Cover Letter Logic - Does a Single Mom Re-Entering the Workforce Need a Cover Letter?

IP is over the quota
IP is over the quota

In this day when it's so easy to attach and send your resume to the next employer where you're applying for a job, you'd think a quick email would do it. And to be honest, it could. If your quick email message makes a statement, an email could be considered to be a cover letter, and I've accepted many messages as cover letters. But, if you're really wanting the job, and you know how important that job is to your future, you're going to make the extra effort to write a high-impact, quality cover letter that impacts the reader, invokes emotion and drives the hiring agent to the telephone to schedule an appointment to interview you.

Yes, your cover letter can have that much impact.

A Single Mom Re-Entering the Workforce -

She's got a full plate, raising her children, living a life that matters, and finding purpose and direction for her professional career. She's got it. She understands the power of having a career, working for a living and raising children in a world where she isn't the accepted norm. So, what difference can it make whether or not she writes a cover letter to the reader of her resume?

The person reading her resume may not know that she understands the value of having a well-paid career, if she doesn't tell him.

Dear Prospective Employer:

It is an honor to know that you're looking for an employee such as myself to fill this position. I understand the importance such an employee holds in your company and I realize the care you're taking to select the right person.

My life experience tells me, I'm that person. You see, I felt becoming a parent was so important to my life that I took a little time away from my developing career to have my children, because they deserved my undivided attention. Now that my children have started pre-school, I'm ready to step back into the work force and give my job 100% of me. Because this position is well paid, I'm able to afford great child care, so I won't be worried about my children while I'm working, and I'll be even more willing to do what is required while I'm working.

I've taken a few classes recently, in expectation of my return to the professional field, and I'm so excited to let you know that I am reading and willing to learn whatever is required to fill this position.

Thank you for your consideration.

New Employee

A new mom, re-entering the work force not only NEEDS a cover letter, but her cover letter should tell a prospective employer the strengths she brings to position. It should appeal to the professional and grab the emotional attention of the hiring agent, by letting him or her know the value she brings to the business.

J. D. Verhoeff presents knowledge, know how, and action for your job search. Nothing in your life more strongly affects your life as a whole than your successful career choices. Learning the importance of each step you take and how to apply those steps to your career success is what J. D. does best. Take the first step toward success and click this link to http://denverprofessionalsnetwork.org/ so you can learn how to be a better employee, find a better position and network appropriately for a better career.

Copyright 2012 - J. D. Verhoeff

In College? 6 Reasons to Get on LinkedIn Now

IP is over the quota
IP is over the quota

I was recently speaking with college students who told me they hadn't built profiles on LinkedIn. I was kind of surprised, as I always am when I hear this.

When I asked why not, they said, and I quote, "No one at my school is telling me to do that."

Now I'm just going to assume they were in the lunch line when the school was telling them to do so! If you were too, here's the scoop: you need to be on LinkedIn. Here's 6 reasons why.

1. To get in the "people dictionary"

Think of LinkedIn as an online dictionary... of people.

I recently met a woman on cross-country flight. She was a life and leadership coach from Colorado. We traded cards, I looked her up on LinkedIn, looked at her profile and connected with her. Now I can easily find her on-line no matter where I am, to connect with her again.

When you are on LinkedIn people will be able to do the same with you.

LinkedIn provides profile features specifically for students and grads. Take a look on the LinkedIn site for grads and students. And then get listed in the dictionary.

2. To be found in the "people dictionary"

Did you know:

There are 300,000 people on LinkedIn who list some type of recruiting as their job title?According to a Jump Start Social Media poll 75% of hiring managers check LinkedIn to research the credentials of job candidates?

Whether you seek an internship, a summer job, or employment after graduation, having a LinkedIn profile allows you to be found in the people dictionary by others who want to know more about you.

3. To get on the "early access to talent" radar

In a recent Michigan State study Dr. Phil Gardner surveyed over 4,000 companies who hire college students. In that study he identified an emerging trend: corporations entering into partnerships with college and universities.

Why? To get early access to the best academic talent.

Of those who engage in corporate partnerships:

60% partner with career centers39% engage with selected faculty from academic programs37% engage with Deans from specific colleges

Additionally, research continues to show that internships - early and often - best qualify you for a job after graduation.

So...connect with the career center and academic staff you know. When organizations come looking for talent, you'll be on their radar. Continue building relationships with academic and career staff to broaden your network throughout your college experience.

4. To prepare for the future

One of the steps in transitioning through big life changes is to begin envisioning yourself in the future state. Prepare for the transition from college to career, by seeing yourself as a young professional.

