to personalize the position applied for and the recipient of your letter each time. And different kinds of jobs will require you to highlight different kinds of accomplishments. But for the most part, a strong Cover Letter template, when done right, will have Recruiters seeing more of this:

 

And less of this this:

 

 

Overcoming The Challenge of Writing A Cover Letter

Let's throw it out there: Cover Letter's Suck.

It's okay. We've all been there. There's no shame.

No matter the style, format, words or information that you choose, there is one essential element that no Cover Letter can be complete without:

That You Sit Down and Write It

 

If you're copying and pasting, if you didn't write yourself it or if you rushed it, we're Recruiters, we'll know. That's what we're paid for.  

 

If you do it right, it shouldn't take more than an hour, during which time you will build the template for the Cover Letter that you will use for the rest of your life. So block the time, close the door, close all the crap in the background, and write.

 

 

We've all been there too. It helps to focus on your primary objective:

 

To Get A Job  

 

Okay. We're writing a letter to get a job. Let's start with our contact information: Name, Address and Phone Number(s).

So far, so good.

 

Let's remember this is a Cover Letter we are writing, and all letters require that they be addressed to someone. This is where people can get tripped up. The generic greeting to use is To Whom It May Concern.

 

Honestly, if I take the time to read your Cover Letter and it is addressed To Whom It May Concern, I'm going to stop reading. Why? Because I don't know whom it should concern and if it isn't me, I don't have time to figure it out.    



 

Moral of the story: Unless you believe yourself to be someone who's qualifications speak so loudly to their excellence that the only salutation you feel required is To Whom it May Concern, best of luck. If that's the case, you're probably long past Cover Letters anyway.

 

For the rest of us, address the Cover Letter to someone. Anyone At the absolute minimum, make up a name.

Luckily, you shouldn't have to do that. One of the nice features of LinkedIn is that, in some cases, it shows the person who posted the job. Perfect, address the Cover Letter to them and move on.

 

In a lot of cases though, it won't be so easy and you'll need to do some digging.

 

You'll need to search the company employees. You're looking for Managers/Directors/VPs of HR/Recruitment/Talent Acquisition, etc. Pick one of those names and use it. The more senior the title the better. At best you look like you know an important person in the company and at worst you don't look like a job board spammer. Win-win.   

 

You've got work to do. We'll pick up next with the body of the Cover Letter.  



Why You Need A Cover Letter

If you want proof that nobody knows anything in the world of Recruitment, look no further than the Cover Letter.

There is not a single document in Recruitment with more question marks surrounding it than the Cover Letter.

 

And every dime store philosopher has a spin they think your Cover Letter needs to land you the interview.

 

 

Unfortunately, You Need One.

 

 

I know what you're thinking. I already said that Recruiters don't like to read.

 

I'll admit, my approach to Cover Letter's is kind of like Boarder Security. I'll check randomly or when suspicions arise.

 

But by and large they go unchecked.

 

Here's the thing though. Whether they read it or not, statistics show that the vast majority of Recruiters will not even bother to open a resume unless it is accompanied by a Cover Letter.  

 

When I get a resume that doesn't come with a Cover Letter, I start making assumptions:

 

Does this person think they are too good for Cover Letters?

Did they forget to attach it? That was dumb.

Maybe they were too lazy to write one?

 

Whatever the case, there is only one reason to write a Cover Letter and it's the only one you need:

 

Because It Looks Better  

 

There are other reasons. It provides a more detailed explanation of why you're the best person for the job. It lets you personalize your resume. It shows that you know how to effectively communicate in sentences and paragraphs. We could go on all day.

 

But at the very least, if there are two resumes that are about the same and an offer needs to be made to one of them, it doesn't matter what the Cover Letter says, the one who wrote it is getting the job.

 

Period.

 

Because they did a little bit more. Because it looks better.     

 

Now that you know you have to write a Cover Letter, next we'll talk about how to.  





How The Time Flies

So Notes From The Recruitment Desk turned 1 year old last week.

