When I tell clients that they need to personalize their cover letters, often the response is “oh but that would take too much time!”

Last week I had a young client who hired me to help him with his goal to be hired in law enforcement. As a new graduate, he was facing the challenge of being in a field that might not have many openings.

He was not geographic bound, which was good, and he was willing to relocate basically anywhere. However, his certifications were only for one state without completing additional training and testing.

Blasting out resumes and a cover letter more general than specific.

He had been blasting out resumes and a cover letter that was more general than specific. He insisted that he couldn’t possibly personalize his cover letters. It would take too much time.

I asked how many resumes he had been sending. He figured he had sent out about 200. He was getting some interviews but they too were more generic than specific. He wasn’t getting offers. We recreated his resume to create something that was unique to him. He kept saying that he wondered why he had waited so long to set his appointment with me. He had first called several months ago.

He had excellent quotes and references from instructors and other sources. I incorporated some of those into his resume and when he brought me his target job description for the cover letter, we talked about using another quote. He had a quote that he said was words he lived by and so I looked it up to make sure we would quote it accurately.We used his quote in the beginning of the cover letter and then went on to explain how the quote connected with his academic success and his goals with their position.

What was the quote?

“Courage is being scared to death – but saddling up anyway.”

Using this as the base of his cover letter and then scouring the job description for the position requirements and incorporating those into the cover letter created a unique document.

How long did it take to personalize?

I made him look at the clock. The time it took us to finesse his resume, look up the quote, review the job description, and talk about strategy was less than an hour. Writing the actual cover letter probably took me 15 minutes. I taught him how to look at the job description to find ways to assure the employer that he could do the job and offer reasons he would be a valuable asset in the position.

Does it take too much time to personalize your cover letters? Perhaps you should consider the results you get if that personalized cover letter leads to a job offer because the employer realizes that you really want to work for them.

Stuck in your job search or just ready to move on from your existing position? Julie Walraven can help you find a new career! To find out how, Click here!

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Everyone talks about this nebulous thing called networking. Some of us network without even thinking about it and for others, it is this bizarre concept is one they just can’t figure out. They can’t visualize and they make it way too hard.

I coach all my clients that an effective job search includes networking as a key component. Then I ask them how they view their network right now. Some tell me they don’t have one and others tell me they don’t know what a network is and they are pretty sure they don’t have one.

To help those of you who think you don’t have a network to visualize how one works, let’s examine a multi-layered example with little to do with job search to illustrate networking and perhaps spark some possibilities for you.

A Networking Story

Background: Regular readers and people who know me from Facebook or Twitter know that we now have Buddy, a German Shepherd puppy living with us. Buddy is now 7 months and 3 weeks old. He will be 8 months on December 16. He has been part of our family since August 20 when he was 4 months old. He is our second German Shepherd. Our first, Teddy, died on January 28 suddenly of liver cancer. Teddy was not quite 7 years old when he died.

Teddy had ear problems from puppy onward. We took him frequently to the vet but since he was our first dog ever and everything was new to us and the infection was fairly bad, he seemed to never be able to kick it. At the time, my office was downstairs and Teddy was upstairs. Since I did then and still see clients in person, I had a client who wore multiple hats but was a dog trainer at one point. We talked about Teddy’s ear problems and she met him, examined him, and offered her recommendations. She told me to switch vets and go to Rockwood Pet Hospital in Merrill, WI (a drive about 20 minutes away). She told me to call for an appointment and say this: “He has an ear infection. He is head-sensitive. A dog trainer says he needs to be given anesthesia and then have his ears flushed.”

Rockwood Vet Hospital and their staff then became our regular vet. It took multiple ear flushing (all under anesthesia) before we cured Teddy’s infection. But their expertise was apparent and it was also apparent how much they cared for both the pets and the pet owners. It felt like being part of a family.

Fast forward to Buddy. We took Buddy to Rockwood when he was with us for 5 days so we would have their guidance from the beginning. They gave him the new puppy examine and answered my list of questions plus gave us a kit with all kinds of puppy information in it. They also recommended a trainer, Cindy Steinke, K-9 Elementary.

We never used a trainer with Teddy. But for all kinds of reasons, including the fact that my office is now upstairs and Buddy meets all my clients, we felt it was a good idea to at least inquire about a trainer. Buddy is a busy puppy and at the time I called Cindy the first time, he was stealing (and chewing) socks and shoes and other items. Cindy had a great package of four sessions and I knew in the first session that we were going to make progress. Suffice it to say, I had let Buddy become the leader instead of me. Not a good idea with a German Shepherd. However, I learned strategies and commands that really helped with everyday problems.

