Tripod Columns: Harry Goldstein

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onchange="self.top.podRedirect(this.options[this.selectedIndex].value)"> <option value="">Related Pods</option> <option value="Freebies">Freebies</option> <option value="MacComputing">Mac Computing</option> <option value="PC%20User">PC User</option> <option value="Second-Hand">Second-Hand</option> <option value="Smallbiz">SmallBiz</option> <option value="Travel">Travel</option> </select></td> </tr> </table> </form> <br clear="ALL"> <p>  <p> <p> <p> <table cellpadding="5"> <tr><td valign="TOP"> <p> <p> <p> <p><img src="../../../../work/columns/img/www_subdomain/workinglife.gif" width="194" height="152" alt="the working life by Harry Goldstein"> <p> <font size="+1"> <b> <font size="+2">A</font>VOIDING <font size="+2">T</font>HE <font size="+2">C</font>IRCULAR <font size="+2">F</font>ILE</font> </b> <p> <p>Published January 6, 1997<br><p> <a href="../../../../www_subdomain/work/archive/goldstein.html"><font size="+1">Previous columns</font></a> <br>by Harry Goldstein <p> </td> <td><font size="+1"> <p> <font size="+2">F</font>or the past year, I've been wondering about what makes one résumé stand out from another -- and how I might ensure that mine rises to the top, like cream in a butter churn. Now that I've been poring through a pile of résumés looking for people to interview for a job opening here at ACME, I'm learning about how precious little cream there is in comparison to the lowly curd I end up discarding as my stomach churns. I have been amazed at how careless people are about applying for jobs -- and I also have been recognizing in those myriad mistakes some of my own. <p> <font size="+2">M</font>istake numero uno is the faxed or e-mailed résumé sans cover letter. Few things are more worthless than the hastily sent naked résumé. I imagine dozens of people flipping through the Sunday want ads in various stages of desperation, all of them resorting to the old Shotgun Method -- which dictates that you send your résumé out to anything that looks remotely palatable, even if you're not exactly qualified for the position. To ensure that you don't get a call back and have to deal with interviewing for a position you don't really want in the first place, you send that résumé through the fax machine or press a couple of buttons on your computer, launching your work life through the digital empyrean, only for it to end up on my desk for all of three seconds before I crumple it up and gleefully toss it in the circular file. <p> <font size="+2">I</font>f you're sending out résumés without cover letters because it makes you feel good to do something about your job search, or because you think that you're résumé is so impressive that it speaks for itself, don't bother -- it's a waste of my time and yours. It makes you look like you don't care -- and really, you don't. I know: I've done it myself more than a few times and have gotten absolutely nothing out of it. </font> </td></tr> <tr><td valign="TOP" width="160"> <font size="+2">When it comes to résumés, there is precious little cream and a lot of lowly curd.</font> </td> <td> <font size="+2">A</font>s for the cover letter itself, try to write a new letter customized to every job you apply for, even if you only change a few things here and there. Form cover letters are almost as bad as not sending a cover letter at all. Keep it short: I don't want to have to sift through your life story to find out what experience you have that is related to the job you're applying for. <p> <font size="+2">T</font>ry to write the letter in three paragraphs. In the first paragraph say where you found out about the position, what position it is, and, if possible, add a witty -- as opposed to smarmy -- variation on "I think I'm perfect for the job." <p> <font size="+2">I</font>n the second paragraph, elaborate on <b>why</b> you'd be perfect for the job by pointing to recent, relevant job experience or education. If possible, refer to something specific about the company you are applying to and about how you might fit in. This shows that you either know the company intimately (a huge plus) or that you've at least taken the time to pick up a passing familiarity with it before whipping off your résumé. Above all, remember that someone in need of a technical writer to do user manuals for software packages doesn't care if you wrote your master's thesis on "The Faerie Queen," climb mountains in your spare time, or cook up a mean clam chowder. Remember the mantra: relevance, relevance, relevance. <p> </td></tr> <tr><td valign="TOP" width="160"> <font size="+2">Too much enthusiasm and you come off sounding like a goofball; too much professionalism and you resemble an automaton. </font> </td> <td> <font size="+2">I</font>n the last paragraph, emphasize that you're available for an interview at the employer's