What a year it has been.

As I sat and watched the congrats come in surrounding LinkedIn's announcement that this blog was turning 1, I thought it would be a great time to say a couple of words.

First of all, thank you to everyone who has continued to read and support this blog. It was started on a whim, one cold afternoon last February after being laid off from my last Recruitment agency.

I had no concept of what I wanted to do, what I wanted to say or how it should be said. All I knew is that, at that moment, I wanted to write. So I shut up and wrote.

The initial idea was to write about the world of Recruitment Agencies from an insider perspective. I wanted to help people when dealing with Recruiters so that they didn't get caught up in the shenanigans and behaviour that some Recruiters tend to exhibit.

It worked. Waves were sent out through the Recruitment world. Some people thought it was funny, charming and insightful. Others thought it was an embarrassment to the industry. How could he say that no one knows anything? Said one industry insider. Your post on Walk-ins is disgusting, said another.

Generally people don't take kindly to having their entire industry reduced to crude drawings of stick figures.

"If they're doing a good job," I said to a former colleague about the backlash, "then they shouldn't have anything to worry about."

You know you've done something right, when it starts to push people's buttons.

But the people who mattered most, the job seekers, loved it.

When I put the word out for volunteers for a new feature I was planning, The Recruiter's Red Pen, only one brave soul stepped forward. Weeks later I was filled with joy and delight when the subject informed me she had just landed an interview with one of Toronto's premiere companies. Two weeks after that she had a start date.

Throughout the year I have tried my best to keep the blog up to date with quality content and practical career advice that anyone can relate to. What continues to surprise and keep me going is how loyal and consistent a readership Notes has achieved despite the infrequent nature of the posts. No matter what anyone says, I have the best fans in the market.

As I continue to push forward into year two of my look into the strange and fascinating world of Recruitment, there are some big things in store that I want to hint at:

1) This site needs some serious TLC. In the coming weeks I will be updating the template the blog was designed on to make it more aesthetically pleasing and user friendly.

2) When a friend came to me, desperately in search of a job so that she could retain her Canadian work visa, I had her send me a copy of her resume. I was horrified to hear that she had paid someone to help her construct this monstrosity. I realized that too many people are paying too much for career advice that isn't going to get them anywhere.

In the coming weeks I will debut an exclusive career consultation service. It will be a simple, affordable solution that will provide resume writing and interview coaching services tailored specifically for you and designed, like all the content on this blog, to be practical, relatable and better prepare you for landing a great job.

3) More Purple Squirrels. The Recruitment-based TV comedy series I have been concurrently working on will continue with Ep 2. Check out and continue to support the pilot at www.purplesquirrels.ca



Stay tuned. The best is yet to come.

Sincerely Yours,
Michael Lippert

How Many Licks Does It Take To Get To The Centre of The...

In 2000 rapper Lil' Kim released a song entitled How Many Licks, in which she pondered how many licks it would take to get to the centre of the...

I think she was talking about Recruitment.

Imagine for a second that you're a sucker.

Not that kind of sucker.

On the outside, you're the same as every other candy on a stick. But somewhere inside lies ooey, gooey, delicious goodness.

As a Recruiter, every time I sit down to an interview, I'm wondering: How many licks will it take to take to get to the centre of the... 

If I have to lick until this happens:

There's a good chance you're not getting the job.

However, if I get hooked on the sweet sweet goodness inside of you, I'm going to give my client a call to tell them about what I've tasted and encourage them to have a lick as well.

That's how it works.

***

Here's a Dramatic Scene for you:

A Dramatic Scene

 

Me: How many years of experience do you have?

Interviewee: I've been working Technical Support for as long as I can remember.

Me: Great, which gives you how many years of experience?

Interviewee: I started right out of college.

Me: (Flipping through resume) So 2002?

Interviewee: Yep.

Me: Do you have any experience with Ticketing Systems?

Interviewee: Pretty much everywhere I've worked.

Me: Okay. Which ones?

