Quintessential Careers Press: Surefire Resumes for New Graduates and Other Entry-Level Candidates Chapter 2: Forget About the One-Size-All Resume and Cover Letter Page 14 Specific Skills/Qualifications: It's perfectly okay if some parts of your letter are the same from cover letter to cover letter. But you need to be very specific when describing your skills and qualifications. Determine the skills and experiences that specifically qualify you for the job you're applying for, and describe those in your letter. Following are example paragraphs from a photographer looking to transition into a sales career. Both letters are for account-executive positions, but the letter writer stresses slightly different skills in each letter based on the qualifications listed in the ads to which she is responding: Example 1: The exceptional organizational abilities and detail orientation I deployed to set up photo shoots are directly applicable to the skills needed to plan and coordinate events. With great profitability, I can prospect new business opportunities, strategize communication initiatives, successfully manage client relationships, give presentations, and much more. Example 2: My experience in the client-service end of the photography business has ingrained in me the importance of establishing solid relationships built on excellent service. With great profitability, I can prospect new accounts, provide the required excellent level of service, successfully build an account base, close deals, retain customers, and much more. Specific Examples: Whenever possible, don't just offer unsubstantiated value judgments about yourself; use concrete examples to demonstrate your claims about yourself. Example: I demonstrated my strategic ability when I successfully developed a direct corporate sales program and a corporate affinity program for ToyVillage.com. Specific company knowledge: Demonstrating knowledge of the employer to which you are writing is not a mandatory part of a cover letter, but it's a great touch that will often win favor in the eye of the employer. On one level, you can write something that sounds specific to the company you're writing to but that really can be said to any employer: I am intensely interested in contributing my skills and experience to your firm because of your company's reputation for quality. On a higher level, however, you can do your homework and write something that truly is specific to the company you're writing to: Over the last two years I have followed the unfolding events at Guffman Enterprises with great interest as the firm moved into financial and broadband services. Previous Page Next Page Back to Surefire Resumes for New Graduates and Other Entry-Level Candidates Index Page