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Subject:Top Resume and Cover Letter Pet Peeves From:JGREY <JGREY -at- MADE2MANAGE -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 23 Jan 1998 08:59:05 -0500
Crimony. My finger fumbled across the Return key, acidentally struck
who-knows-what, and all of a sudden my message was sent.
Here are the promised resume and cover letter pet peeves.
1. Cover letters that consist entirely of a few quickly chosen words
written longhand on the fax cover page or typed into the e-mail body.
Please, take the time to write a whole cover letter that supplements and
appropriately amplifies your resume.
2. E-mailed resumes that use fonts I don't have on my computer, making
all your careful formatting go haywire as Windows substitutes Times New
Roman. (E-mailing Word attachments is always a gamble -- I probably
have a different printer from you, and Word adjusts pagination based on
the currently selected printer. Your carefully crafted, one-page resume
could end up being one page and one line on a second page because you're
attached to a Canon BubbleJet and I'm attached to an HP LaserJet 5.)
3. Instead of sending a printed resume, listing a URL that contains the
resume. Please don't make me have to work for it. My Internet
connection might be down.
4. I realize this one's entirely personal preference, but I'm always
relieved to see someone avoid Times New Roman and Arial in a printed
resume and letter. It's stunning how many applicants use these tired
typefaces.
5. A cover letter full of stock phrases such as, "I seek a challenging
position at your company," "I am confident my six years of experience
would enable me to make a significant contribution at your company."
Use this opportunity to show me you're sharper than the other tacks in
the box. Show me you understood my ad by picking out its most important
elements and telling me briefly how you fit those qualifications.
Peace,
jim
jim grey \ Documentation Manager
Made2Manage Systems, Inc. \ jgrey -at- made2manage -dot- com
