We hire people for jobs in the 18K to 30K range for various positions. They take a total of 6 different tests/questionnaires prior to even getting a sit down with a human. Cover letters are very important as is the resume. People too lazy to even turn on MS spell check and grammar checker will NEVER be hired by us.
Many noted good points for the cover letter. Use their job description phrases in your cover letter, nice 20# paper or better (white or off white is best), tell them you WANT the job, etc. For the job I have now I had a professional interviewer look my paperwork over. One silly and simingly stupid trick she gave me. Paper clip the pages together with a colored paper clip. She said the secretaries and HR folks love them. Yours gets sucked to the top just so they can swap the clip out with a silver one. Go figure. Your name and address should be on every piece of paper you give them in case the package gets parted out.
As my post indicates, thank god my IT skills are better than my forum typing
Quote:
Originally Posted by floydpink
It's definitely a tough market and many overqualified people are taking less paying jobs to avoid losing their homes.
I'm not sure if it's going overboard or what, but my company puts you through a Gallup Poll where you have a few seconds to answer an array of questions that supposedly let them know if you will fit into the corporation's culture. I've heard these aren't cheap to do.
This is AFTER they read your cover letter and had at least 2 seperate HR people interview you and verified your background and sent you to pee in a cup.
A poorly put together cover letter is lucky to get a call back telling them they weren't hired, and I personally never heard of it.
If it were me, I would pay someone who is qualified to sit down with me and help me nail this thing.
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