Wiser Worker Blog

Ok, because of your awesome resume and cover letter, you have gone on an interview. I suppose your think that is the end of it, right?  Wrong!  Now you have to write a thank you letter.

Send the thank you letter within 24 hours of the interview, whenever possible.  They should be typed unless you have been corresponding via email the whole time.  Getting a business card will help you remember who you interviewed with and their title.

Be concise.  Use the same paper that your cover letter and resume were printed on. 

Address any unresolved issues that came up during the interview.  If questions came up during the interview or if more information was requested, the thank you letter is the perfect place to include that information.

Include something specific about your interview.  This will help the interviewer remember you and help you stand out from the pack.

Emphasize your strengths one more time.  Let the interviewer know that after meeting with them, you are more confident that your skills are a match for their organization.

Most importantly, thank them for their time.  Everyone’s time is valuable.  A simple acknowledgement will let them know you respect that.

Last, but definitely not least, proofread your document before sending it out.  Do not give the hiring manager an easy reason to eliminate you from consideration.

Now that you know how to write your resume, (Thanks Amy!), it is time to focus on the cover letter.  It is just as important as your resume.  Think of your cover letter as a bridge between your resume and the job you are applying for.

Do your research

Before writing your cover letter, research the company you are applying to.  Find out who the hiring manager is by calling the company.  Also, find out some information to use in your letter. For example, is company XYZ a leader in their particular industry?

Read the job description very carefully.  By doing so, you will be able to figure out the important skill / qualifications of the position.

Write the cover letter

Now that the research is done, it is time to start writing the cover letter.  Your first sentence should stand out and grab the reader’s attention.  The rest of the paragraph is the “why you are applying” paragraph.

The next 1 -2 paragraph(s) are the “what can you do for the company” paragraphs.  Highlight a couple of your skills that strongly match the qualifications in the job description.  Remember to keep the focus on how you can help the company.

The last paragraph is the “summary” paragraph.  Thank the hiring manager for their time.  Let them know you are available for interviews and that your resume is enclosed.  Indicate know you will follow up with them.

Finally, here are a few more tips for writing a good cover letter.

·         Proofread, Proofread, Proofread. Spell check your document and have a friend read it.  There cannot be any mistakes or typos.

·         Be concise. Don’t use two words when one will work. Make every word in your letter work for you.

·         Be upbeat and positive in your letter. Sound excited about the prospect of working for this company, all the way though the letter.

·         Do NOT write a generic cover letter.  It shows a lack of interest on your part.

Do you have other suggestions for writing a resume or cover letter?  If so, we would love to hear about it.

Over the last few weeks I have spoken with many people who have found themselves caught on one particular question during the interview process. So many in fact that I ‘m taking a moment to explore this jaw dropping, conversation stopping question. So you ask…..what is this elusive question that has left many wondering if their answer or lack of answer blew the interview for them?  Tell me something thing about you that you would like to change, or Name one weakness you have. 

Let’s start with WHY this question stumps so many… it’s the most basic reason we are taught from a very early age to focus on the positive; to highlight what we excel at. I can’t once remember my parents teaching me to talk about the fact that I couldn’t clean my room to save my life. My mother in fact would be mortified if I had gone around telling people that I was a slob, she is just thankful I have grown up and keep a clean house. So it’s not surprising that when we ask people what they are not good at we are greeted with a deer in the headlights expression.

Okay so we know this question is going to come up; so get prepared! Have an answer formulated before your next interview because how you answer it shows something about your character. Remember its okay to have weakness we all do we just aren’t conditioned to talk about it.  BOTTOM LINE: We all have something we could like to change or get better at, the key is to have a plan lines out how you overcome that weakness. 

For instance I’m the queen of procrastination because I procrastinate; I know that I need to plan and then leave myself extra time. I keep my schedule online, carry it with me and I set reminders.  I try to block my time with specific goals in mind for that time. This helps me be more effective because I am aware of this weakness and I take steps to overcome it. Okay here’s another not so secret about me….I am a terrible speller so I try to always have someone proof my written work or re-read it myself.

The rule to remember is this: when someone asks me what my weakness is I cannot only tell them my weakness I can tell them how I can prevent it from affected their company.  That’s what they care about…..IF your weakness will prevent you from doing the job you are applying for.  

