Jobs Top 5

A.D. Freudenheim, The Editor

Some interesting facts: according to a recent study, more than 50% of job-seekers do not know that they are supposed to sign a business letter before they send it. Of the remaining 50%, at least another half (or, 25% of the total) are missing some other element of a standard business letter. Some 20% seem to think that presentation quality will outweigh content. About 10% think it is acceptable to apply for a job other than the position being advertised. And (worst of all) more than 60% of all job applicants think it is acceptable to spend time congratulating a potential employer for the work they do, often by plagiarizing the employer’s own language.

If you are currently job hunting, these numbers should be a wake-up call. If you work in a career counseling office at a college or university, you should take note, too.

To pull back the curtain on this data: it comes from my own analysis of job applications I have received and reviewed over the last 6-8 months, a pool that represents several hundred cover letters and resumes. The data is not encouraging. In November 2003, I wrote out my top 11 tips for resumes, cover letters, and job applications—and while all of those tips remain relevant, it seems like a good moment to update that list with an additional five points that address the above issues.

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1. More than 50% of job-seekers do not know that they are supposed to sign a business letter before they send (or fax) it. Maybe in the digital era this obvious detail is overlooked because people sign so few things these days. Nonetheless, if you are applying for a job, follow the convention and sign your letter. In the business world, actual letters and real, pen-and-ink signatures are still used—so demonstrating that you know and understand the standards has value.

2. 25% are missing some other element of the standard business letter, such as a proper address or salutation. Letters that begin “Greetings,” or “Hello!” do not make a good first impression; recruiters are not pen-pals, friends, or your long-lost cousin. Again: figure out what a business letter should look like and stick to the standard. If you want to break the mold, do it by expressing ideas that will stand out—even within the conventional forms—rather than by proving that you do not know how to write a business letter.

3. Some 20% of applicants think that presentation quality will outweigh content strengths. To come back to the previous point, the opposite is also true: a letter that follows convention perfectly, but which is poorly written, will not help you either. Just because you bought heavy, 24 pound, cotton-weave paper, and a folder that is pre-printed with the word résumé on it in gold lettering, does not excuse you from using a spell-checker or asking someone to proofread and edit your letter and resume before you send it. Do fancy applications like this stand out? Absolutely! And they might draw even more scrutiny as a result.

4. About 10% think it is acceptable to apply for a job other than the position being advertised. Why? I have no idea. But it is definitely a waste of everyone’s time. Do not apply as a part-time applicant for a full-time job. Do not apply for a job for which you have no relevant skills, or if you are unprepared to explain why the skills you do have should be considered relevant.

5. More than 60% of all job applicants think it is acceptable to spend time congratulating a potential employer for the work they do, often by plagiarizing the employer’s own language. In my 2003 tips list, points two and three addressed how applicants do research on potential jobs and express their interest in a position. But applicants should know that most employers also know what their company says about itself, on its website or elsewhere. Copying that language into your letter does not make you look smart—it makes you look lazy, or worse. Nor do recruiters need an applicant to tell them they would like to be part of a team that “[insert company jargon here].” Express your interest and skills in your own words; that will make the stronger impression.

Why does all of this matter so much? The first opportunity an applicant has to make an impression is usually their cover letter. If the job opening is in an intellectually challenging, white collar business, that letter means a great deal—and if the letter indicates that the applicant does not know how to write, or think, that also means a great deal. To state the obvious: recruiters are looking for the most qualified applicant. The ability to write a conventional, competent, coherent, and grammatically correct letter is most certainly one important qualification.

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Other articles by me on job-related issues can be found here, from 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, and 2002. I am also a big fan of Gina Trapani and her team at Lifehacker, which has posts tagged for job searches and careers, and sometimes provides good insights for both traditional and non-traditional approaches to job-hunting.