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ITT: I suck at job hunting, do you?

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Elizzybeth:
Exactly.  In your cover letter, you tell them in succinct, plain language why you'd be perfect for the position (which is why you need a different cover letter for every position you apply for)--and how experience you have that doesn't seem related actually is.  For example, if you've done a bunch of retail and you're applying for a bakery, you might explain how you think your customer service skills and multitasking abilities will transfer over into the bakery arena.

I usually start with 2-3 sentences explaining why I want the job and then 2-4 paragraphs expanding on my resume and telling them why they want me.

ViolentDove:

--- Quote from: Elizzybeth on 02 Jul 2010, 18:55 --- bakery arena.

--- End quote ---

Would watch this reality television show!

re: Job Hunting.

I think everyone has said everything, but yeah.

1) Do an internship. This gets you experience, contacts and references in the field you want to get into.

2) Make your CV look awesome. Look these things up if you don't know how to do them. When I was in science I actually borrowed a library book on "technical resumes" so I could spruce up my CV in a format that was technically orientated.

3) Make your cover letter awesome. Find out the name of the person it's going to by calling the company, and put it in the letter/email. Find out things about the company, look them up and work out what they do. Address the job criteria in the cover letter, but keep it succinct, never go over a single page.

Drill King:
ITT: Andy has 3 dollars to her name and not a cent more unless she magically finds them on the ground.


Man, no jobs want cover letters or etc unless it's a job where it requires a degree and it's, y'know, a 'career job'. At least here, if your resume is longer than a page they usually through it out unless you have something incredible on the first page.

tania:
not always true! i've sent in a lot of cover letters for jobs i have applied for because they specifically requested them. usually it is just online job postings though, i would probably never include a cover letter with any job i applied for in person since these tend to include application forms and the resume is just supplementary. a two page resume is also a really good idea (again, over here at least) if you have a lot of relevant experience you want to include, otherwise you end up having to mash everything together on the first page and a resume that is clear and concise with a lot of white space tends to be easier to read and understand than one where everything is squished. again, though, this is just based on my experience applying for jobs.

good luck with the job hunt andy!

StaedlerMars:
Your CV shouldn't be longer than a page for most 'career jobs' either. They don't want to know everything you've ever done, they want to know what you think is applicable, and why, and they want you to say so in as few words as possible.

My mom used to be in charge of the application process for people wanting to intern at the EU mission in New York, and she said that most CVs over a page long they completely ignored, just because of the sheer volume of applications they'd get.

Also, a good cover letter is also great for small time jobs, it's your chance to tell them a bit about yourself. Make it interesting and not a duplicate of your CV. Your cover letter is usually the difference between an interview and not, most everyone has the same qualifications for working in a coffee shop. One of my favorite things I have heard of as a job application was this example.

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