Tag: bilingual skills
Question: The company I want to work for has a bilingual customer service position open and that they need someone who speaks Spanish. I am totally fluent and the job description is exactly what I am looking for! The job post instructs candidates to apply by e-mail. Do I need a cover letter when applying this way? Is it less formal? Or should I just send over my resume?
Answer: Yes, you need to send an email in place of a formal cover letter! Your e-mail should enlighten the reader to the same points and should be just as well-written as a formal cover letter. (For tips on writing a formal cover letter that showcases your bilingual skills, read this post, this post and this post.) Your goal is the same: get the employer to be intrigued by you and to eagerly read your resume. What you have to say in this e-mail can be the deciding factor between you and an equally qualified candidate who might be the next resume in line.
Don’t just send your resume! The cover letter e-mail reveals much more to the employer than a resume alone does. The resume tells your history, your experience, and your past achievements. The cover letter e-mail provides you the opportunity to pinpoint how you can use all of this experience to fulfill what this company needs and to meet their goals. It should confirm that you are the right person for the job; the one person they have been looking for.
Check back for tips for writing a cover letter e-mail.
September 25, 2009
Here are some tips for writing an e-mail to a company inquiring about possible job openings when no openings have been advertised.
1. Address the email to a specific person. Use the internet or personal contacts to find out who does the hiring and to learn their email address. Or just make a quick phone call to the employer and find out. Don’t address the letter to “Dear Sir” or “Dear Madam”. When you do this, it says that you have not taken the time to do your homework. It indicates that you are just sending emails and resumes out to numerous employers and hoping one will stick. It does not look as if you have a high level of interest in this particular company.
2. Start your email off with an interesting sentence. For example, “My ten years of experience in _____ makes me an excellent match for a position in your _____ department.” Then be sure to mention how you became bilingual, such as, “I lived in Argentina for twelve years and am fluent in Spanish and English.” You can get more suggestions for how to do this by reading How to Write a Cover Letter that Showcases Your Bilingual Skills.
3. Make sure that your email is as well written as a formal cover letter would be. Make sure there are no misspelled words and that you have used proper grammar. Use your spell-check! Your goal is to encourage the employer to eagerly read your resume next. Use a conversational but professional tone.
Next we will discuss sending a cover letter e-mail for a specific job opening.
September 24, 2009
Question: I have written my resume and know the type of work I want to pursue, and the two main companies I would like to work for. The first one has not advertised any job openings, but they are a strong company, and I know they are one of the largest employers in my area. I also know that they may have positions that need to be filled with bilingual candidates. What do I do?
Answer: Send an “inquiry e-mail”. This is an effective job search strategy. Don’t feel as though you’re wasting your time by looking for a job this way. Not all employers announce job openings to the general public. And if you wait until a job opening is advertised, then your resume might get lumped in with those of all the other eager candidates out there looking for a job! Next I’ll give you some tips for how to write your inquiry e-mail.
September 23, 2009
Remember, when writing a cover letter that highlights your bilingual skills, as demonstrated by the cover letter examples I posted last week, it is important to present the advantages of how being bilingual would benefit the specific company and field, while showcasing your individual knowledge. In my examples, I tried to showcase my understanding of the Hispanic market; a market that provides brand loyalty and likes a personal connection, as well as personal service. That’s why I brought those points up in my sample cover letter paragraphs; to showcase my knowledge.
My goal was to let the company reading the cover letter understand clearly that I have a desire to help them conquer the Hispanic market and that I have the extra understanding and skills to get it done. That should always be your goal; to match the responsibilities of the position with your experience and with your knowledge… and being bilingual is certainly an advantage you have to offer to any company. Bring it up. It’s important in the global business world we live in.
September 21, 2009
Here is another cover letter example using a different business scenario in which you can explain how your bilingual skills would be beneficial to the company where you are applying. As with yesterday’s example, you will be able to see in the sample paragraph below how I showcased the fact that I am bilingual – along with my individual knowledge of the Hispanic market.
