Authentic Cover Letters – It’s ok to be you!

I wanted to share one of our dear jane client’s cover letter with you and feel free to forward this sample to your friends and colleagues.  I have changed the names to protect the innocent and received permission from this client to share her cover letter with you.

What is amazing about this cover letter is that our client communicates her passion, dedication to her hobby/sports interests, and professionalism within this letter.

She is a stay at home mom re-entering the workforce and this job is 10 minutes from her home and she has never had any retail experience.

Based on her research of the company she realized that her personal and professional values are aligned with Patagonia’s values.

I love cover letters like this. Based on my former recruiting experience and now my coaching experience, I know that 50% of hiring managers and human resource professionals read cover letters and 50% of them don’t. It’s so important if you want your cover letter to be read to make it real, authentic and personable. It’s crucial to show the future hiring manager or hr representative that you have done your homework on the company you are applying for and that you have a real interest in working at the company you are targeting.

SAMPLE COVER LETTER BELOW

Jane Doe

1111 Doe Lane

Encinitas, Ca  92024

Patagonia                                                     August 2, 2010

2185 San Elijo Avenue

Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA  92007

John Does, Manager

Jane Doe, Assistant Manager

Dear Jane and John,

Patagonia in Cardiff first caught my eye because of my love of surfing and the store’s emphasis on surfing.  The special events, community enrichment and the inventory were of interest to me and I saw the benefits Patagonia was providing to our coastal area.

Now that my children are grown and I desire to reenter the work force, I looked for a company with a philosophy that matched mine.  I researched Patagonia and found a connection to the corporate values and operations, besides just the great products.  I appreciate the innovation and constant desire to improve products; the commitment to deal with factories that meet Patagonia standards; and the company’s choice to look for ways to be “green”.

In addition, I feel a connection to the people who make up Patagonia because I too am an active, environmentally conscious, outdoor loving person.  I wear Patagonia clothing and can personally attest to its durability, quality and style.

I would like to bring my current skills and past sales experience to the Patagonia Cardiff store as a part time employee.  I know I could add value to the team and look forward to the opportunity to work for Patagonia.  I am available immediately and have no schedule limitations. My completed application is attached. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Jane Doe

cell: 000-555-9999   email: doe@gmail.com

CAREER STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING A STRONG AND LOYAL CUSTOMER BASE

CAREER STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING A STRONG AND LOYAL CUSTOMER BASE

No matter what industry you are in or what profession you have chosen, below are some tips and advice on how to build a stronger customer base.

I coach people all the time who are in mid-life with their careers or maybe just starting out in their new profession. They are always looking for new ways to generate revenue and build new relationships with customers or clients and maintain stronger relationships in business.

It’s so important to know who you are, what differentiates you and what your value proposition is. Take some time to really ask yourself these questions. Also, I would recommend that you buy books that Thom Singer and Peggy Klaus have written. The books they have written are great tools to use and they share a warehouse of information with the reader that will help increase business success.

TIPS!

1) First ask yourself “what is unique about you” and how you personally and professionally are different from your competitors. In today’s world people are buying from people, not companies anymore. So you will always need to differentiate yourself and learn how to communicate a stronger value proposition. Do you know what your value proposition is?

2) Make sure you have profiles on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. You will need to market yourself, your brand and your business products and services to everyone, not just the same old audience. Our customers come from all ages and backgrounds. Reaching a younger audience is also imperative to your success.

3) Build a contact database and send out newsletters, tips, strategies, and information. Give people options. If you have a database start using it. ICONTACT and CONSTANT CONTACT are great newsletter programs and are really affordable.

4) Build a schedule for yourself and devote at least 3 hours per day on prospecting and cold calling.

5) Don’t give up. The harder you work the luckier you are!

6) From a product standpoint you will have to become an expert in your product but also know your competitors products and learn how to sell against them while never showing the customer that’s what you are doing.

7) Link your products with their needs. Conduct a lot of research up front about the customer or potential customer and really make them feel like you understand their business and want to help their business. It’s all about saving money and generating a profit, so if you can’t help them save money on then show them how you can help them improve their business operations, and reduce their risk and liability, etc.

People don’t trust big companies anymore and they sure don’t trust financial institutions. So keep telling your customers or potential customers how you are different. Find out what their personal and professional goals are long term and help them to achieve their goals.

