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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

What is your call to action?

When you are sending your resume and cover letter, in effect, you are sending a sales document.  You are trying to sell your skills to the business and hopefully, you have packaged them successfully enough to entice a business owner or hiring manager to read your materials. Often, with hundreds of resumes appearing for one position, you need to stand out!

Any brochure or flyer needs to have a "call to action" to encourage the reader to:
  • buy tickets,
  • attend a rally,
  • register for a workshop,
  • READ your resume
  • INVITE you for an interview!
Your cover letter gives you the opportunity to answer the question "what's in it for me?" that the person reading the cover letter will ask about why they should call you in for an interview.

If you have successfully accomplished your job of telling them why you would be a good fit for their organization, the last thing you need to do is establish your "call to action".  Here are some examples:
  • I appreciate your consideration and look forward to speaking with you if my capabilities can be of use at XYZ Corporation.
  • I look forward to meeting with you to discuss my candidacy. Thank you for your consideration.
  • I will be in New York from DATE to DATE and wondered if it would be possible to schedule an interview for that time?
  • I am available for a personal interview at your convenience.
  • I hope to schedule a personal interview at a mutually convenient time.
  • You may kindly contact me by phone at 224-224-2244 or email me at emailaddress (at) emailprovider.com
  • Kindly review the enclosed resume and consider my application for the job.
  • Enclosed is my resume and photographs of my work.  I have some great ideas for ABC Publication and hope to have the opportunity to discuss them with you.
  • If you feel that my experience and drive can benefit ABC Company in this or other positions, let's talk!
  • It will be a pleasure to meet with you at your convenience to discuss my credentials in detail.  I can be reached at the above numbers when you are ready to set up a time to meet.  I look forward to your call.
  • Would your organization benefit from these attributes? Please call me at your earliest convenience to discuss my focus on bringing a fresh perspective to the LMNOP arena.
And rather than the standard "Sincerely yours" as the line above your signature (closing), what about:
  • Enthusiatic about joining your team,
  • Until we meet,
  • Cordially, or,
  • Looking forward to the interview.
The key to getting the interview is making your cover letter and resume stand out.  Your skills have to be a pretty good fit, but, how you package it makes all the difference in the world.

What other inventive, yet professional ending paragraphs or letter closings can you suggest?

Resources used:
Employment Digest
Cover Letter Format
The Everything Cover Letter Book by Steven Graber
Cover Letters for Dummies by Joyce Lain Kennedy
Cover Letter Magic by Wendy S. Enelow and Louise M. Kursmark