On Cover Letters: Are You Trying to Get My Attention?

“Are you kidding me?  Are you trying to get my attention?  Well you did, but not the way you had hoped!”   That was my reaction to the most recent cover letter I received with resume attached.  The only positive thing I can say was that the sender’s timing was perfect as I was beginning to draft this series of blog posts on job-search correspondence.  I did read the letter and then scanned his resume, which I would not have done save for this article.  This cover letter, with a subject line reading “Senior Executive: Consumer Packaged Goods Industry” was 367 words long, yet never spoke to the candidate’s career goals or parameters for his ideal job.  So much for helping me help you.

From the opening paragraph of his email introduction, I would have never guessed that he was accomplished CEO with experience in mid-cap and small cap food and beverage focused consumer packaged goods.  Following his intro paragraph he offered five bullet points, actually sentences with bullet points, demonstrating his value proposition.  Only two of those points spoke to objective performance metrics.  This whole section came across as very tactical.  Was I being introduced to a CEO or a Manager.  The third paragraph said that he was doing consulting/project work for small to medium sized companies, followed by an attempt to reinforce his value proposition.  This section was heavily laden with buzz-words and trite clichés that stepped on his message.  To close, he told me that he had received a BS in Accounting and would welcome an opportunity to meet for further discussion.  I never learned what he was looking to do now.  I would have expected far better from a viable CEO candidate.   

His email introduction was clearly a mass mail effort, probably sent to a large number of Executive Recruiters.  The football analogy would be a “Hail Mary” pass.  For all I know, he may have sent this same intro letter to a large number of potential employers and Private Equity Groups.  If so, he really tarnished his personal brand.  When writing a cover letter, remember, you are making an introduction seeking help in your job-search efforts.  You may be interested in a networking relationship; applying for a specific job; seeking to be placed in a recruiter’s data-base; or looking for a referral to one of the preceding.   Viewed in this way, would you send the same letter to all of these people?  Of course not!  Mass mailing is not the issue as you can personalize mail merge to a large degree.  The point is to customize your intro letter to fit the audience.  Mass mailing is not appropriate for one-off introductions for networking assistance, or when asking for a referral.  Those introductions must be highly targeted and personalized.

When sending a resume to an executive recruiter, a short three to five sentence paragraph will suffice.  We are looking to know the parameters around the position you seek, the industry segment, your compensation requirements, and any limitations you may have to relocation.  Your resume should provide the details I need to initiate further conversation. 

In following blog posts I will offer advice on the various types of job-search correspondence.  In the meantime remember to stay focused on the needs of your audience, and keep your correspondence short and to the point.

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Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search

www.newcenturydynamics.com