The title of this article speaks for itself. A “bullet” is a short, concise piece of information that can be easily remembered, and a “job history” is a collection of these little nuggets of knowledge that you have accumulated over the years. The question is: how can you turn these job histories you’ve painstakingly compiled into a useful and compelling narrative that will leave a lasting impression on your potential employer?
Start At The Beginning
Recruiters and human resources professionals will tell you that a good place to start the job search process is with a cover letter. Your cover letter will be the first impression that your potential employer has of you, and it will dictate the entire tone and tenor of your job search. Start with a bang by throwing in a salvo of keywords, phrases, and sentences that will hook the reader – and keep them hooked until the very end.
For example, if you’re applying for a marketing position and you’ve identified online marketing as one of your strong points, you might write:
“Along with my degree in marketing, I’ve also spent the last three years developing my skills in online marketing. I’ve managed marketing campaigns for large e-commerce companies like Shopbop.com and Nike, and have led the design and execution of SEO and PPC (Pay Per Click) strategies for digital marketing agencies. I look forward to applying my skills to further the success of your company.”
Now you’ve got them hooked, it’s time to reel them in with some more intriguing details about you. Go back to that list of keywords and pull out some more. Maybe you’ve worked for a large agency, maybe you’ve worked for a small agency. Maybe you’ve worked for an economic development corporation, or for a charity. Whatever it may be, find a way to tie your work experience into a relevant and compelling narrative that will make your potential employer sit up and take notice.
Keep It Short
If you’ve ever read a book about serial killers or predators in the wild, you’ll know that they all have a similar M.O. – a modus operandi, if you will. Their careers all began with a similar set of circumstances, and they all followed a similar path of escalation. If you want to impress your employer with your job search, you’ll want to keep it short and sweet. Keep your cover letter pithy and to the point, and you’ll find your job search moving swiftly toward a successful conclusion.
You don’t need to tell your potential employer all of your career highlights. Instead, take a deep breath and skim over the most relevant facts about yourself.
Perhaps you’ve had a rough patch in your career but have managed to bounce back. Or perhaps you’ve worked your entire career for the same company and now they’re looking to shift gears and you want to be the first to know about upcoming opportunities. Whatever the case, keep it brief but interesting. Your cover letter should pull readers in and leave them wanting more. Even better, if you can, include a link to an article that more fully explores this topic.
Show Off Your A+ Approach
To really stand out from the crowd, you’re going to have to show employers you’re a team player. One way to do this is to include a short summary of how you handled a difficult situation – something that required a high degree of coordination among you and your team. This shows that you’re not just looking for a job, but you’re also seeking to find a team to build up and grow with.
As a candidate who’s spent the last three years diligently climbing the career ladder, you’ll already have lots of these situations under your belt. Think of a difficult project that you and your team worked diligently to overcome. Include a sentence or two about how you handled these challenging circumstances. For example:
“In my role as account manager at XYZ Company, I had to work with ABC Company to negotiate a contract for a critical client. I was able to utilize my knowledge of XYZ’s products and market share in this situation, and was able to secure a lucrative contract with minimal conflict.”
This is just one example of what a cover letter might look like. When writing your cover letter, think of an interesting anecdote that relates to the position you’re applying for. For instance, if you’re applying for a marketing job and you’ve identified SEO as one of your strengths, you might write:
“SEO is one of the hottest areas of digital marketing. Companies like Google, Bing, and others are looking for talent to help them optimize their sites for local searches. You’ll learn a lot about SEO in this role, and be able to apply it to further the success of your company.”
Writing a winning cover letter isn’t difficult. All you need are a few good anecdotes about how you handled difficult situations in the past, a working knowledge of key phrases, and the ability to pull those key phrases into a compelling narrative. While crafting a winning cover letter might seem daunting, it’s an essential first step in your job search. Why? Because without a compelling cover letter, your resume won’t get read.
Once you’ve written your cover letter, it’s time to move on to the next step in your job search process – the resume. As mentioned above, your resume is your first impression, and you want to make a lasting impression. Just like the cover letter, the resume must be concise but also comprehensive. Remember: you’re aiming for maximum readability. Therefore, you want to avoid anything that might strain the eyes of the person reading it.