This example is for a sales or customer service position at an insurance company. Again, I’m going to include a paragraph in the cover letter about the fact that I’m bilingual and bring up some of my Hispanic market experience and knowledge.
Sample paragraph: “Today I am applying for the bilingual sales/customer service position at ____ (insurance company name) because I see the need to provide the Spanish population with more insurance knowledge and with more choices. My goal would be to have a more personal connection with your clients and to service them in their own language, to create more brand loyalty. I can write, read and speak Spanish and English fluently, and would like an opportunity to meet and discuss your Hispanic market plans in more detail. I believe that I can be an asset to ____ (insurance company name).”
September 18, 2009
Yesterday I wrote about the importance of showcasing your bilingual skills to prospective employers in your cover letter (Cover Letter Tips: How to Write a Cover Letter that Showcases Your Bilingual Skills). Today I want to give you a cover letter example that demonstrates an actual business scenario, in which you can explain how being bilingual is advantageous to the company where you are applying. You will be able to see, in the sample paragraph below, how I showcased the fact that I am bilingual – along with my individual knowledge of the Hispanic market.
This example is for a bilingual sales or customer service position at a wireless company. I am going to dedicate a paragraph in the cover letter to being bilingual and to my Hispanic market experience. I will also mention some research and specific knowledge about the market. Of course, you can tailor it to your specific skills and knowledge.
Sample paragraph: “By being totally fluent in Spanish and in English, I can communicate with the company’s management as well as with the company’s clients. I understand that the Hispanic community outspends the non-Hispanic in cell phone usage; that over 65% have cell phones, and that brand loyalty is very high among Latinos, especially if they have received good personal service from a company. That is why being bilingual can be beneficial to _____ (wireless company name) and that is why I would love to become part of the team; to develop the company’s Hispanic market to the next level.”
September 17, 2009
If you are bilingual, you might want to designate a paragraph in your cover letter to specifically highlight your bilingual skills. Here’s how to do it:
Cover letter tips for showcasing your bilingual skills if you have work experience: Provide two brief business experiences, in which being bilingual helped you in your previous company.
Example 1: You can say something like “Being bilingual and being able to write, read and speak fluently in English and in Spanish has been beneficial to my current employer, especially when we had business visitors from countries in South America and when the company was looking to purchase a plant in Ecuador. In both instances, I was able to help my company communicate better.” These extra skills and examples can set you apart from the other job candidates. Read my post titled The Advantages of Being Bilingual for more thoughts on this.
Example 2: If you are fluent, let’s say in English and Spanish, you can tell the prospective employer that research shows that Hispanics like to speak their own language when purchasing a product or service, especially if they are in stage 1 or 2 of learning English (see my post The Five Stages of Becoming Bilingual for more on this) and that you can help them connect more with their customers – because you can communicate in English with management and in Spanish with the clients. Please notice that in this particular case, you are bringing up your additional knowledge of the company’s clientele and you also mentioned a research study.
Cover letter tips for showcasing your bilingual skills if you don’t have work experience yet: Provide a personal experience in which being bilingual helped you assist someone, or helped you as a volunteer with an organization, or during your internship.
Describe your personal experience: You can designate a paragraph in your cover letter to your bilingual skills, and how knowing two languages can help the specific company. You can say something like: “When volunteering at the clinic, I was able to translate between the patients and the nurses, and the rest of the medical staff, and can help your company in the same capacity.” In other words, because you lack the experience, you can bring in your volunteer work and how you’ve been able to help as a volunteer. Here, you can also mention how you were able to help a company or an organization during your internship.
Remember, the cover letter is an introduction letter of who you are to a prospective company. You need to showcase an array of your personal skills, including your bilingual skills, because they can set you apart from other candidates.
Check back tomorrow for more cover letter tips, including sample cover letters that highlight bilingual skills.
September 16, 2009
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