aa THE RESUME LETTER Coatg 7. Loganhe resume letter is nt a true cover letter—that is itis not letter designed to simpy transmit your resume toan employer. Instead it Isalettr thats intended to actualy replace the resume, andto convey ‘uficient information about your qualifications to entice an employer 1o interview you In general, Tam nota strong advocate ofthe resume letter and do pot normally recommend its use. My views on tis subject appear to be Ihre out bya recent survey of ver SO human resource professionals bythe Society fr Human Resource Management (SHRM, where a fll 1 percent considered a “detailed job history" as either important or ‘ery important. A one-page resume leter hardly seems to meet this Generally peaking, the resume leter doesnot typically provide su Hicient information (when compared to the standard two-page resume) for the employer to make a reasonable assessment ofthe job seeker's tualifictions and decide whether or not to grant an emplosment i terview In adition tothe frustration it may cause the employer it may also suggest thatthe applicant is either unable o too lazy to prepare a esume document. Thus, iis not likely to serve you best interests if {ou ae truly interested in creating a favorable impression and per fuaing an employer to grant you an interview Despite these objections, we continue to see use o this approach by a small numberof jb seekers, To be complete, therefore, we want £0 five you example of thebestof this kindof ete. Tt seems that the mas frequent use ofthe resume letter is by senior Jevel executives who wish simply to announce their availability and fonducta cursory search of the job market. Such letters are typically Airscted atthe most senor levels ofthe target organization (eq, board Chairperson, president, chief exceutive officer, chief operating officer) and are intended to convey availabilty and general interest in dis- {lssing appropriate opportunities. The logic typically supporting use fof such letters versus the standard resume) is thatthe applicants cur ‘ent position and employment speak fr themselves, and there i there fore no need fora full-blown resume document. In many cases, where A resume letter is chosen the jobseeker works fora direct competitor, and hs or her qualifications are cbvious to the prospective employer If the job seeker works for a direct competitor ort employed in an fier ive position fora welknown Fortune 100 company a reste Teter may be sufficient to generate interest. However, where the job seeker is employed ina lower leve position, or the employer isa ileknown company, the resume letter will not have the same eet. ich cases, I would strongly recommend use af the conventional sume docament along with an appropriate cove ete, The following are some amp is ether working fra direct competit Teter has been ade sin tha well ke