Don’t Skip the Cover Letter! And More Tips for Getting Hired

July 8, 2019 | Career Blog

There is no denying that is takes some effort to find a new job. It would be lovely if you could simply decide you want to work somewhere and that lands you the job, but in reality, you need to prove yourself. Don’t let that fact overwhelm you.

Once you know what employers are looking for, their expectations really are quite simple. For example, sending an email is one thing, but your cover letter and resume are what’s going to determine if you get a response. Keep reading for more tips on how to get hired.

The Importance of the Cover Letter

Imagine being the employer or hiring manager that receives a full inbox of responses to their job posting. When they open your email, you want the first thing they see to encourage them to keep reading. Not only should it say who you are and that you’re interested in the job, but it should also briefly explain why you would be a good fit.

Spend a little time researching the company and try to get an understanding of their ideals. That will help you come up with a couple of sentences that don’t sound like you’re just applying to every job posting that’s out there.

Read The Application Requirements

Job postings will include a list of application requirements. For example: “To apply for this position please send a cover letter, resume and your work availability to this email address”. If these things have been specified and you do not follow the instructions, you most likely will not hear back from them.

Fine-tune Everything on Your Resume (Even the Small Stuff)

Before you go sending your resume to everyone, look at it closely and see if any adjustments need to be made. Consider the following:

• Do you need to update your phone number, home, or email address?
• If you have a date at the top, is it correct?
• Are the jobs you have listed ones that will show your qualifications for the job you are applying for?
• What skills can you write down that apply to this position?
• Are there any spelling errors?
• Does everything fit on one page?
• Is it easy to read?

Our team can help you work on your resume! For more information click here.

Go into the Interview Calm and Confident

If you are uncomfortable and are displaying a lot of anxiety, your interviewer will become uncomfortable as well. Try to keep your demeanor calm by:

• Staying politely friendly, not aggressively.
• Listen carefully, don’t talk over them.
• Prepare for all the questions they could possibly ask so you know you have answers for them and aren’t caught off guard.
• Have some questions prepared to ask them so you aren’t making them up on the spot.
• Keep breathing, and smile.

Keep Your Options Open

It’s a great thing to know what you’re looking for, but try not to succumb to tunnel vision. Think a bit outside the box. A job may seem undesirable at first, but that may be what a lot of people are thinking, making that position more difficult to fill. It might actually be a good job for you, but you will never know that if you don’t give it the chance. Furthermore, if you aren’t open to a wider span of options, it could take you a lot longer to get hired.

Ask for Help

So many people spend hours and hours online looking at job postings and sending emails, crossing their fingers that they will get an interview that works out this time. If you find that you aren’t able to get an interview, or do get an interview but can’t seem to get hired, you may require a little help with your search. Staffing agencies will help you with everything that has been covered in this article and more.

Some benefits of using a staffing agency include:

• It’s free! The company that hired them to find employees is the one that is paying them. Therefore, you do not have to pay for agency to help you find and apply for jobs.
• They do the job searching for you. The agency will assess your skills and previous work experience and determine whether or not they have jobs available that could be a good fit for you. They will also give you a link to their internal site where you can find a list of all the jobs they are trying to fill.
• They cover a variety of industries. You can find a staffing agency that focuses on almost any industry, and some of them specialize in more than one. This can give you more options for the types of jobs you could qualify for.

The assistance that Allegiance Staffing can offer you does not end there. For more information, you can reach out to us here!