Page 161 - Marky Stein - Fearless Career Change_ The Fast Track to Success in a New Field (2004)

The Accelerated Job Search

Both the color of the FedEx envelope and the urgency con-
veyed by overnight delivery create an almost irresistible urge for the
receiver to see what’s inside. FedEx can be a little expensive
though. USPS Priority Mail, also because of its red and blue motif
and its priority status, quickly captures the interest of its recipient.

Submitting a Résumé on the Internet
If you plan to submit a résumé using the Internet, be careful not to
fall into the trap of clicking on the “apply here” or “apply now”
button (usually located at the bottom of the page on your com-
puter screen).
Because this is the easiest way to apply, hundreds and even
thousands of others will be doing the same thing. Instead, we have
found that faxing your resume to the fax number on the online
advertisement is the superior way to get it noticed. You also have
the option of sending it by FedEx or USPS Priority Mail.

Cover Letter or No Cover Letter?
I’ve spoken to hundreds of people with the power to hire others.
The vast majority of these people have so little time to even read your
résumé that they consider a cover letter to be just so much more
paper to “wade” through. I don’t recommend that you write a cover
letter unless it is explicitly asked for. If you happen to need a cover let-
ter because you’ve spotted a written request for it, please see the fol-
lowing sample approach cover letter to use as your guide.

Q Letters

A Q letter (or qualifications letter) is a special kind of cover letter, and
I highly recommend its use. It can be submitted with or without a
résumé. Using the same type of quantifiable statements you created
for your résumé, a Q letter gives the employer a swift and efficient
glance at how your qualifications stack up to the requirements of
the job.
Q letters have been amazingly effective for people who have
used them. You will see in the following sample Q cover letter that
they certainly meet our “seven-second first look” requirements.
They’re an attention getter, they communicate relevant data in
a concise format, and hiring managers report that they like them.

143