See it’s not so scary….if you know its coming and what to do with it.  I hope that you can take this information and form your own answer that fits you so when you are asked this question you don’t find yourself speechless.

The most basic need for any job seeker is this you need to have an updated resume.  In this economic climate we should be reaching out and helping each other with the basic skills necessary to obtain a job. Your resume is your professional story it serves as a glimpse of what you can offer a company.  The bottom line is this: YOU can write your own resume, have someone proof read it and provides you any feedback.  

What you need is this a path on how to get started; so I am creating just that a path for you to help yourself….below is an example of what I found when I visited Google and entered “resume help” in the search perimeters.   Look out I found more information than you will probably ever need. Notice all of these options are FREE, they may have a paid service but they will give you free information as well.  Everything I needed was free!  

ResumeHelp.org They provide useful hints and tips for FREE; you can pay a small nominal price for advanced help. Everything I needed however was free and they have lots of examples 

JobStar.org Lots of great information on major cities and examples of resumes and cover letters and almost all the information I found was FREE.

WiserWorker.com check out our resume center

Free Resume Service Ten tips to writing a better resume

AARP.ORG Providing insight on what you need to get a job especially for the older job seeker.

You can use any one to these tools to create a resume that will tell your story and get your message out to perspective employers. If all else fails and you need help contact me direct and I will help you find the perfect resource for you.

Good Luck!

This morning I read an article about the one of the rarest fishes in the world the megamouth shark, researchers report that there are only about 41 reported megamouth sharks left in the entire world. Today there are only 40 left as this particular megamouth shark was accidently captured and eaten in a port city in the Philippines.  This fish is so rare that it has only been sighted a handful of times, and the first one recorded was seen for the first time in 1976 only 33 years ago. 

So how did this rare and almost extinct animal become the blue plate special?   Simple he got caught up in the fisherman’s net and the next logical step was his place on the menu as “today’s catch”.  Mr. Megamouth did nothing to make himself stand out among the crowd of fish so the fisherman didn’t know he was special.

Don’t end up like Mr. Megamouth shark in this tragic story. When you send in your resume make sure you stand out. Your resume is the first step in getting the job and you can’t take the risk that your story is going to get lost in the sea of other resumes.

Make sure your resume has these quality attributes:

·         Include your current salary range in the cover letter.

·         List specific accomplishments in each of your past jobs.

·         Talk about what you want to accomplish in your next job.

·         Tailor your resume to the position you are applying for.

·         Follow up with an e-mail.

·         Be persistent without being pushy.

You’re a rare type of job seeker and deserve to stand out when you apply for a job picture yourself as the best candidate and tailor your resume that way.  Don’t get caught up in the sea of lost resumes.

When starting to write for a new blog I always feel as if I need an obligatory introduction post. It’s kind of like introducing yourself to someone new. On this blog you’ll find issues and posts related to anything regarding the “older worker” or “mature worker”. Personally, I’ve never been much a fan of those terms. That’s where the term “wiser worker” comes in. It reflects the life and work experience that you have.

What’s this Blog all about?

If you do some research on me over the internet you’ll find that I’m in my 20’s. You might think that I know nothing about what the Wiser Worker. You’d pretty much be right. That’s why I’m here: because I can work this blog thing and because I’d like to learn together.

What I do know is that those of you entering retirement age (or starting to think about it) and those post-retirement age are facing so many issues with the economy situation, social security, deciding on when to retire and whether or not you can afford it. I also try and get a good perspective on the job market and read and write a lot about job hunting advice. This blog will hopefully explore some of those issues that you’re facing and provide a resource for you to find advice and information you need on getting back in the workplace, prepare and enter retirement, working part-time or figuring out how to understand and work alongside of the younger generations. We’ll also probably have a lot of information for hiring managers and recruiters who are looking to hire wiser workers.

I look forward to the discussions and the things we can learn from each other and hope that this blog will become a great resource for job seekers and recruiters alike. And at anytime, please feel free to email me with questions or suggestions on what you’d like to see here to rosemary.reilman@employmentguide.com. You can also contact any of the other authors. We’d be happy to help. Or you can always leave a comment.

As Sinatra would say, “The best is yet to come.”