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From Sonja Moffett, Employer Relations Director, MMCO & ACR MI (757) 635-5534 | Sonja.Moffett@Miller-Motte.Edu

TOPIC: WHY CUSTOMIZING WORKS Put yourself in this lady’s shoes: does your resume and cover letter stand out from the other 40 she needs to review today? The look on her face says it all. Hiring managers love to find the right person for the job. You can make her day! The reality is that she may only interview the top 10 over the phone & the top 3 of those candidates face-to-face. Will you be the one to get face time? Isn’t it time to increase your odds?

I speak with a number of employers day-to-day, and as a former recruiter and member of the Career Services team, I wanted to offer some tips for you as you embark upon your career search. We want to make sure that you are ready to be that shining star we are preparing you to be. Also, be sure to take advantage of all we have to offer you here in Career Services:

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TIPS FOR YOU…

Address your cover letter to the specific hiring manager. Spell their name and title correctly. If it is provided – you should have no problem with that. If you are speaking with them over the phone – ask them to spell their name. It really is okay to do so. If you do not know who that person is because you are submitting online, address it “Dear Hiring Manager” – this gets away from trying to figure out whether it is a male or female manager and it also respects them as the hiring authority.

Be specific in your letter – do not be too general or use the exact same letter for every job submission – change it up a little. This is very important because your resume and cover letter are amongst 20 - 40 that employer is viewing that day. Imagine yourself on the other side of the desk, opening your email to 40 responses to your job posting. As a former recruiter – content is VERY important. If a resume is too general and doesn’t meet the needs of the role the hiring manager is looking to fill – your efforts of sending it will be in vain.

o A cover letter that is too generic is easier and less time consuming for you but ineffective in capturing the employer’s attention. I suggest reading their job description thoroughly and pull out key skills they request that you actually possess, and add them to your cover letter and resume (create a heading called PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY at the top of your resume and list 3 -5 key skills here). Always be honest – if you do not possess a requirement – do not list it. The skills you do possess ARE STILL important to them. Employers know that no person will have 100% of their desired skill sets. But omitting skills from your resume is a huge mistake. Don’t assume “they already know” – sometimes HR reps will handle pre-screening for department heads in larger organizations and are not knowledgeable about your role. List everything relevant to that job!

o Don’t assume all employers in similar professions want the same thing from the person they are hiring. This is a critical mistake. READ what they are really looking for. There is the job description and then there are the requirements – read the requirements first to make sure you are qualified. This will save you a lot of time. Job descriptions often include desired skills and these are your key selling points. If you see a skill that is “preferred but not required” do not weed yourself out of the recruitment process. You may possess a critical skill that is more important than the preferred skill. Go for it.

o Beware of SKIMMERS & SCANNERS. As an employer looking for that right fit – 40 resumes and cover letters requires a lot of their time. So most are SKIMMERS initially – they will read after they weed. They are skimming your resume for “keywords” and some employers have computer programs that scan resumes for them, which is why you want to include specific requirements in your cover letter and resume that the employers have specified in their specific job description. EXAMPLES

If you are an MA and they are looking for an MA with Phlebotomy experience or training; mentioning both terms in your resume and cover letter will help you gain attention over someone who just indicates MA, particularly with the scanners. Both MA and Phlebotomy are keywords. Don’t assume – they already know the job includes this task.

If the employer is looking for a professional who is “certified” by a specific trade organization or governmental agency in your field – be specific and indicate this information under your PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY along with the expiration date of your certification. If your license is pending – indicate this on your resume.

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CONCLUSION Add 3-5 skills to it as you customize it for each employer in your second paragraph. That customization should be directly related to skills they express as important to them within their job description or preferred requirements. For example, if their ad specifies “bilingual Spanish preferred” and you know Spanish – be sure to mention that distinction in your cover letter. Another example could be working in a specific database like LexisNexis File and Serve, SAP, Quickbooks, or ICD-10. If you have that experience, stating so in the cover letter and resume will peak their interests and get you to the next step – THE INTERVIEW. Good luck!