Job Tips: How to Go that Extra Mile to Win That Interview & Get Hired!

In our last article about finding employment in a tough economy (read it here) we discussed tips for the job interview. Today, we'll provide a few other tips about how to win that interview in the first place.

The first thing to accept is that when in a down market, there is much more competition for every worthy employment opening. This means that although you might have been one of a dozen or so candidates, it is not uncommon to be caight in triple the number of applications today. You have a much greater chance of having your application lost in a pile than ever before.

You need all the help you can get to get noticed and that means using a few marketing tactics to get your résumé or application to stand apart. The best way to do this is take advantage of the cover letter. Think of your cover letter as a 30 second commercial for your application. How good or bad it is will determine how the rest of your résumé is received and considered.

Cover Letter Tip 1: Do Your Research & Customize

Again, remember that the manager or recruiter is reading hundreds of pages of documents that all look the same. This gets even worse is you are applying online because all applications are submitted in the same digital format. 99% of the time, applicants type the same "objective" of 'blah blah blah" that is the same as everyone else. It does not hurt to do some research of the potential employer by going to their website. Try and repeat some facts or statements to demonstrate that you are willing to go that extra mile to get a shot at impressing them further.

Cover Letter Tip 2: Say Something that Grabs Attention

We've seen résumés that start with compelling quotes and even questions. It's not typical but just like the headline of a good newspaper story, it works. State something bold and authentic but avoid controversy or shock value - unless the position requires shock and awe.

Cover Letter Tip 3: Be Brief and Amazing

Trust us when we tell you that managers and recruiters are speed readers with short memories. It's not that they are trying to be negligent or give less attention than every applicant deserves, but scanning is a necessity. So too much information will ultimately work against you. We like to use a woman's skirt as a rule of thumb. Make your cover letter long enough to cover the important parts, but short enough to be interesting and not mistaken for grandmother's dress.

Cover Letter Tip 4: Use Design Formatting When You Can

Nothing burns the eyes and hurts the brain like a single wall a text on a page. Every word processor program has basic formatting functions like bold, italics and size of font. Use them properly but don't overdo it. And avoid cheesy formatting like using Comic Sans and cute colors. This isn't a scrap booking contest. It is a professional application for employment.

There's a lot of advice out there on how to write a cover letter. And it is important to follow the basic rules and meet standard expectations. But the problem is everybody else out there is making the same cookie-cutter cover letters and you risk getting lost in the pile.

Just like most companies depend on effective marketing, so does your résumé when applying for employment in a sea of competition. The cover letter is an effective way to do this. Go that extra mile and you've just set yourself apart and grabbed an edge in your quest to win that interview.

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