We discussed with Cindy the issue about tie-outs and whether she thought an electric fence would be better. Teddy was on a tie-out and then later was trained to the yard. But the leash law changed and I really didn’t trust Buddy. Teddy also had to be watched closely until he was three because he did run if unwatched.

Buddy had already broken a tie-out. We contemplated and researched. I called Dawn Bugni, fellow resume writer from North Carolina and more importantly ardent pet lover and former owner of a pet sitting business. Dawn has her four acres enclosed for her five dogs and myriad of other pets with an electric fence.

After talking with Dawn, I asked Cindy for her recommendation at our next appointment. She recommended Brad at Pet Stop. I called Brad and asked him to stop by and explain his products. Long story short, we now have a Pet Stop Fence and Buddy can enjoy the backyard without me having to worry about him running away.

Let’s summarize this networking story:

1. Client and dog trainer recommended Rockwood Pet Hospital
2. Rockwood Pet Hospital recommended Cindy Steinke from K-9 Elementary
3. Cindy Steinke recommended Brad from Pet Stop.
4. I consulted with Dawn Bugni to make sure I was making a right decision on the fence.

What is networking?

Of all of the above people, the only direct personal connection I had was with Dawn. Dawn and I are friends who talk all the time. I knew my client because it was her second or third visit to Design Resumes but I had never heard of Rockwood, K-9 Elementary, or Pet Stop. I never saw traditional advertising on any of them. Yet the trust I had with one led to the connection with the next one.

Networking is simply connecting with people and resources which connects you to more people and resources. Most people make networking too hard. Yet if you work at networking, you will never fail a problem too big for you. You can’t have all the answers but as you let one connection lead you to the next, you will find yourself surrounded with reliable, dependable resources and people to solve anything you have to deal with in your career, life, or business.

image by EpSos.de

Sometimes it is hard to see the forests for the trees. You might even know what you need to do to be successful but you are afraid of the investment so you sit on your hands.

We all do it. Business people fear investments because they can’t predict future customer growth and job seekers do it because they fear that investing in professional career marketing services will not yield enough return to be able to justify the cost.

I understand that line of thinking. But in both scenarios, lack of investment may mean failure too. The business owner may make mistakes because they didn’t think they could afford an accountant or lawyer or the right marketing advice. And the job seeker may continue to flounder, throwing out multiple resumes without a response or getting an interview.

As weeks turn into months and for some years, people who are afraid to invest in learning how to do things correctly or in the right career marketing materials will continue to struggle. Those people who are proactive find that their investment yields results in a job of their dreams.

• I just wanted to tell you that I sent out my resume to one company and I was offered a job, which I accepted. This is a dream job for me! ~ M.C. | Registered Nurse
• “They just hired me as their night manager.  I begin this Friday.  Thank you for all your assistance.  Without you, I know I would never have gotten the position. I’m excited & can’t wait to start.  Thank you. ~ S. B. | Restaurant General Manager

So — at what point does that investment make sense?

photo by jabella

Yes, I know it is a rough economy and sometimes you just have to let people go. But what happens if you keep the person who is creating chaos and disharmony for everyone else?

Recently, I wrote a post about toxic personalities:

But this type of person is dangerous to others too. Some take it to an extreme and will carry out sabotage missions that if they are mentioned sound so irrational that you think they are kidding.

Mark Harai stopped by in the comments and he said that when you have a toxic personality who is causing chaos – they should be the one to leave. That works if you are the one in charge, and… you have the courage to execute. On Mark’s blog, he wrote Eliminate Viruses from your business, he says:

It got me thinking about one particular thing you absolutely need to drive your business to success – A GREAT ATTITUDE throughout your organization.

A bad attitude is bad for business

One bad attitude can spread like a virus. No complaining, negative, argumentative, whiny, prima donnas need apply and if they do, don’t hire them!

But, again, it works if you are the one in charge AND you are willing to act. In companies, non-profit organizations, and yes, even in churches, I have seen people with toxic personalities rule the roost. They may be a manager, board member, or someone who yields power just because of their connections. At the same time, there are other people whose heart and soul are invested in the company or organization mission but they will end up leaving because the toxic personality or as Mark says “prima donnas” pushed them out the door.

How do you know if you should leave?

I wrote a post called when is it time to leave. You can review the suggestions there but in general, if you are in such chaos that you cannot look forward to the next day and this goes on for more than a month, you need to review your options.

If you are management, what do you do?

If you are the one in charge and you are letting one person ruin your organization, you need to get the courage to confront the person and as Mark said, “Eliminate the virus.” This will not be easy but if you want your organization or business to flourish and good people to stay, you need to take charge and make it happen. Don’t do it impulsively. Create a plan with justification, consult an attorney if needed, but don’t let one person take down the whole organization. You don’t have to give them that much power.

It’s your move…