Question:
Should one include a cover letter when applying for a job via email or
is the email body itself essencially the cover letter?
I personally want to see a short to the point cover letter "like" email
with the resume attached in TXT and DOC formats.
Answer:
-I personally think if you are applying executive level work or any positions
above that, you should summit cover letter. If you are applying some entry
level position, you'd better not summit cover letter. It is because HR
staff might need to read hundreds of resume a day. A long resume with cover
letter might double or trible his/her work. But, if you are applying some
positions which require high level written skill, you might need to summit
cover letter. As my own experience, people usualy perfect resume and cover
letter in MS Word format.
-If I was just a production worker (not that there is anything wrong
with that-I have had those jobs too) i wouldn't be so concerned about
the layout and formating of my resume.
I think that a professionally designed resume thats easy on the eyes
and conveys the fact that I have my proverbial sh^t together
technically is the best option.
I am going to keep it simple and use my email as the cover letter
itself. The content of the email must be interesting enough to get
the person to open my resume. If the resume is in PDF then I can do
additional things with it without the worry of the doc being edited or
copied easily. For higher level posn's I could include a cover in PDF
as well I suppose. Of course I will name the files appropriately so
the HR pers doesn't have to open my resume, look for my name and/or
rename the document befor he/she can save it.
I have been through the hiring process from a mangements perspective
befor and you wouldn't believe some of the resume submissions you get.
Here are some examples:
email with subject resume and nothing in the body, just an attachment
called resume.doc
email with resume and cover attached and the sentence "I am ready to
be with you anytime" in the body of the email.
-I would *always* include a cover letter, unless it's a low entry-level
position with a detailed application, and probably even then. The cover
letter lets you highlight the most relevant portions of your resume,
describe how your skills and experience best match the job you're
applying for, and drop any names you might want to (if you were
referred by a current employee, for example, or if the interviewer went
to your alma mater.
Fo e-mail applications, the cover letter can be the body of the e-mail;
I usually send a cover letter followed by a plain ASCII resume, an
attached .doc or PDF (unless they specify another format), and a link
to the resume on my Web site. If an employer doesn't specify a format,
the redundancy is a good thing. It would really suck for your resume to
be unread because of the wrong file format or to look like hell because
the interviewer lacks a font.
A few other thoughts: I don't have an "objectives" section on the
resume. It's pointless sucking up. And I'm adamant that a resume should
be one page. Always. More than one page, and it's a CV. Shorten
descriptions of old and irrelevant jobs to one or two lines. If you're
more than a few years out of college, you don't need to list all your
extracurriculars. If you've graduated from college, high school
shouldn't get more than a sentence, if that. You don't need to say
"references available on request"; it's assumed.
