This is the time of year where thousands of college students start to look for jobs. I have to wonder though, who is teaching them to write resumes and cover letters?
Here are some examples of resumes that I can't help but put in the ridiculous pile:
· “To Whom It May Concern: Please consider me for a position in your company. I am eager to learn the business.” – Why would I hire someone that needs me to train them. If they did their research, they would know we are a small company and you need to hit the ground running.
· “Dear Human Resources: As a recent college graduate I am extremely excited to apply my education to a company as great as yours.” – What is great about it? What opportunities do you see?
On the other hand, here are some other examples that actually get my attention:
· “Dear Mr. Franczak: I am extremely interested in sitting down and talking to you about the advertising industry. As a college graduate seeking to get into the field, I am interested in how your company works with so many well known brands and how someone like me can contribute.” - This is the kind of letter that always gets my attention. It strokes my ego (slightly), but it also gives me a chance to offer them some advice on how to break in. I almost always will take this kind of meeting.
Another promising one that I liked because it had relevant account information in it:
· “…This has allowed me to gain experience in a broad range of industries, and has provided me the opportunity to work with brands such as Citrix, HP, Cisco, Elsevier, Eastman Kodak, and Xerox as well as incredible organizations like Special Olympics, American Lung Association, University of Rochester, the Association for Retarded Citizens and more. I would love to talk with you about how I might benefit Fuseideas and invite you to take a look at my profile, found on my website (www) - I can also forward my resume for a more in-depth look at my experience.” – I liked this one because it had relevant experience and also he talked about benefiting us.
Some tips for college graduates sending resumes:
· Don’t send to “To Whom It May Concern”
· Your email is your cover letter, so make it good
· Don’t keep your cover letter and your resume separate… why would I want to open two files? As the CEO of a small business, I just don't have that kind of time.
· Make your resume file name something like Name_Fuseideas as opposed to MgtResume or MktResume, it seems too generic. And use spellcheck!
These are just a few things I’ve noticed lately and any college kid looking for a job should read this. Anyone else care to add thoughts? Comment below!
Talk about it with Fuseideas fans: www.facebook.com/fuseideas1
1 comment:
I also work at Fuseides as the Director of Client Service. I interview everyone who comes in the door. We are looking for interns right now and NOT ONE student I met with has brought their resume. They all say, "Oh, I sent it already". I don't have the time to search through 300 emails to find their resume. How could they not know to bring it? And not one has brought a pad of paper, taken notes, or prepared any thought. One emailed me after his interview and asked me what the process for managine a client is here. That is what the student would learn! Who is teaching these kids? When I was a student, I was told what kind of suit to wear, what kind of shirt, had perfected my resume and prepared! Know about the company! Know their clients! Tell us how you can help us!
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