Job Application Cover Letter Tips

Ok, no matter what your job application cover letter or resume or job search challenges may be, there are a few things that never change. One of them is this:
Employers are looking for people who can provide solutions to whatever their needs are.

Did you get that? You need to PROVIDE A SOLUTION to your target employer's needs.

Another thing that never changes is that everything changes out of work for a while for whatever reason,
=> or don't have a lot of experience in the workforce,
=> perhaps you're fresh out of school,
=> or perhaps you've spent years running a household without holding an outside job.

None of these reasons alone are ultimately going to keep you from getting a job now.

What can prevent you from successfully finding a job might be one or a combination of several factors:

• Failure to successfully identify and point out your many strengths, talents and skills in a way that will make employers notice you
  
  
• Poor or negative attitude, demeanor, body language, posture, dress, etc.
  
  
• Slapped together, non-imaginative resume and/or cover letter - in other words, a resume and/or job application cover letter that doesn't show confidence, strength, ready to rock and roll spirit, or properly outline your qualifications

You see, you must remember that employers are looking for a "match" for their company and fellow employees - someone who fits in well with their corporate atmosphere.

Sure, they need someone who can do the job well, and who has the qualifications, but they also need someone whose personality gels with theirs. And vice versa! You need to be comfortable with the company as well!

And the whole idea behind your cover letter and resume is NOT to get you the job - but getting job interviews. Right? Right! (And you knew this because you've read my resume writing help lenses!)

So, it makes sense to ensure that when you are putting your cover letter and resume together that they "match" what it is you are going after. View the World's Greatest Cover Letter eBook. Or go right to www.CoverLetterWriting.net for immediate help in getting this thing off the ground (Yes, I do receive a commission if you purchase from that link! I wouldn't sell it if I didn't like it!).

You may already be getting the idea here that your job application cover letter isn't going to be as much about how much experience you may or may not have, or whether or not you've been gone from the workforce for some time.

Don't get me wrong here - it IS important to be targeting a job for which you can do and for which you are qualified to do.

For example, if you are just getting back into the workforce after having been running a household for the last 20 years, and want to work in finance but don't have an accounting or finance degree, you are probably not going to be applying to be CFO of a large firm.

That's just being realistic.

However, your skills over the years in successfully organizing schedules, running a budget of whatever your household income has been (translate to this example: "20 years experience successfully handling a $50,000 annual budget, with 100% accuracy"), or whatever you've done to handle this long-term job so well - imagine how great this can all look when you put it together in a hard-hitting, high-impact document like your resume or cover letter!

So, just because you might not be ready for CFO, perhaps you will be a good match in a finance office, banking institution, busy legal office. You get the idea!

Let's say you are fresh out of school, whether it's high school or college, and you are really just starting out. And now it's time for your first job application cover letter and serious job search.

Well, the same ideas apply to you as to the person we just read about who has raised a family for 20 years. What skills did you learn in school? If you've just earned a college degree, that's not necessarily going to be your starting point in your cover letter now, is it? Of course not!

For example, how hard-hitting do you think this sentence is?
"Dear Ms. Store Owner,
I just graduated college with a 3.8 GPA and think that I'm the best person for the customer service representative job."

Ms. Store Owner is likely going to say, "Yeah, so what? I just got 3 dozen applications from college grads just like you..."

But, what if you (using the ideas generated in the free eBook mentioned above and in the Cover Letter Writing resources I am marketing, which you can find at www.CoverLetterWriting.net ) put together a powerful headline that shows your energy, enthusiasm, hitting the road running and compelling reasons why Ms. Store Owner should bring you in for an interview?

How about telling Ms. Store Owner something more like this:
"Dear Ms. Store Owner,
Your need for an energetic and dynamic customer service representative came through loud and clear! And when you and I get together to talk about how I can serve your Community Market Place customers, I think you'll agree that we are a good match."

BINGO! We've got a winner!
If you aren't getting job interviews using that approach, I'll... I'll... well, I'll eat a piece of eggplant! (I despise eggplant! So I mean what I say!)

See how that works? It's about skills and qualifications more than just experience or even touting that new diploma or degree. Employers will know you've just gotten your high school diploma or college degree once they scan down your resume anyway.

Now, let's take the same idea we just discussed above, and apply it to those of you who have a criminal record.

But, here is some initial advice, before you get into your job application or cover letter. The first thing to remember is that since you committed a crime, you must shoulder the responsibility for your actions and not blame others.

However, you are NOT the crime itself. You made a mistake, and you have paid for - and are probably continuing to pay for - your mistake. I worked with a young person who had seen his share of trouble, and it was in the very minute that he stopped making excuses and rationalizing his situation that everything turned around for him. Everything,

Sure, he had a tough upbringing and a less than ideal situation growing up - how many among us haven't?