9) Increasing their exposure! How can you help them market their businesses? Can you set up a referral program? QUID PRO QUO – give to get!

Thoughts from the Bart Station

Thoughts from the Bart station!

By Rebecca Martin

Founder, dear jane…a career services company…

 

As I drove into the Bart station this past Tuesday morning I was amazed at how crowded the parking lot was. I was pleasantly surprised. In my world, people are either on the verge of losing their jobs or have recently lost their jobs. As I locked up my car, I felt the hurried and frenetic pace of people running and racing to catch the 7:30 am Bart train. Thank goodness I didn’t have to be one of those people that day. I was on my way to San Francisco to deliver career transition services packages to two individuals who were being notified that they were going to lose their jobs that day. (aka – getting their pink slips).

 

They were being notified at 9:30 am and I only had to visit with two of them which was a relief.  I wondered to myself what it was going to be like and having witnessed and been engaged in these situations before for the past five years, I thought to myself, will they cry? Get angry? Or have the deer in the headlight look? I have seen it so many times over the past 5 years since I have been a career coach. Sometimes I see terror, fear, shame, guilt, and embarrassment in their eyes. Their faces become flush and they become very quiet and detached. It’s awful and rarely do I see someone who is happy and when I do it’s a relief.  

 

I don’t know how people survive days like this. Especially when it comes as a complete and total shock. I think they are numb for the first 48 hours and maybe even a week. What I know today, is the panic and fear is more than just losing their job, it’s about CHANGE, about PRIDE, what their family and friends will think of them, what their spouses or children will think of them, what their grandparents and parents will think of them, especially if the individuals are from different cultures, they take it the hardest and feel the most shame.

 

It is so sad because they now have to worry about feeding their families, a lack of income, property, prestige, and it’s about feeling that they did something wrong, that they failed their companies, themselves and most of all their loved ones. How do people get through these tough times?

 

I wonder how they feel when they have to tell their loved ones, spouses, kids, parents, neighbors? Do some people even tell their loved ones? Some don’t. If you haven’t seen the movie the Full Monty you should rent it. J It really chronicles the life of several men who get laid off and how they all deal with it on an individual basis and at a group level.

 

Most clients I work with and people that I know always worry that it’s their fault, that they did something wrong to cause themselves to be laid off.

 

I know from experience, since I have been a career coach that I can’t fix their problems and relieve their anxiety, but I can help ease their fear and share with them that they are not alone and that they have a lot of options when it comes to getting a new job. I can show true compassion and kindness instead of treating them like they are pariahs.

 

For me it’s about BASIC NEEDS, Food, Water and Shelter. My approach to coaching is all about helping the individual identify what their needs are in terms of salary, time frame, etc. People need to do what’s best for them and their families and they need to start taking care of themselves first.

 

People have so much shame and embarrassment around losing their jobs which is normal. Even in this market when everything around them is crumbling and everyone around them is getting laid off, they still take it personal. Well it’s so hard not to, but I am here to tell you that it might have been the best thing that could of ever happened to you. Most of us won’t make a change even if we are unhappy or even miserable. Change is so scary.

 

I was pushed out of my last corporate job because I didn’t fit the corporate culture. The manager inherited me because his company purchased the start up I was working for and I happened to be the Top Sales Producer at the start up during the acquisition. After six months from the sale of the company, and after my six figure guarantee ran out, I was kicked to the curb. My manager went cold and treated me like he didn’t know me or like me. It was so bizarre. He stripped me of my sales territory and at the time I was 41 years old. I had to train my 27 year old replacement. It was so tough and basically hideous.

At that time I was so tired and ended up quitting. I would have never started my company if that didn’t happen to me. So thank you to the old company. They did me a huge favor but at the time I didn’t see it that way. J So good things do come from being laid off, well ok sometimes.

 

One of the hardest parts of my job is helping people process unusual behavior right before they get laid off. For example, when I talk to clients and they tell me that there manager had just promoted them and given them a $10-20K raise one month before they were going to be laid off. Or when their managers told them “not to worry,” they wouldn’t be on the targeted list of people losing their jobs and then the next day or week they get laid off. It’s so confusing and it feels like a betrayal. I do know after talking to a lot of executives and managers that sometimes their direct managers really didn’t know.

 

Another hard situation to help people with is when they get laid off right after they increased revenues for their company which affected the top line growth and they still get laid off and sent packing! That always boggles people’s minds.

