Job searches need to start letter-perfect

By Andrea Kay
Gannett News Service

Do you hardly ever hear back from employers when you respond to a job opening? It might have something to do with the letter you sent.

Most people make one major blunder: They spend hours crafting a letter packed with the wrong information. Such a letter goes something like this:

"The job you have open for Director of Customer Service seems to be the next logical step in my career. I am looking for a position that offers security and a company that will appreciate my 10 years of experience and skills in customer service."

Employers have their own problems on their mind: finding someone who can help them solve their problems. If you want to get the job, address this.

Take a lesson from an employer who told this story to the editors of WZ.com about how he found his perfect employee. He ran an ad in his community newspaper that described the job, environment, hours and pay and listed a phone number.

When people called the phone number they heard a three-minute message giving details about the job. At the end, the message instructed interested parties to hand-write a letter, telling why the employer should hire them.

Out of about 113 people who listened to the message, only 12 sent handwritten letters.

Moral of the story: When you respond to an opening, tell the employer what they want to know: why they should hire you. And remember, the only reason they would want to hire you is because of what you can do for them. That means you'd tell them about the specific skills, knowledge and experience you have to make their business better.