Scholl - How to write killer cover letters & resumes: get the interviews for the dream jobs you really want by creating one-in-hundred job application materials

Stand out from all the rest by crafting cover letters and resumes that will blow people away.

This how-to manual provides a simple, compelling and foolproof way to create job application materials that are uniquely powerful and, most importantly, virtually guaranteed to get you the high value interviews for the jobs you really want.

If you follow the tips and strategiesand apply the principles shown in the sample cover letters and resumesyou can position yourself to command the attention of hiring managers, recruiters and the individual to whom you will be reporting.

You will be empowered to write about yourself as you never have before.

How can you be sure? Take a look at the testimonials sprinkled throughout this manual.

This manual presents proven methods that really work.

You will get interviewsbut only if you follow the steps presented in this manual.

Note: all sample cover letters and resumes are inspired byand adapted fromstudent work. So they are similar to the work created by Professor Scholls students and therefore valid and hopefully valuable templates for you. The principles and samples can be applied to any job seeker at any stage in your career.

Introduction: The Challenge

What is the single best way to get interviews for the jobs you really want?

An estimated 70% of all positions are filled through networkingthat is, you get the interview through someone you know. It could be your uncles friend who happens to be a VP where you want to work. It could be a connection on LinkedIn. In any case, you get the interview because of your network. So you need to make a list of everyone you know and contact them. Dont be afraid to follow up periodically. And keep working the network until you get a job.

Whether you use networking or simply apply for jobs online, the best way to differentiate yourself is with highly effective and very strategically written job application materialsparticularly your cover letter. In my experience and based on feedback from students who get hired for really good jobs, the cover letter is the best way to differentiate yourself, to stand out from all the rest.

Your mission is to maximize the number of interviews you get so you have the best chance of receiving an offer. But how do you do that?

Many companies now use systems to look for keywords in job application materials to try to eliminate those who arent qualified for a given position. But this obstacle is easy to overcome, as you will soon discover. In any case, a recruiter or hiring manager within a company probably receives hundreds of letters and resumes for the typical entry-level opening.

Now put yourself in this individuals shoes. He or she wants to eliminate candidates as quickly as possible and identify the chosen few who will be interviewed. According to a well-publicized study, the hiring manager spends only six seconds on average in evaluating the resume. This particular study doesnt mention cover letters, which are the best way to command the hiring managers attention.

But lets think about the challenge. Lets say there are 600 applicants for a position. Generally about half will be qualified, but that still leaves 300 for the hiring manager to wade through. How can you be among the 10 or so lucky individuals who will be interviewed? You need to write a killer cover letter and differentiate yourself.

Is this hard or easy? Both. Its easy because if you just do a few things right, youll differentiate yourself from the 99% who write boring, predictable and often-vague cover letters that sound pretty much like all the others.