BCjobs Blog

I’ve been following a recent discussion on an email list about the need for cover letters, and it’s caused me to think about the evolution of cover letters and resumes. Here is what I see. Most resumes are at least 2 pages long (although I believe 95% of them should be shorter than they are), and so we are accustomed to seeing a summary section in the top half of the first page. This profile usually highlights the candidate’s key qualifications for the job they are targeting.

Helen Perruzza, receives tons of resumes from hopeful job applicants everyday. She is a senior personnel consultant with First Choice Personnel, an employment agency in Toronto. Early in spring 2000, a young woman sublimated a resume for a Customer Service position with one of First Choice’s clients. Her resume was outstanding and paralleled the job position. Perruzza invited her in for an interview. Her performance in the interview was very satisfactory and she was introduced to the client, who was also impressed by her. A background check was performed and alas, the diploma she claimed she had received from college never existed. So no job offer!

Grandma knew the importance of brand management. In Grandma’s days, children were not allowed out of the house with holes in their underwear for fear of the proverbial ambulance ride. Housewives cleaned thoroughly under their beds and chesterfields lest dust bunnies be discovered and whispered about.

A strong resume and interview may place job seekers in the running for a position, but a new survey from OfficeTeam finds the results of a reference check can be the real deal maker — or breaker.

You might have a great, top-notch résumé on file to give to potential employers, but that’s not all you need in your job hunting portfolio. You’ve still got more work to do! Although employers want to see background information, skills, and awards on your résumé, they also want to see a list of references. A reference list is important because employers want to know which individuals they can contact to verify your information and get another perspective of who you are.

What do you think: faced with a choice, will an employer choose to hire a generalist or an expert? Interesting question, and I know that people are confused by which strategy is better, and which one works. I know because I see hundreds of resumes in my business and at job fairs, and most are very general. Let’s analyze the choices.

Does your résumé have the punch it needs to help you stand out? Is your cover letter well-written and convincing? Are you conveying professionalism in the e-mails you write to recruiters or hiring managers?

Writing a cover letter can sometimes be a bit confusing. You simply don’t know what information to add, what to exclude and how exactly to tell your story. For many, this leads to some cover letter mistakes.

Job seekers take note: One false stroke at the keyboard could send your resume into the “circular file.” Fifty-one per cent of executives interviewed said just one or two typos in a resume would remove applicants from consideration for a job; 23 per cent said it takes only one typo to rule candidates out.

Job seekers continually under estimate the importance of including a cover letter with their resume when applying to jobs. The cover letter is a critical component of your job search materials, as it serves as an effective advertisement for your resume. In writing your cover letter you can be creative and direct in showing a potential employer, how your unique skills abilities meets their requirements without the limitations of the resume.