in
Forums
M&M,
In the interview series cast on cover letters, you discuss closing with a commitment to follow up by such-and-such date. How about when one submits a resume against opening on Monster or the like where the hiring manager's name (or even the recruiter's for that matter) isn't known? Should one omit the 3rd paragraph in that case?
In a similar vein, what should one put in the salutation of a letter where the recipient is unknown? I have always used "Dear Sir or Madam:", but it has been suggested to me to use "Dear Recruiter:".
Advice?
Cover letters & following up
The solution is simple: Never send a resume to someone who's name you don't know. Do the research, make the phone calls, until you find out their name.
Your resume is powerful; don't just send it to anyone. Networking and research are much more likely to get you a good position than sending out your resume onto Monster and Dice.
John
Cover letters & following up
[quote="jhack"]The solution is simple: Never send a resume to someone who's name you don't know. Do the research, make the phone calls, until you find out their name.
Your resume is powerful; don't just send it to anyone. Networking and research are much more likely to get you a good position than sending out your resume onto Monster and Dice.
John[/quote]
Thanks, but your answer doesn't help if one is responding to a confidential opening or if one chooses to respond to a Monster or Dice posting.
Cover letters & following up
I'm not trying to be obtuse, but I will hold fast to the notion that I won't send a resume to a PO box.
Confidential? Is there not even a recruiter to work with? How can you know if the position is with a company you'd want to work for?
Likewise Monster, etc: the listing doesn't have a company name?
If you have a company name, start calling the company, or work with your network. Most company recuiters don't mind having their name known, and the receptionist will direct them to you.
I'm just recommending that your cover letter will stand out if you've gone to the trouble to track down the real person.
John
Cover letters & following up
BLUF: Sending resumes to “organizations” is okay… sending them to [u]people[/u] is much, MUCH better, in part, because you can have a focused cover letter with a closing.
While I respect John’s perspective, I would suggest that it is okay to post for positions through Monster. However, I would be take great care about sending personal information if I didn’t know the company. I’ll go way out on a limb here and say, [u]in some cases[/u], it’s okay to put your resume on the site (with only your contact email). That is how I got my current job. A recruiter contacted me through email because of my resume posted on Monster. Just be careful about what you’re putting out there. As John says, your resume is valuable…especially if it has your name, address, phone number, etc.
One last…very important point: The recommendations around cover letters assume you have a contact with someone. You cannot follow these recommendations half-way and expect the same level of success. You can spend a lot of energy trying to change the system to make it work the way you “want”. Instead, I urge you to change your approach to be more effective.
Why not put your energy into establishing personal contacts with people and recruiters so that you can leverage the great suggestions provided? I know…easier said than done. The best things in life aren’t always easy.
CC
Cover letters & following up
I fully understand P's problem. Sometimes you come across an incredibly juicy opportunity that the recruiter or organization NEEDS to keep quiet.
Maybe there is an incumbent that they want to replace, maybe there is a reorg coming. Whatever. Sometimes there is just no way to find out who you are dealing with. Given that P is dealing with a less than ideal situation (and what experienced manager has not dealt with those), anyone have some idea how to deal with this situation?
*RNTT
Cover letters & following up
if this is such a secret job, wouldnt they expect you to have a generic greeting such as dear recruiter?
Cover letters & following up
Hmmmm, tough question!
I do think it's amazing how much you can find out by just calling the company - I've had all sorts of candidates find me. And even if you just call the recruitment/HR team, you are following up. So I think it's fine to leave in the third para.
If you really can't find a person, then dear recruiter is fine too. I always use Dear Sir/Madam, but never feel comfortable with it. Dear recruiter is a nice compromise.
Wendii