Pinpointing your personal strengths

One way smart leaders work toward their company’s value proposition is to ask their executives, employees, clients, customers, themselves and perhaps the general public questions that reveal what the various stakeholders value about the organization. Then they analyze and distill all this input to determine the company’s central value and find the language to communicate it.

I offer you here a process that adapts this corporate approach to your personal needs. Don’t view this as an assignment worth a casual ten minutes. Good answers may take shape over time. I recommend experimenting seriously with this process because it can produce a perspective that radically improves the content of your job-hunting communication. Good substance is always the first imperative of good writing!

A good way to engage in this process is to work with one or two other people you trust and feel comfortable with. You can focus on yourself or give everyone equal attention so everyone emerges with their own core value statement. I guarantee you’ll be happily surprised at what you learn about yourselves.

Try all or some of the following approaches:

• Explore your past history as a story. Imagine someone asks you, “So, how did you get here?” What would you say? Think about your life overall as well as your career path so far. Try answering orally. Notice what comes to the fore. Jot it down. (Chapter 8 offers more specific guidance on finding your story.)
• Analyze your experience in writing. This pushes you to think more deeply. Start at the beginning of your career or close to it, with facts such as where you were born, your family situation, your education, your first and subsequent jobs. Can you identify turning points? Milestones? Obstacles you overcame? Connections between your personal life and work choices? Write down achievements, recognition and honors of any kind in all of your life arenas.
• Focus on your assets. What natural skills did you bring to the table? What skills have you developed? What assets do you value in yourself, and what do you believe others value in you? How would you describe your ideals? Write these things down, too.

• Ask other people for input. If you’re working solo, frame some questions to ask people who know you from various standpoints: friends, ex-colleagues, partners, maybe a former supervisor. For example:

  • What do you think I’m good at?
  • What do you like about being my friend (or colleague or boss or partner)?
  • Do you believe I have any qualities that make me different from anyone else?
  • What would you say about me to a prospective employer (or friend or colleague)?
  • Does knowing me benefit you in any way? Make your life different in any way?

  Then ask yourself:

  • What am I passionately interested in? What do I care about? Read about?
  • What am I most proud of?
  • What is my highest ambition?
  • How do I want other people to see me?
  • What have I accomplished so far for my employers?
  • What have I contributed to friends? Family?
  • How do I want my work and life to fit together?
  • What activity, endeavor and/or pastime has been a constant in my life?
  • What do I want to contribute to the world?

Here’s a fun activity to bring some useful ideas to light. With a group of perhaps seven to ten people, choose a scribe. Then focus on one person at a time. Each person in turn quickly says a single word or short phrase that they feel best captures that person. The scribe scribbles each contribution down on a single sheet of paper and at the end, everyone receives their own page with the full group input. You may see a surprising consistency, and equally probable, a set of personal qualities or assets you would not have attributed to yourself.

Pulling your ideas together

Review the results of the exploratory work you did. What patterns do you see? Are there more correlations between your personal life, background and career than you expected — or fewer? How closely does your self-image accord with how others see you? Has your career path been straighter than you thought and moving in a direction you like? Can you see yourself as more persistent and effective in overcoming obstacles than you imagined?

As human beings, we share a tendency to dwell on negative aspects of our self-image and discount positive experiences. Psychologists tell us this is built into our brains and that learning to accentuate the positive is a challenge. So, if you find yourself taking a negative slant on your history and value, think again! Give yourself permission to see the positive and you will. Look past “mistakes,” missed opportunities and setbacks that bog you down. Psychotherapy and business coaching too depend on the idea that we can shift perspective on how we interpret the past and see the present. And we can fashion new endings to our own story.

When you’ve reviewed your findings, write a one-paragraph statement. There isn’t a specific formula for doing this: Every one of us truly is unique. The statement is just for yourself, and it’s provisional, so don’t get stuck in the wording. Here are a few general considerations to take stock of:

• The light that other people’s input sheds on your personal qualities, assets and skills that you haven’t recognized, take for granted or tend to discount: What did they uncover about you that you didn’t see in yourself?
• The proofs of success you identified in different parts of your life: In terms of work, did you find a way to save your employer time or money? Manage or contribute to a successful project? Are you the go-to person for something? The natural coach at work and in your personal life?
• Degree of alignment with your work: Do you now have the scope to exercise your ideals, talents and abilities? Use your best skills? Do you see progress toward your goals or a need to correct course?
• Personality factors: Often, they are more readily recognized by other people: for example, a sense of humor, adaptability, kindness, resilience. What are the qualities that make you special to the people in your life?
• Your passionate interests: Do they find expression in your work? Do you want them to? Note that when you can feel a passion or even a deep enthusiasm and curiosity for something that can relate to a job or career, you stand out. Can you see connections between different parts of your life, abilities and experience so far?

