Cover Letters
Cover Letters
(OP)
How to Write a an excelant cover letter?
what are HR personnel looking for?
Mfgenggear
what are HR personnel looking for?
Mfgenggear
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RE: Cover Letters
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
http://mmcengineering.tripod.com
RE: Cover Letters
RE: Cover Letters
Addressed to someone specific, not just HR. Do your research here.
An very brief introduction as to who you are and why you are applying for the position. How you can help the company.
Inclusion of your contact information, to include your personal website, and I do not mean Facebook.
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
http://mmcengineering.tripod.com
RE: Cover Letters
Even 12 or so years ago you could have a generic CV/Resume and just customize the cover letter each time pointing out your relevant experience & interests etc.
Now it seems like they expect the resume to be customized and many places don't really allow for a cover letter as such on their online applications etc.
Of course, if you're managed to find a 'name' to contact rather than a faceless HR inbox etc. then it may still have merit in which case do as Zdas & M^2 say. Don't make it too long just a few short paragraphs to show you have some idea what the company does and how you could help them/fit in etc.
Though I'm not in HR so what would I know.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Cover Letters
Clear, to the point, concice, precise with correct spelling and gramma.
Regards
Pat
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RE: Cover Letters
I take constructive advice well.
Yes I get in a hurry or to much sugar in my Tea.
Lol
Thanks
Mfgenggear
RE: Cover Letters
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
http://mmcengineering.tripod.com
RE: Cover Letters
Written English was never my strong point. I can but try. I expect my limitations in that regard limited my career opportunities at times. I guess it was offset by other aspects when I made successful applications.
Regards
Pat
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RE: Cover Letters
Consider the modern conundrum: hiring managers must wade through a tsunami of resumes. The filtering process is no longer surgical, it's done with a bulldozer. Craft yours so that it stands out from the herd. I had a discussion with a hiring manager and he told me for every position posted, the HR Weasels get 2000 electronic resumes. HR filters the stack to 200 for review. The hiring manager opened each resume and pressed the F7 key for spellcheck. If ANYTHING popped up, he deleted the resume without looking. I informed him that most spellcheck dictionaries find fault with engineering terminology. <deer in headlights> And THIS level of chowderheadedness is everywhere in the management ranks. Beware.
I keep a quote from "Elements of Style" by Strunk & White, a journalist's bible of sorts, recommended by my journalist-parents:
Eliminate needless words. Vigorous writing is concise.
I love that quote. But I violate it all the time. Good writing is darn hard work.
TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering
www.bluetechnik.com
RE: Cover Letters
I'm sure I can dredge up other examples.
Cheers
Greg Locock
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RE: Cover Letters
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Cover Letters
I agree my posting should have been more correct & better explained.
I am limited on the time I can spend typing, & my typing skills are not really that great, I do use spell check but it does not catch it all.
I do appreciate all the replies,
I will follow up later with more in depth questions.
Thanks
Mfgenggear
RE: Cover Letters
RE: Cover Letters
secondly it use to be that an applicant would put his or hers accomplishments on the cover letter. is that still applicable?
It's easier said than done to explain 33 years of experience in one cover letter so there's the question.
I purposely made the question vague as not to narrow the amount of responses, & not lose thinking out of the box.
This may not have been the best approach. LOl.
Sincerly
Mfgenggear
RE: Cover Letters
Work experience goes in a resume.
If you are able to secure an interview, that is when you wow them with your experience :)
RE: Cover Letters
I appreciate your comment.
Most of all of my past employers had hired me by reference from previous co-workers & Friend "word of mouth"
thats why I am having difficulty with this now.
the manufacturing industry is leaving my area so it's harder
to obtain work locally.
Mfgenggear
RE: Cover Letters
Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Cover Letters
Dear Friends & co Engineers
I have a question for you all, I have been considering on how to write an effective cover letter.
1st) How to get the attention of that HR person so he or she does not trash that resume of mine.
2nd) What should be the context of the letter. an other words what should it state.
3rd) Finally what is the best format.
Yes I understand spelling & grammar are a must!
Thank You Very Much in Advance
Senior Manufacturing Engineer
Mfgenggear
RE: Cover Letters
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
http://mmcengineering.tripod.com
RE: Cover Letters
maybe I'm maybe I'm not :>)
Happy Easter have a good weekend
Take Care
Mfgenggear
RE: Cover Letters
If that where your first post my first reply would be that you already seem to have it pretty well under control.
Remember HR typically have a short attention span (maybe due to huge numbers of inappropriate applications to wade through) and they have limited ability to understand technical details or resultant implications.
Use a very few critical points that they should see as a real advantage for you.
It should be in well spaced short points form like your last post
It should simply state I feel I have good reason to bring this to your attention. Bla bla bla.
For more details please review my attached resume or call me to discuss.
Regards
Pat
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RE: Cover Letters
If you follow the route of Cover Letter etc., you are certainly still part of the herd and may get lost in the tsunami. I always thought the more direct approach is better. But it is exceedlingly hard to navigate past the gatekeepers and violate protocol by bypassing "normal procedures". If you can contact the hiring authority directly, you are well ahead of the pack. To do this requires effective skills in research, schmoozing, phone tag, dodging the gate keepers, sincerity, cleverness, and tenacity. And a skin thick enough to shrug off rejection. If you actually contact the Hiring Authority, then you must then use highly-developed cold-call sales techniques to get your message across in the available 47 milliseconds. But this is a very fine line to walk because you could either be seen as a hyper-agressive anarchist or that real go-getter they've been looking to hire.
If successful contact is made, THEN the cover letter becomes much more effective becuase they actually remember you and have a personality connection.
This has been discussed elsewhere on this forum. Perhaps you would dig deeply and find more posts on this topic for insight. But I have always found that this approach, coupled with honesty & sincerity about my situation, was more successful.
TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering
www.bluetechnik.com
RE: Cover Letters
bigginingbeginning of this post should had been written.Dear Friends &
coFellow EngineersI have a question for you all, I have been considering on how to write an effective cover letter.
personWeenie so he or she does not trash that resume of mine.anIn other words, what should it stateYes I understand spelling & grammar are a must!
And a certain facility will the available textural enhancements used in moderation and not so it looks like a poster for the junior prom night; no flashing flower chain borders or any of the other crap Microsoft include, but some subtle enhancements to readability may help and demonstrate that you are familiar with some of the features of the programs you use. So essential in an engineer but for some reason, excusable in a media studies student.
Thank You Very Much in Advance
Senior Manufacturing Engineer
Mfgenggear
JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
RE: Cover Letters
RE: Cover Letters
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Cover Letters
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
http://mmcengineering.tripod.com
RE: Cover Letters
Spelling errors, random capitalizations, non-agreement of subject and verb, wrong punctuation, etc. landed many resumes in the trash. I could picture myself having to deal with the person's bad reports and specifications and said, "no thanks."
RE: Cover Letters
RE: Cover Letters
You write 2 versions. 1 is a generic version that can be passed around with your resume at job fairs/conferences/job posting sites.
The 2nd version, you constantly update and give to companies...where you talk about what they do, and how your skills will fit into it and help them further their goals.