 

It’s never about anything personal. “Yeah that’s what they all say.” And what do we always hear, it’s business and the company had to RIFF people to remain profitable and to please wall street. Well I don’t agree necessarily, IT IS PERSONAL to the person losing their job. It may not be personal to the company or the management team and it’s easy for people to say these kinds of things but it is personal. So don’t feel bad about taking it personal. I just don’t want you to take it so personal that you go into a deep depression or isolate and stop focusing on your strengths and everything that is unique and great about you! Remember there are thousands of jobs and hiring managers that are just waiting for your resume to pop up in their inbox. So send your resumes and start cold calling into companies!

 

I survived 7 RIFF’s at my last company and the only reason I survived was because the executive management team trusted me, my work ethic and my ability to deliver. They liked me because I was low maintenance and I also got lucky!

 

So what it boils down to is that change is inevitable and half of us and maybe more didn’t even like our jobs or some of the people we worked with. We really wanted to change but didn’t know how to make CHANGE happen.

Please buy the book “Who Moved My Cheese.” It’s a great book and also while you are buying that book, I want you to buy the book “Brag, The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn.” You will love both of these books.

 

Let’s start working on the FEAR of Changing and Change in general when it comes to your job search and your career. I know, I know, this isn’t the best market to make changes in but REMEMBER THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF JOBS WAITING FOR EACH ONE OF YOU READING THIS BLOG ENTRY. JJ

 

So take some time to reflect on what CHANGE represents to you? Or what losing your job and getting laid off represents to you and makes you feel. Is it a lack of control, power, security, “You” decide. Work through this and make sure you feel the feelings and process the feelings.

 

Join a therapy group or a job search support group; start conducting informational interviews to find out about your next career move; join linkedin.com and start networking with people from your past or present.

 

Don’t isolate and think you are the only one feeling the way you do. Trust me, I talked to hundreds of people per month that feel the same way you do!! YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Good luck!

Do you need to get off the couch or step away from the computer? Proven Job/Career Networking Tips to ensure success!

 

 

Networking Events:

10 Tips on how to expand your network and leave a lasting positive impression!

 

1)                   The Event - It’s important to do your research about the event. Find out who is sponsoring and attending the event. Go to the website of the organization hosting/sponsoring the event and learn as much as you can about it. (i.e. list of attendees, vendors, etc.)

 

2)                   Define your objective – Ask yourself why you are attending the event. Have a goal or an objective for being at the event so you walk away feeling like it was a productive use of your time.

 

3)                   Linkedin.com – If you know who will be attending and you have a target list of people that you want to meet, then make sure you find their profiles in linkedin.com and learn as much as you can about the person. It will impress them and they will be more inclined to talk with you.         

 

4)                   Create Personalized Business Cards – Don’t forget to order your business cards at www.vistaprints.com. They are free for the first 250 cards. When you are creating your cards leave the back of the card blank so you have room to write your contact’s information on the card. 

 

5)                    Answer the question – “Tell me about yourself?” Prepare your 2-minute elevator speech about who you are and why you are attending the event. Rehearse it and/or role-play with another person before the event.

 

6)                   Quid Pro Quo – Remember networking is about sharing personal and professional information by having personal and professional conversations. So don’t forget to have a dialogue. You don’t want to dominate the conversation.

 

7)                   Communicate your own message – Don’t let someone else tell your professional story. You personally will need to communicate about who you are.  Don’t rely on others to do it for you. It’s important to converse in a natural way.  

 

                   Be Positive – It’s important to always have a positive attitude. People like to meet and talk with people that are easy to converse with, have interesting things to say, and who listen.  Have fun at your events and bring a friend if you feel nervous about attending.

 

9)                   Appearance – Always dress and act professionally. The way you communicate verbally and nonverbally will leave a lasting impression on everyone you meet. Make sure your cell phone and PDA are turned off and that you remain engaged with the person you are talking to.

 

10)               Next Steps – Make sure you get their business cards and/or contact information. That’s why it’s important to bring a lot of business cards. Some people forget to bring them. You should contact them within a 24-48 hour period. It’s important to ask your networking contact how they would like you to stay in touch with them.

 

www.dearjane.info                              blog: www.dearjanedialogues.com                                www.youtube.com.dearjanedialogues.com

 (925) 292- 9019                                  email: clientservices@dearjane.info               Toll Free: (866) 822-7298