Todd's Job Tips: Cover Letter Doubleheader - Information you might ...

Add LinkedIn Recommendations to Your Cover Letter
Recommendations in your LinkedIn profile can be a huge help in proving your value as an employee and helping your self-esteem in the job search mode, but they're pretty much useless if employers don't take the time to look you up. If you add one or two to your cover letter, it's a great way to make your case for the job based on your past success stories. Here's how: Start by Sending Recommendation Requests to Contacts in Your LinkedIn Pool of People
Go through your list of contacts, former co-workers, bosses, vendors, etc. Ask them if they will provide a recommendation for you based upon your dealings with them. You can view and ask for revisions on the ones you receive before posting them. It is also good to guide them in what to say ? give them a situation you worked on together so there is a frame of reference.

Use a Great Quote
If you're lucky and have a big enough pool of recommendations to choose from, you'll be able to choose from some great quotes. Pick the ones that paint you in the best light. It's okay to use an excerpt if the full recommendation is lengthy, but make sure to leave the original wording and intent alone, since a prospective employer could be intrigued enough to double-check your source and if they backtrack to LinkedIn and you?ve edited your quote, they may question your integrity.

Make it Flow
You need to do a lead-in to a recommendation. By incorporating a paragraph that clearly defines a way you can contribute to the company (which should be in every cover letter you do), you will set the tone for the recommendation. Here's what I mean:

Lead-in paragraph
My 10 years of blog writing and design experience in the health industry, especially for providers and facilities, can be of immense help to your internet growth plans in the U.S. and abroad.

Drop-in recommendation
To show the value I will add to your team, please read the following recommendation:

"John has a great writing style for making others intent on reading every word he pens. Client?s ever changing focus has given him a keen ability to switch tracks and deliver stunning materials with each new focus in mind. Besides blog projects at XYZ Corp., John has done some freelance work for many clinic and departmental situations including assisting in designing signage, creating billboard ads and brochure pieces for display and event fairs. He is a very versatile, agile, flexible and deadline-conscious blogger and designer and I highly recommend his work!"
~ Tommy Goins, Director of Marketing at XYZ Corp.

In a perfect world, you'd add your quote(s) at the end of your letter, right before your closing paragraph.

Any person that has left a recommendation on your public LinkedIn profile acknowledges that it's fair game to use in your letters, networking handbills, on business cards, etc. I've used this style in several cover letters I've written for clients and they've been pulling down more interviews than prior to this change. I won?t say they got the interviews because of the addition of quotes and recommendations (their resumes were solid, too), but it's a good sign that they're doing things right to get a foot in the door!

Have you added quotes to your own cover letters before? Did it work out? If not, add one, then come back to tell me if it worked!

How and When to Name-Drop in Your Cover Letter
Every career pro says "It's not WHAT you know, but WHO you know." There's no real scientific proof of that concept, but cold, hard experience tells us they're right. If you know someone who works for a company you're applying to, don't be afraid to mention their name in your cover letter, but confirm with them that it is alright to do so first (you don?t want them to be surprised when asked about you). There are many businesses which encourage and reward their employees for referring job candidates. If your contact works for your target organization, find out the proper procedures for an employee referral and follow those carefully so they are recognized and rewarded properly.

Check these guidelines to being an effective name-dropper and make sure you are doing them:

1. Confirm that your contact knows the hiring manager who will be reviewing cover letters and resumes. There is no need to mention someone the hiring manager has never heard of.
2. Make sure your contact is on good terms with the hiring manager and in good standing with the company. If there was some kind of falling out between the two, or the person is on some type of disciplinary action, dropping that name could do more harm than good.
3. Make sure that your contact is good with being named. It shows poorly on your and them to reference someone without letting them know you're doing it. Just like your references, anyone you would mention in a cover letter deserves a chance to back out if they're not comfortable with it.
4. Give your contact a copy of your cover letter and resume so they know what you're saying about them and what you in fact are looking for. In some cases, you could ask them to hand-deliver your cover letter and resume to the hiring manager. However, you should also follow the employer's typical procedures (applying online or by email) so they'll have an electronic version that they can forward to others and run through the ATS if they use one.

To spotlight a person in your cover letter, do it in the opening paragraph. Here's an example:
Jason Voorhees, Marketing Director at XYZ Corp., suggested I get in touch with you regarding the Blogger/Advertising Executive opening. In addition to the background information Jason provided, I've had the pleasure of reviewing XYZ Corps. web site and blogs, and I?m very enthusiastic about the opportunity.
Or, you could say something like this:
I would like to express my interest in the Blogger/Advertising Executive position at XYZ Corp. Jason Voorhees, your Marketing Director, has told me great things about the company ...
Having the right contact within the company, one who can vouch for your character and work ethic, could jump you several steps ahead of your competition. As always, keep networking. The bigger your network of friends, family, colleagues, and online contacts, the better your chance of having a helpful name to drop.

Have you noticed more success in job hunting when you name-drop? Let us know below.

Source: http://todds-job-tips.blogspot.com/2012/07/cover-letter-doubleheader-information.html

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