After reading a candidate’s cover letter, a prospective employer will review a candidate’s resume next, which should offer more details on the credentials of the applicant.  Most resumes are chronological and offer the work experience, education, and attributes of the candidate pertinent to the job opening, and offer to provide the company references upon request.

It is very important to set yourself apart from other candidates by highlighting your accomplishments at previous jobs, like ‘exceeded sales goals by 15% each year’, or ‘achievements include…’, or ‘Was awarded employee of the year five consecutive years’.  In my opinion, another way to set yourself apart is by providing the reader of your resume with more details about who you are after work. The resumes that I remember the most are those that include experiences such as internships or volunteer work.  I also like to see the candidate’s involvement in clubs or organizations, especially if they don’t have much work experience yet.

Please remember that no personal data (such as age or marital status) is required for resumes.  Initially, job candidates should not provide the prospective employer with references or salary history.  The company will ask the job candidate for references and salary history when they are more interested in hiring the particular candidate.

A candidate needs to show the company his/her specific leadership skills and abilities in both the cover letter and in the resume.  Also, as I mention here and here, it is important to target and customize the resume and cover letter to a specific employer, rather than sending a ‘generic’ cover letter and resume. It’s the job of the candidate to impress the company, and a well-written cover letter and resume can create that exceptional and essential first impression.

The cover letter is an introduction letter, which highlights a candidate’s specific skills and talents. Its’ purpose is to give the prospective employer an overall idea of who the candidate is, and quickly describes his or her individual credentials. The cover letter aims to set the writer apart from hundreds of other candidates.  Each sentence should make an impact on the reader. The tone of the cover letter should be positive, confident, and concise (the cover letter should be no longer than one page).

In the first paragraph, the candidate should state a reason for writing to the company, the position he/she is applying for, and what attracted him/her to work at the specific company.  They can also provide the company with the source; where they learned about the job opening.

In the next couple of short paragraphs, the candidate needs to provide a professional description of who he/she is, and why his/her qualifications match the description of the job opening.  As part of the description, the candidates should include a quick synopsis of his/her education, knowledge, experience, and why it is relevant to the job and to the company.

To close, the candidate needs to be assertive and offer a plan to the receiver of the letter, like ‘I will be calling you next Tuesday to discuss the possibility of meeting at the end of next week’.  The job seeker also needs to mention that he/she is enclosing his/her resume, and needs to finish the letter by thanking the reader for their time, and for considering her or him for the position.

The job applicant needs to make sure that the cover letter has accurate contact information, including telephone number, cell number, e-mail address, and complete mailing address.  He/she needs to sign the cover letter with pride, knowing that he/she did a good job at giving a quick synopsis of his/her credentials to the company.

For more cover letter tips, read these posts:

Cover Letter Tips: The Three Biggest Cover Letter Mistakes

Cover Letter Tips: How to Write a Cover Letter E-mail

Cover Letter Tips: How to Write a Cover Letter that Showcases Your Bilingual Skills

Be sure to check out the new bilingual jobs posted at www.bilingualjobfair.com… your next job could be waiting!

1. The first paragraph is not impactful enough to make the reader go to the next paragraph. Don’t start a cover letter with something like “I am currently looking for a position…”.  So is everybody else who applies for the job. Instead, think long and hard about your individual traits, experience and attributes.  Present your uniqueness to the company right away, in a memorable and professional first paragraph.  For example, you can start with something like this: “Out of all of the job openings in the Los Angeles area, the position for marketing manager appealed the most to me because I can create advertising and marketing campaigns and use my experience in both fields. Plus, the opportunity to use my bilingual skills while providing customer service to the Latino community is the most attractive part of the job to me.” Doesn’t that sound more interesting than making a statement that you are ‘looking for a position’?

2. The candidate does not present who they are in the cover letter. This is the most important aspect of the cover letter; to accurately portray who you are to the company, to discuss what sets you apart from the rest of the stack of resumes the company gets each day and to showcase your abilities to the employer.  We see a trend these days, in applicants concentrating on applying for many jobs in one day (volume) rather than on individual quality applications to specific companies.  As such, many job candidates have ‘generic cover letters’ that they send out for every position, rather than specifically addressing the person they are writing to and tailoring the letter to the specific job opening.  The same format and words do not apply to every job opening, and applicants need to take the time to tailor their cover letters to make a good first impression.  To learn more about introducing yourself to a company, take a look at the Bilingual Job Search Tips: How to Write an Inquiry E-Mail and ‘Cover Letter Tips: How to Write a Cover Letter E-mail’.