Interviewee: Once you've used one, you've pretty much used them all.

Me: Sure. Which ones have you specifically used? 

Interviewee: Let me think. Remedy way back in the day. Heat, I believe and something at the last place, I can't remember the name. It was custom built.

Me: Okay. Do you have any questions for me?

 

Had this interview been the last of four, at the end of a bad day, they would have been discounted from the competition after their first answer. Luckily it's 10:00 am, I just scored a big placement and I'm feeling good. I'll humor the candidate with a few licks to try to get to the centre of their...

 

To start, I ask a broad question:

 

Me: How many years of experience do you have?

 

 To which I get a non-answer:

 

Interviewee: I've been working Technical Support for as long as I can remember.

 

Although I am currently in the process of developing a tool that will allow Recruiter's to dig into their Candidate's memories to gather past information, it's not ready yet.

 

So I do one of my least favourite things, repeat myself:

 

Me: Great, which gives you how many years of experience?:

Interviewee: I started right out of college.

 

Another non-answer. This one requires me to dig into the Candidate's resume to find it myself. Two questions in. Two strikes deep. Another lick.

 

Me: (Flipping through resume) So 2002?

Interviewee: Yep.

 

Let's pause for AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICE

 

If you give a Yes or No answer in an interview and leave it hanging without further explanation, you're giving a BAD answer. No exceptions.

 

I continue to lick:

 

Me: Do you have any experience with Ticketing Systems?

 

If you're being asked about something specific, it's probably because, if hired, it's something you'd encounter on the job. Here's the chance to strut your stuff.

 

 

Interviewee: Pretty much everywhere I've worked

 

This is a YES answer with four more words than it needs and no adequate explanation. My tongue hurts.

 

Me: Okay, which ones?

Interviewee: Once you've used one, you've pretty much used them all.

 

No delicious filling in site. Apparently I'm the sucker. One more lick. 

 

Me: Sure, which ones have you specifically used? 

Interviewee: Let me think. Remedy way back in the day. Heat, I believe and something at the last place, I can't remember . It was custom built.

 

The moment I sense you don't know how to speak to your background or what is in your resume, the interview is over. I ask the final question to indicate you've used up all your licks:

 

Me: Do you have any questions for me?

 

***

 

Here's how the scene should have played:

 

A Dramatic Scene Redux

 

Me: How many years of experience do you have?

Interviewee: I picked up a gig at Tech Company A pretty much right out of college. That was 2002. They needed someone to come in and answer the phones, which I did for about a year before being promoted to Deskside Support. That lasted six months until they folded and I grabbed a Tech Support position at Tech Company B. After two years they decided to outsource IT overseas so I took the package and moved to Tech Company C.

Me: Excellent. Do you have any experience with Ticketing Systems?

Interviewee: Lots. They used Remedy at Tech Company A. When I was at Tech Company B they were using Spiceworks then switched to Heat . Tech Company C had a custom built one that was similar to Remedy. Once you've used one, you've pretty much used them all.

Interviewee: Excellent. Tell me more about what you were responsible for at Tech Company A.

 

In this redux, after two licks I've gained more insight than I did after six in the original. I am also convinced this person not only knows Ticketing Systems but is worthy of promotion. Instead of feeling like I'm flogging dead horses, I'm intrigued. It sounds like this person has some deliciousness at their centre and I want a taste.

 

 

This person got the job. Not only did they know their centre, but they let me get to it with ease.  

 

Before your next interview stop and ask yourself, how many licks does it take to get to the centre of my...?

The Recruiter Mail Box

Dear Recruiter,

I applied for a senior comms role with a not-for-profit. I sent my application late on a Sunday and got a call from the recruiter first thing on the Monday morning - the day of the application deadline.

We had a good conversation, she told me I was a great applicant and that the client would definitely want to meet with me. She hadn't received my cover letter and asked me to re-send, which I did. She replied thanking me and said she'd be in touch.

