With the economy the way it is today, many unemployed workers are looking harder than ever to find ways to get their foot in the door and with a lack of resources, a new, free cover letter or resume can seem like the ticket to a new job. Not all cover letters and resumes are made equal, however, so it is important to know what a good cover letter or resume looks like through the eyes of a prospective employer. This allows you to be able to include needed information into your application materials.
Free? Try Outdated
Every wonder why job placement organizations will give away a free cover letter or resume? Because they are using it as a promotional tool. You don’t need help to get a job – you just need to know how to communicate what you can do for an employer properly. Many of today’s free application materials include information that is simply no longer relevant, such as your career objective. Employers today don’t care about what their company can do for you – they want to know how you can make an immediate impact for their company if they offer you a job.
Don’t Follow Templates!
Your potential employer has the same ability to search the internet that you do. They know what templates are being used for the application materials they are receiving, and they can tell when you have used an option for a free cover letter or resume. The modern hiring manager likes to see individualized application materials – evidence you have researched their company before applying, confidence in your references by including them on the resume, and what talents or skills you can use to make an immediate impact. They do not like to see your resume created from a template that dates back to 1997 or comes from a promotional service where you simply just had to fill in the blanks with your personalized information. That shows zero creativity, and right now, organizations need highly creative employees.
Don’t Be Afraid to Just Be Yourself!
The person who knows you the best is you. Have confidence in yourself that you can provide the best free cover letter or resume about you and not some promotional service or squeeze page. You know your strengths. You know how great you can do – communicate that! Many applicants fall into a trap where they believe their applications must be perfect – that’s not the case! Hiring managers are looking for ambition – so be confident, brag about you have helped previous employers, and offer ideas on how you can help your next prospective employer on your application materials.
The bottom line is that just because something is free doesn’t mean that it has any value simply because it’s free – what it means is that when you access the opportunity for a free cover letter or resume, make sure it includes the things that have been discussed here so that you can be considered the perfect candidate for the next job for which you apply.