And sure, some mistakes are more costly than others, but the crime does not define who you are as a person - unless you choose it to.

I'm assuming that if you have been in some trouble, and if are reading this to really help yourself move forward, then I'm guessing that you are making some serious efforts to get past your past, to put your past behind you and make real and positive change.


And you have hopefully received some training and counseling. It's important for you to be able to project yourself as one who made a mistake and has paid and learned from it - and not project yourself as "the mistake" itself. Ok?

This, in itself, is a practice that will truly help you land a job. We'll discuss more ideas about this in job interview technique lenses soon.

Now, let's say you are freshly released from prison, or are on probation and are being given an opportunity to find work. Let's also say you have taken my advice and have realized that you are responsible for your actions - past, present and future - and that casting blame and making excuses have no place in your life.

Your new-found positive attitude, enthusiasm and confidence must - and will show in your job applications, resume, cover letter, interview, the way you dress, the way you walk and talk, and in every other way you present yourself.

If you have spent time in prison, I do hope you have taken advantage of any training, work, and counseling programs that may have been offered to you. If you have, then any skills you have learned, and new insights that you may have reached can come in very handy when you are formulating your job application cover letter and resume.


It will be during your interviews when you will be given an opportunity to talk about your past - and because you now have an attitude of responsibility, you will be able to discuss what happened in a calm and rational manner.

Important Note: There may be certain jobs that will not be available to certain offenders. For example, if you have been in trouble for a drug or alcohol offense, you may be told to avoid working in restaurants that servce alcohol.

If you have been incarcerated or otherwise in trouble with the law, it is a very good idea to meet with your parole officer, probation officer, or other official to determine right away what types of work may be unavailable to you.

Please, do this right away!

Having said that, and once you have that out of the way:
Focus on what you CAN do rather than what you can't do.

Whether you are starting over and looking for a fresh start - or just starting out, be willing to accept an entry level position. We all have to start somewhere - and generally speaking, we don't wind up at the top of the ladder unless we've climbed it rung by rung.

And accept your job prospects with excitement and the wonderful feeling that you have an opportunity to do so! Let your enthusiasm show in your job application cover letter or resume. Show that you have a can-do attitude, and then prove it to them.

I have a few more job application cover letter and job search advice for those with a criminal record, so please keep reading!

Picture a young person, coming out of prison with virtually zero job experience getting ready to write a job application cover letter. Before his troubles, perhaps he had a chip on his shoulder about the world in general, and had all sorts of excuses as to why life had failed him thus far.

Picture that he now has developed a different attitude. Picture this same person who says, "I take full responsibility for what happened, and I'm now going forward! The world doesn't actually owe me a living at all. I owe it to the world to give what I've got."

No one is going to miss this new and improved attitude!

Get that enthusiasm into your job application cover letter, your resume, and in all your interviews and meetings with people. Again, view the World's Greatest Cover Letter eBook brought to you by www.CoverLetterWriting.net.

TIP: Start small. Some smaller, more community minded businesses may be a good place to start before you try working for large, national corporations.

Do not mention your crime in your cover letter or resume. Obviously, if you are filling out a job application along with presenting your cover letter and resume, if there is a question asking whether or not you have been convicted of a crime, you must answer truthfully.

When you check of that box, be sure to write a short statement:
"Will explain this fully when we meet."

And be prepared to discuss what happened truthfully, and calmly. A job interview technique that can help will be discussed in a later lens.

If you belong to any community or religious organizations, seek their advice and help as well. Different members of the community may be able to help you network, and steer you to helpful people, jobs, volunteer opportunities (which always help you gain new skills), and options.


And although this advice doesn't necessarily pertain specifically to the job search, your circle of acquaintances can influence your future. By the way - this is not just for people who have had trouble with the law. It's for anyone who might be finding themselves feeling held back for one reason or another.

If you are truly adamant about getting a job, starting a new life, and/or moving forward in general, give serious consideration about your circle of friends and acquaintances. If the group of people you tend to hang out with tend to get in trouble, or are not achieving the levels of success that you are now aspiring to - then it's time to make new friends.

I've heard it said that people tend to earn the average income of their 10 closest friends. Whether that is true or not, I'm not sure; however, I like the thought. It causes one to examine different factors and influences, doesn't it?

Now, gather up all the great stuff about yourself that you can uncover, and move forward! There are a lot of people in your community who want to see you succeed, so accept their help. Use the techniques mentioned in any number of my career-related lenses, look at the free copy of the eBook that I mentioned above, and get started using the tools at www.CoverLetterWriting.net and get going - with my very best wishes for your success!