Question:
There was a brief story in today's newspaper about the "Q letter".
Some career coaches (how-to-get-a-job consultants) advocate this as a
replacement for the cover letter. It provides a side-by-side
comparison of the applicant's qualifications with the requirements of
the job.
My line width here won't allow me to post it in the format suggested,
but imagine each numbered point being on the same line under the
headings "Job Requirements" and "My Qualifications" with the
requirements in a column on the left and the qualifications listed in
a column to the right.
1. 5-10 years as a CFO in a Fortune 500 company
1. More than 10 years of experience with Hugeco, Inc as CFO
2. Oversees other accountants
2. Supervised more than 12 accounts and high-level financial
personnel.
3. CPA desired
3. CPA since 1985
4. B.S. required
4. B.A. in business administration
I dunno. Part of me likes the idea of the formal cover letter. Part
of me likes the efficiency and straight-to-the-point emphasis on the
applicant's qualifications regarding the company's stated interests.
The cover letter at least shows the employer that the applicant can
form complete sentences and compose a business letter. But, is that
important anymore? In our age of email, fax, and cell phones....is
the ability to write a business letter really a requirement of most
jobs?
I suspect most of the people here think so, but this is
alt.usage.english and not alt.business.bottomline. The recipient of a
Q letter probably will appreciate the applicant's attention to the
specific requirements of the position. In business, it's all about
cutting to the chase.
Answer:
-Interesting. My approach to writing a cover letter is to deal with each
requirement in the sequence on the job spec, sometimes writing a paragraph
for each point. I always assume this structure will be self-evident, and
I don't use the job spec points as headings. But then in business
communication we're constantly told to make things clear and itemised so
communication is thicko proof. However, I don't think I'm quite ready for
the Q letter yet.