Here’s a practical lens for reviewing your own experience: Identify a combination of skills and interests that make you unusual. I know a psychologist who combined her love of horses and skills as a therapist to develop a practice in which her clients work with horses. Another acquaintance was a college athlete who studied graphic design and after a few years of basic experience, landed a job as chief designer for a national sports league. Other success stories: A musician who studied business management, a dancer with an avocation for photography, a chef who studied business management. A set of disparate-seeming skills makes an individual unique and especially marketable, leading to a satisfying career.

Even an unrelated passion is worth thought. Do you have a hobby or strong interest that relates to the job even indirectly or has helped you build your “hard” or “soft” skills? Make that connection in your materials. Think also about what you might learn that could give your expertise a whole different dimension. Employment specialists always advise investing in yourself this way in periods when the job market is limited.

Choosing a format

Traditional résumés, with variation, generally cover your life this way:

• Contact information (name, email address, home address, telephone)
• Job objective, or more often today, your self-identification (for example, “Senior Project Manager, Nonprofit Sector”)
• Summary statement of your qualifications
• Reverse chronology of your work experience with title, overview of each position, achievement highlights, dates
• Education
• Skills: knowledge, certifications (may also be called “key competencies”)
• Other categories as relevant: honors, awards, recognition; special interests; publications; volunteer experience; affiliations; certifications
• Additional contact information: How to reach you easily, plus perhaps a few of your online links if they relate to the job or desired skill set. If you wish to share your personal pronouns, this is the place to do it. (This is discussed in Chapter 5.)

Generally speaking, your résumé should keep to a single page unless you have eight to ten years of relevant experience or you’re applying for a position in a field that demands detail, such as academia.

Functional résumés, often used by freelancers but useful in many situations, open with a much more detailed version of the summary statement — perhaps half a page — that highlights skills and capabilities rather than specific employment experience. This approach also works well for consultants, gig workers and other non-staffers because someone hiring for a project wants to know what candidates can do, right now, rather than their work histories. Depending on the industry, an independent worker might supplement the résumé with an online portfolio.

Even if your goal is a staff job, adapting aspects of the functional résumé can solve a host of planning problems if the traditional format doesn’t showcase your strengths. A functional résumé is organized this way:

• Contact information
• Title and/or company name if there is one (for example, “Mark Brown, Freelance Copy Editor”; “ABC Associates, Inc., Social Media Marketing”)
• Full summary overview that specifies relevant skills
• Sampling of most significant clients and projects
• Relevant background experience (for example, former positions that relate to the project, described in narrative form)
• References, preferably relating to the gig at hand

Sidestepping presentation problems

Adapt elements of the functional résumé format if it helps put the emphasis where you want it. It’s a good way to minimize any perceived deficits. You can also juggle the traditional résumé format to put you in the best light. For example:

• Right out of school? If you lack relevant work experience, put the education section first and amplify it with your coursework and any honors. Focus on what relates to the job. Include notable experience such as leadership activities, sports, debate team, hands-on projects, assisting teachers.
• Long-term unemployment or gaps in your work history? Use the expanded functional résumé version of the summary statement and write a good narrative about your capabilities and achievements. But you do need to explain the gaps and indicate your activity during that period (more on that later in this chapter).
• Worried that you’re “too young” or “too old” for the job? Minimize the dates visually by adding them in parentheses after the job description rather than placing them in the margins. If you’re on the older end and want to avoid making the point, no law says you have to include all the jobs you’ve held. But don’t undersell yourself: Communicate your experience and expertise with pride. And if eventually you’ll have to show up in person or virtually, it’s shortsighted to mislead the reader too much.
• Trying to transition to a new field or role? Adapt the functional résumé approach and produce a strong summary statement that translates your practiced skills to the prospective job’s demands. Back this with specific experience, focusing on the most relatable elements of each position.
• Is your current or most recent job less relevant or impressive than previous ones, or does it veer off your intended career path? To keep reviewers reading past the current job description, create a more detailed summary statement to communicate the strengths that relate to your current goal.
• So many jobs you look scattershot? Find a category for whole groups and cover them with a single time frame. For example, the job title might be, “Retail Job Experience, 2012 to 2015.” Below that give each job a line of its own, such as “Managed Icy Treats Shoppe for two summers, coordinating staff of three, operating cash register, tracking inventory.” Part-time work and internships can be grouped this way, as well as summer and temporary jobs, and present a strong collective impression.

Bottom line: Customize every résumé you send out to match you up with the job specifications and play to your strengths and assets.

Using keywords: An essential

Always remember that your first reviewer in 70 percent of cases is a machine that scans your written material based on rigid algorithms. In other cases, a junior-level employee or an HR specialist who may not be familiar with your field, may be tasked with the initial screening. In only a very small operation will the decision-maker read what comes in without screening. So, a résumé’s initial goal is to get past the machine or relatively uninformed screener.

Therefore, do not expect anyone to translate your experience, abilities, skills or other qualifications to the needs of the job. That’s why you need to figure out the match points: keywords and phrases. Typically, they are nouns describing hard skills, such as presentations, safety, certification, logistics, programming, CRM, supply chain, coding, