- This topic has 8 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 7 months ago by
happygal.
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April 26, 2016 at 1:28 am #201579
happygalParticipantHi! Should a job candidate include a home address on their resume? How important is a cover letter? Thanks a lot!
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April 26, 2016 at 2:27 am #773801
PokeyParticipantI only put my city, state & zip
AUD - 74 (3x), TBD
BEC - Sept16
FAR - TBD
REG - TBDApril 26, 2016 at 2:28 am #773802
MissyParticipantI always included my address, just to show I was a local candidate. I personally think a good cover letter specific to the company and position being applied to is as important as a good resume. It's one of very few chances you have to sell yourself for an interview.
Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR ManagerApril 26, 2016 at 3:25 am #773803
Track55ParticipantI always do unless it's a resume posted online. Then I block the address.
AUD - 74, 99 !!
REG - 74, 92
BEC - 83
FAR - 73, 86Studying for Ethics exam
California candidate
Business and IndustryApril 26, 2016 at 5:49 am #773804
happygalParticipantThanks a ton everyone!
April 26, 2016 at 11:28 am #773805
AnonymousInactiveI concur. A resume without an address seems weird. Even though no future employer is going to mail you a card to invite you to an interview (or at least I hope not o.O ), listing an address – or at least city, state, zip – is still very standard.
Since most people didn't answer about the cover letter, I just want to add another post echo'ing MLA's to say that the cover letter is extremely important. It needs to be at least somewhat personalized to the company and position you're applying for, too. Also, as “duh” as this may sound, make sure you never ever send the cover letter for one company to a different company. I have seen this many times. Makes you look extremely careless. (“I'm excited to discuss the opportunity to be a cook at Mom's Diner!” Well that's great, but you're applying to be an accountant at _____. Doesn't look good at all.) I would say minimum personalization for a cover letter should be to address it to the company (following standard business letter format – company name and address at the top of the letter) and name of individual if possible, and to include the specific position you're applying for within the body of the letter (“I'm writing to express my interest in the opening for a Staff Accountant”). A common thing in cover letters is to list where the job posting was found, but I'm not sure what value that adds, so I'll leave that to personal discretion. If you're willing to put some extra effort into your cover letters, though, one thing that really sets you apart is if you read through the job description and tailor the skills and qualifications mentioned in your cover letter to those requested in the job posting. Maybe the job posting asks for something unusual that you have. Don't make them read the resume to find out you have it; mention it in the cover letter.
Also, keep your cover letter short. I know, I know, I just said to say all these great things in it, now I say keep it short? It's a difficult balance. My standard cover letter format has a short intro paragraph (2 or maybe 3 short sentences), a bullet list of relevant skills (4 or 5, briefly stated – “Expertise in Microsoft Excel”, not “I have extensive knowledge in Microsoft Excel, and am skilled with Vlookups, Pivot Tables, SumIfs, and many other tools, as well as possessing the ability to quickly learn new Excel formulas as needed to complete projects”), and a short closing paragraph. Your cover letter is a piece of marketing material. It's an advertisement of sorts. In marketing, I've heard that they say you have 30 seconds to sell a product to through written medium to your audience; after that, you've lost them. So, if you say lots of really good things in a cover letter, but it takes 3 minutes to read, you're not getting anywhere. You want something that they can at a glance see what's important (which is why I use a bullet list of my skills, which are tailored to their job description – hoping it pops out at a glance “Oh, she's got skill balancing spoons on her nose like we asked for!”), and within 30 seconds or so they can read it all and be hooked, and “drawn in” to read through your resume.
April 26, 2016 at 1:43 pm #773806
AnonymousInactivegreat response, Lilla, as usual thanks!
since i'm familiar with your awesome posts on the forum, I am pretty sure you have trouble keeping your cover letters “short” 😀
April 26, 2016 at 1:50 pm #773807
AnonymousInactivehahaha I do indeed! I remember writing my first post-Bachelor's cover letter, cutting it down, thinking I had done well, and sending it to my dad (he's done lots of hiring in his career) for review, feeling proud of myself. He sent it back and said basically “Cut it down to 20% and then I can tell you more”. I had no clue how I would, but I've finally gotten down to a short, concise letter. It's not easy, but it's worth it! Now that I've been in the hiring role, I can see why having a short letter is so important. Even though I'm very long-winded on forums, even I have a hard time making it through a long cover letter. I try to, just cause I know I'm bad to write long letters, but it's hard to stay interested past the 3rd or 4th sentence of a wall of text when you've got a pile of 50 more letters and resumes to read through, and that's just on day 1 of the job being posted. 😐
Just for an example, this was my just-out-of-school cold-calling cover letter. Probably still should have been shorter, but I think my dad gave up on trying to convince me that shorter was better after I got it cut down this far. 🙂
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I would like to inquire about any openings within your firm. At the end of May, I will complete my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and I am eager to begin working in the accounting field.While studying accounting, I have gained experience in several business positions including having spent the last 2 years working in the banking industry. Through these experiences, I have acquired many skills and have specifically excelled in:
• Creative problem solving
• Being flexible and adaptable
• Delivering superb customer service
• Utilizing technology to accomplish various goals
• Communicating professionally and effectively with clients, vendors, and co-workers
I have attached my resume for your consideration and would welcome the opportunity to discuss the ways that I can benefit your firm.April 26, 2016 at 4:30 pm #773808
happygalParticipantMany many thanks to Lilla! I really appreciate the post 🙂
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