3. The cover letter has incorrect grammar or several words are misspelled in the letter. Simply stated, these days there is no excuse for misspelled words in an inquiry e-mail or in a cover letter, especially when we have spell check on our computers.  To be honest, when I receive an e-mail or a cover letter with several misspelled words, I assume that the applicant does not have enough pride in checking his or her work prior to sending it to me, or enough drive to do what’s right.  I conclude that I do not want him or her representing my company with the same lack of pride and drive. So before you send it, spell-check it, because it could cost you great opportunities if you don’t.

Following is an example of a cover letter e-mail you can use that showcases language skills:

Cover Letter E-Mail Sample in Response to a Posted Job Opening

To: E-mail address specified in the job description, or the email address of a specific person in the company (Remember, check spelling!)

Subject: The job title in the advertisement and/or the job reference number (Be sure to CAPITALIZE THE JOB TITLE!)

Mr. or Mrs.______ (or use Director of Human Resources for ______ the Name of Company),

Today I saw your position of ‘English as a Second Language teacher’ at Coastal Carolina Community College advertised on the Daily News web site.  I received my undergraduate degree in Education in 1989 and my Master’s degree in Education in 1992.  I have been teaching at both the high school and community college level for the past twenty years.  I have recently relocated to this area and feel my background is a solid fit for the position you have available.

In addition to the fact that I have taught for twenty years, I am bilingual myself.  I have volunteered in the community where I am from, and have participated in outreach programs to increase the numbers of foreign students attending the community college.  I love what I do, and would like the opportunity to sit down with you for an interview.  My contact information is listed below.

Your time and consideration is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Jane Doe
Complete Address
Phone number
Cell number
E-mail Address

Keep in mind that the cover letter e-mail can be your first step in the door. Before sending your cover letter e-mail, you can have someone else proofread your e-mail, to make sure that you are making a good impression and differentiating your credentials and experience from those of other potential candidates. For more advice on writing a cover letter e-mail, read this post.

Following is an example of an inquiry email you can use if you are bilingual:

Inquiry E-mail Sample:

To: email address for the Human Resources department  (Addressing the e-mail to a specific person is preferable.)

Subject: Nursing Educator Position

Mr. or Mrs.______ (or use Director of Human Resources for ______ the Name of Company),

My background in the fields of Nursing and Education makes me a good fit for a Nursing Educator position at your hospital.  In addition, I am fluent in both English and Spanish.  Therefore I could teach Nursing to your employees who have a bilingual background, or who use English as a second language.

I understand the increasing need for employees in this area of the country to service the Latino population.  As an Educator, I could not only teach Nursing skills to the staff, but also teach them basic Spanish for the workplace.  Being bilingual has been beneficial to my current employer, while working as a Nurse in the Emergency Room.  Often, sick and injured patients come into the ER and no one is able to understand what they are trying to communicate.  Understanding their language can be the difference between life and death.

It is with great interest that I am submitting my resume for your consideration.  I feel that my skills, along with your reputation as the top hospital in the Miami/Dade area would be a great match!  My contact information is below.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Jane Doe
Complete Address
Phone number
Cell number
E-Mail address

1. Tailor your e-mail to the the specific company and the specific position you are applying for. Do some homework on the company you are targeting.  Learn all you can about who they are, what they are trying to achieve, who comprises their customer base, what their products or services are, and who their competitors are.  That way, your e-mail can more specifically describe how your skills help them meet their goals. (For suggestions, check out some sample cover letter paragraphs here and here.)

2. Be sure to follow the employer’s directions for sending your information. List the position you are applying for in the subject line of the e-mail, and include a reference code if directed. If the employer allows you to attach your resume, do so.

3. Pay attention to detail. Make sure to include all of your contact information within the body of the e-mail.  Check your spelling and grammar. Then, send a copy of the e-mail to yourself first, to make sure the formatting works. If everything looks good, send it on to the employer.

4. Be proactive, follow up, and stay positive! Don’t forget to thank the employer for their time and consideration in reviewing your documents.  And ask for an interview.  This is your chance to tell them you are eagerly waiting to hear from them in order to set up an interview.

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.

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.

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.

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).”