I didn't hear from her for about a week so I followed up with an e-mail to say I was still very interested in the role, hoped I was still in consideration and asked whether she needed any more information from me. She replied right away asking me to call her before 4 pm that day. When I called her, she proceeded to lecture me - as though I were an inexperienced job seeker - about how I had a good thing going where I was and shouldn't be looking to leave, especially since I have a couple of short contract stints on my resume. I was baffled by the tone of the conversation and her message, and when I said I was only following up based on our earlier interactions she had no recollection of them! Truly bizarre.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your tale of Recruitment woe.

This story is  bizarre indeed and I'm sorry you had to go through it. I'd like to say it was probably a rare case of you getting a bad agent

In reality, it's all too common.

I hope that you have decided to end contact with this agency and have told anyone in your personal network not to use them either. There's a certain point where agents need to be responsible for their actions and it's the job seeker's responsibility to see it happen.

The sad reality is that there are a lot of bad agents out there. This is primarily because the bar to enter the profession is so low and the turnover so high that most agencies will hire more agents than they need, expecting a percentage of them to drop off within the first three to eight months.

By the time I left one of my agencies the entire office received an e mail from a division manager outlining a lunch encounter he had with one of the Green Peace people who solicit donations on the sidewalk during the day. Upon discussing, he found that most of these people are paid only in commission as a full-time job and some of them are pretty persuasive salespeople. Therefore, if you're out and about and happen to meet one, give them a card and tell them they should consider a career in Recruitment.

I wish I was kidding.

The bar is low.

The first sign that you were not dealing with a professional was this:

The Agent Should Never Speak on Behalf of the Client

If ever you encounter this, it's time to get inquisitive. Ask them what about your background they think will guarantee you an interview with the client? How long have they been working with the client? Are they working with the client on an exclusive basis?

Unless the agent has an exclusive relationship with the client, there is no way for them to guarantee how a client will react to an applicant and should not be offering false hope over the phone.

 

The second sign that you were not dealing with a professional was the lecture.

 

Granted, a good Recruiter should know their client, should know their candidate, should know the market and should know what makes a good resume. However, they should not be in the business of lecturing candidates.

 

This comes back to the old William Goldman saying I pulled for my first post:

 

 





Your reasons for wanting to find a new job are not an Agent's concern. Sure, we have probing questions to make sure you're not the type who hops ship every six months or can't hold down a job on your own accord, but by and large, the agent's job is listening to what they can do to help you get the job you are looking for.

 

If this happens to you, again, get inquisitive. Ask them what it is that is prompting this line of thinking and see what they come back with. Probably what happened was that this is what the client came back with and they were unloading it onto you.

 

 

The third indicator that you were not dealing with a professional is that the Agent didn't remember you.

 

Recruitment agents meet with a lot of people. As part of their KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) they need to meet with anywhere from five to ten new candidates each week. That's a lot of people to keep track of.

 

That being said, every agent should know who they have applied to their jobs. My educated guess is that this person was either tasked with meeting their weekly interview KPI's or to find a pool of candidates to submit to their open job order. They fed you a line about you looking great on paper to appease you and hoped you'd forget about them the same way they forgot about you.

 

There are two things going on here. One is that just because an agent says they are putting you forward for a job, it doesn't guarantee they actually will. Agents generally aim to submit three candidates to every open job. Hopefully you're one of them. If a better candidate comes in after they say they'll submit you, guess what?

 

 

The second is that, as a general rule, if an agent submits you to a job, you'll never hear back from them unless the client agrees to interview you. Agents live for Yes. Yes is where the money is. If a client says No, there is no incentive to get back in touch with you. In order to combat this, make sure to set follow-up dates with your agent. Ask them when you should follow-up with them, take note and make sure you do. Unless you give them a reason to remember you, most won't.

 

Keep these simple things in mind and hopefully your experience with Recruitment Agents going forward can be a positive and rewarding one.

 

Questions for the Recruiter Mail Box can be sent to michaelllippert@gmail.com or directly to Michael Lippert via LinkedIn.