Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 3, 1994 TAG: 9407220033
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: F3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Camille Wright Miller
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A: That you understand a cover letter should accompany a resume sets you apart from many job seekers. Susan J. Friedman, director of personnel for Franklin Memorial Hospital, finds that receiving an unaccompanied resume "makes it difficult to determine what position a candidate is seeking. In a time when there are more applicants than positions, the cover-less resume receives less attention."
Friedman notes that one's letter and resume is the only impression of you immediately available to personnel officers. She, therefore, suggests that cover letters be carefully reviewed for spelling and grammatical errors. While Friedman sees brief letters as acceptable, she encourages letter writers to include the following information: the position applied for and how you learned of the opening (for example, "I am applying for the position of president which I saw advertised in the Roanoke Times ad on June 23rd" or "Mr. Jones of XYT Inc. advised me that you have an opening in your accounting department."); your date of availability; availability for interviews and restrictions on when you are available for interviews; and anything you're currently doing that can't be included on your resume, such as enrollment in a training course.
An additional use for the cover letter, Friedman offers, is as a forum for "highlighting particular experiences that fit the position, but which don't stand out clearly on the resume." If components of former jobs support your application for a position, you can briefly detail that information on your letter.
Finally, Friedman has found that candidates who "have some enthusiasm coming through their letter receive special attention." That enthusiasm is conveyed by statements as general as "I've heard that your organization is an exciting place to work" or "Your company has an excellent reputation in the community."
Q: A co-worker voices strong opinions about the merits of his political candidate and his political point of view. He then asks me what I think. My response would offend him, so I've kept it to myself. How can I keep a good working relationship good and get the political agenda off my desk?
A: If he wants lively conversations to explore various sides of a question, offer to discuss political points of view over lunch. If you're comfortable with those debates, suggest they be continued outside the office. Make clear, in a friendly manner, that you aren't comfortable having such topics raised in your office.
If your colleague isn't open to discussion and wants simply to disparage other points of view, set conversation limits. Offer limits by saying something like, "I appreciate your interest in my opinions and I'm happy to give them when we discuss the news. I'm not comfortable discussing politics." Then shift the conversation by asking his opinion about something other than politics.
If you try the latter tact, he should understand. If your colleague makes additional attempts to discuss politics, reinforce your position and control the conversation by reminding him that politics is something you never discuss in public.
Q: It goes against my grain having to remind superiors at work of how much I'm achieving. Doesn't my supervisor's job include keeping track of my accomplishments? If I have to remind my boss, how do I gauge when I've gone past the "squeaky wheel" to "grating irritation"?
A: Some supervisors are less meticulous in record keeping than others, some supervisors don't see everything which is accomplished, and, in addition to supervisory duties, most supervisors have their own work load to complete. For these reasons, employees should always provide the information supervisors need to accurately and fully evaluate performance.
Simply stated, to succeed you must serve as your own public relations agent on an on-going basis.
Keep a running list of major accomplishments and general duties. Review this list at the end of every week to ensure accuracy and completeness. This list can be used to update your resume - a daunting task if you haven't kept records.
Suggest to your supervisor that you'd like to submit updated performance reports, at the end of each month or quarter, to be included in your file. By providing these reports regularly, you draw attention to your accomplishments, keep your supervisor informed, and you don't appear to be demanding constant praise for work you've completed.
by CNB