convenience, and list the place or places where you can be contacted during the day. Above all, strive for that delicate balance of enthusiasm and professionalism, wherein you allow enough of your personality to seep through to humanize yourself. Too much enthusiasm and you come off sounding like a goofball; too much stolid professionalism and you end up sounding like an automaton. Either way you're doomed. <p> <font size="+2">O</font>ther popular ways to ensure that your résumé ends up in the garbage can are to clutter it with too many details, to use a font that isn't clear, or to lay it out in a funky way. The easier a résumé is to read, the better you look and the faster it is to evaluate your qualifications -- because there is nothing getting in the way. The traditional résumé on heavy paper is surprisingly pleasant to deal with, and attention to font and format definitely pays off because it shows you've taken time to consider how you look to the world. A résumé's physical appearance is just as important as what you choose to wear to an interview -- maybe more important -- because it is your real first impression. As the cliché goes, you only have one chance to make a good one. I didn't realize until I started going through the stack of résumés and cover letters in my in-box exactly how annoying it is to read a faxed résumé, especially in comparison to one that someone's taken the time to get printed and mail. </td></tr> <tr><td valign="TOP" width="160"> <font size="+2">Nothing says "DORK!" quite as loud as getting multiple résumés from the same person.</font> </td> <td> <font size="+2">W</font>hen answering an ad, make sure that you've followed the instructions. If the ad asks for salary requirements, give a range that you'd be comfortable with. I've tossed out several résumés in the last week because I have no idea how much these people would cost, and I don't want to waste my time finding out that they want too much. If the ad asks for samples of your previous work, such as clips or a portfolio, send in only your very best stuff -- preferably something that is somewhat close to the kind of work you'd be doing for your new employer. If you don't have anything that's close, well, maybe that's a clue that you're applying for the wrong job. Don't waste your time -- or someone else's. God only knows how much of other people's time I've wasted in the last year applying to gigs for which I had no real qualifications. <p> <font size="+2">B</font>y being selective about the ads you answer, deliberate about writing your cover letter, and careful about preparing attachments, you show potential employers that you are focused and that you pay attention to details. You might not land the job, but you'll have a much better shot at getting interviewed for it. <p> <font size="+2">F</font>inally, keep track of the ads you've answered. Nothing says "DORK!" quite as loudly as getting a second or third résumé from the same person in response to an ad that's run a couple of weeks in a row. <p> <p> <hr><p> <p><a href="mailto:hargold@mail.idt.net">Harry Goldstein</a> is a writer and editor living in Manhattan. His work has appeared in Utne Reader, American Book Review, Promethean, AltX, word.com, and other periodicals. <font size="-1"><p>© 1997 Harry Goldstein, All Rights Reserved </font> <p> </font> <p>  <p> </td> </tr> </table> <form method="POST" action="../../../../www_subdomain/bin/search/pursuit.html"> <table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" align="RIGHT"> <tr> <td valign="MIDDLE" align="MIDDLE"> <a href="../../../../www_subdomain/work_money.html" target="_top"></a></td> <td valign="MIDDLE" align="MIDDLE"> <a href="../../../../www_subdomain/work_money/index-html/anchor_toc.html" target="_top"></a></td> <td valign="TOP" align="RIGHT"> <select name="pod_name" onchange="self.top.podRedirect(this.options[this.selectedIndex].value)"> <option value="">Related Pods</option> <option value="Freebies">Freebies</option> <option value="MacComputing">Mac Computing</option> <option value="Second-Hand">Second-Hand</option> <option value="Smallbiz">SmallBiz</option> <option value="Travel">Travel</option> </select></td> </tr> </table> <br clear="ALL"><br> <table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" align="RIGHT"> <tr> <td valign="MIDDLE" align="RIGHT"> <nobr><img src="../../../../img/www_subdomain/lycos_power.gif" border="0" alt="Lycos Powered" height="15" width="91"> <select name="cat"> <option value="tripod_www" selected>Search the Tripod Web Site <option value="tripod">Search Tripod Member Pages <option value="lycos">Search the Web</select></nobr></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="MIDDLE" align="RIGHT"> <nobr><input type="text" size="20" name="query"> <input type="submit" value="Search"></nobr></td> </tr> </table> </form> <br clear="ALL"> </td> </tr> </table> </body>