Cover Letter Strategies

Working From Home Requires Heightened Professionalism

by Pamela J. La Gioia, Owner of Telework Recruiting and Mommys Place

Every so often, when I post a job lead on my web site or in my newsletter, I receive a response from a reader without a cover letter or resume. That frustrates me. Not because I’m offended. It’s because I know that until this person develops a professional attitude about working from home it’s likely he will never get hired.

Home-based employment has come a long way since envelop-stuffing and craft-assembly. Many companies are now starting out and staying online, which has led to a dramatic increase in the number and variety of home-based jobs. Real jobs, in fields such as accounting, teaching, researching, nursing, human resources and more. Jobs that may requires some higher education at most, and hands-on experience at least.

With the present state of the economy and rate of unemployment it is more crucial than ever to effectively sell one’s self to a prospective employer. Employers will often invest hundreds or even thousands of dollars to post their ‘Help Wanted’ ads to online job boards or in newspapers. They do that with the hopes of attracting the right candidate; someone who will help their company make money. In other words, the want a return on their investment.

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Therefore, why would anyone that is looking for work---home-based or otherwise---think that an employer won’t notice (or care) if they neglect to send a cover letter and resume?

Imagine, for just a moment, that you are an employer. You need someone skilled in data entry to put together and maintain a large mailing list. You pay a major online job board $1,000.00 to post a job advertisement for you. Your ad reads:

“Experienced data entry person needed. Please state your fee per 100 alpha-numeric records of 4 fields.

Please reply to: abc@myjob.com .

You now wait anxiously for the responses to flow in.

E-Mail Response One:

“Dear Sir or Madame:

I am very interested in the data entry position. Although I do not have data entry experience, I am an excellent typist and a quick learner. My fee is negotiable.”

Point one:

Where in the ad did it read that training was available? To the contrary! It said, “Experienced data entry person needed”.

Point two:

The employer does not indicate that he wishes to haggle over your fee. He stated that he wants to know your fee upfront.

Result: E-mail get deleted.

E-mail Response Two:

“Dear Sir or Madame:

I’m very interested in the data entry position. Attached is my resume.”

Not very warm or personable, is this? Is it too much trouble for this applicant to write up a cover letter?

Point:

Even though this is a virtual position, there is still a human being receiving your e-mail. They need to be wooed by you just as much as a non-virtual employer.

Result: Move to folder ‘Responses Received’, but keep looking for someone better.

E-mail Response Three:

“Dear Sir or Madame:

I am responding to your data entry ad posted on Gorilla.com. I am very interested in applying for the position.

I’ve attached and pasted my resume for your review. As you will see, I have several years of data entry experience. I hope that you will find this experience helpful to you.

As you requested, I am stating my fee. My normal charge for 100 alpha-numeric records of four fields is $80.00. I have a proven accuracy rate and would be happy to provide references from several satisfied clients.”

Point one:

“I am responding to your data entry ad posted on Gorilla.com.”

This tells the employer that the money spent for advertising on that job board is yielding results. That is very helpful information for him.

Point two:

“As you will see, I have several years of data entry experience.”

This tells the employer before he opens the resume that he will probably be finding the qualifications he is looking for.

Point three:

“I’ve attached and pasted my resume…”

Very considerate on the part of the applicant. The ad did not state how the resume was to be sent, so this applicant makes sure that either option is available to the employer.

Point four:

“As you requested, I am stating my fee.”

That is exactly what the employer requested. Now the employer knows upfront what this candidate expects.

With the cover letter and the resume, the employer now has all the information he asked for . He knows he has a good candidate. Unless someone much better comes along, this person will likely be hired.

It is quite possible that all three of the above candidates can do the job. However, since the employer is looking for someone immediately, is looking for someone experienced, and doesn’t have time to negotiate or train, E-mail Response Three is the winner. This is the e-mail with a personable, informative cover letter. This is the e-mail that spelled 'professionalism'. This is the e-mail that told the employer, “Hey, open me!”

Pamela La Gioia is Founder and Administrator of Telework Recruiting www.teleworkrecruiting.com, a premier job-lead web site that provides thousands of job leads and job resources for the US, Canada, and the UK. She is currently writing a workbook on telecommuting, which offers step-by-step guidance on finding real home-based employment. Questions or comments are welcome and can be sent to Pamela at pam@teleworkrecruiting.com.

Additional Resources >>> Career Builder :: Hot Jobs ::  Monster.com :: 6FigureJobs.com ::  TheLadders: 100k+ Jobs  :: FlipDog :: Dice :: Job.com  :: Employment Guide.com :: Jobs Excite ::  Jobserve.com :: Career Center ::  Career City :: Work Tree