Building a profile and getting your online presence up and running is one concrete way to do that.

5. To give yourself a voice

Many university students tell me their lack of work experience deters them from building an online profile.

The student profile suggestions I mention above should help address your concern. Even without deep experience, you can tell potential employers who you are.

Here are a few ideas once you've built your profile.

Record and post a video talking about your value proposition to employersConnect to blogs or social media posts you produce (of a professional nature of course) that reflect your point of view.Upload a PowerPoint or Prezi detailing your accomplishments, accolades, interest, or research.

Maybe you don't know exactly what you want to do when you graduate. You can still articulate the qualities that make you a great potential employee. Use your profile to tell stories about a trans-formative life experience or a key learning that affected your worldview.

6. Because you don't friend your parents on Facebook

LinkedIn is one social media stream to which your parents can be invited. You should connect with them, friends of parents, parents of friends, relatives, any work connections you already have, contacts from church, volunteer work and more.

Invite all the personal connections you already know. It's a quick and easy way to build your network. You may be surprised at what you find in your own back yard!

In conclusion

Clearly talent recruiting processes will continue to morph and change. There's discussion about Facebook opening up a recruiting pipeline. Twitter also generates a lot of recruiting action. For right now, however, it seems that LinkedIn remains the social media starting point upon which you can layer other career pursuit avenues.

We help young professionals find the confidence and stamina they need to excel in any workplace. Join us on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/degreesoftransition

New Year, New Career - 7 Tips for a New Career

IP is over the quota
IP is over the quota

It is interesting how many people believe that the New Year is the time to reinvent themselves and change career. Maybe because it's a time for reflection on what has happened in the last year and a feeling that it is the time for a new start. If this is you then please take the time to read my top 7 tips to help you change career.

Do you really need to change career? This may seem like a silly question but many people make spur of the minute decisions that result in them saying that they hate their job. Take a close look at your job and what it is about it that makes you feel dissatisfied. What is the real problem? Is it something you can change? If you believe that you are underpaid for what you do, have you tried asking for a pay rise? Consider what you have achieved in this job over the past year along with any advantages of this job. The excitement of a new job can fade fast and in a few months time you don't want to be feeling that the only difference in your new job is different headed paper!
Do some real soul searching. What is it you really want from a job? What sort of company do you want to work for - do the company values match your own? Do you even know what you want to do? What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? What do you really not want to do? Take time to really consider these questions so that you can find a career that really reflects who you are and will keep you motivated and inspired.
Using your answers from 2 above, start brainstorming your ideal job. Write down everything that comes into your head without analyzing it - don't leave something out just because you hear yourself saying, "I'd love to do Y but..." Take some time out after brainstorming and then go back and review what you have written and see if you can fine tune any of the ideas. Seek help either from a friend or a career coach if you need to.
Once you have a clearer idea of what you want to do, start doing some research to find out as much as possible about your chosen field. Do you need to retrain? What companies have these jobs? If this is a completely new area of work for you, find someone who already does that type of work and contact them to find out more about it and use this to check that you have the necessary skills and experience.
Job search strategies. A recent survey in the UK showed that only 24% of men and 32% of women found a new job by replying to an advert. What this shows is that very few jobs are advertised on the open market. You need to start thinking about new ways to find a job. The most successful of which include: networking, preferably face to face rather than just via social media; use the internet to find out what companies to target; make use of job search sites like monster.com; make sure that your CV is readily accessible online e.g. via LinkedIn, so that potential employers can find you; make sure that all your profiles and credentials are up-to-date on career networking sites and any professional organisations that you belong to.
Know your skills and strengths so that you can really sell yourself on your CV - this is particularly important if you are looking to move into a new field of work as you need to be able to sell yourself using your transferrable skills and experience - no matter what job you have had in the past, you will have transferable skills. Make a list of all your achievements, both personal and professional, that could help you get the job. Once you have written you CV always get someone to check it.
Preparation is key. It is imperative that you spend a lot of time really preparing for an interview, never try to wing it no matter how confident you feel.

And of course, stay positive!

"Choose a job you love,and you will never have to work a day in your life." - Confucius

And now I would like to invite you to sign up to receive your free copies of my Inspirational Toolkit delivered direct to your inbox when you visit, http://www.power-to-change.eu/ - just click on the subscribe button. Here you will find even more free advice and tips to help you put the fun and passion back into your working week.

From Anne Galloway, "The Inspirational Coach" at power-to-change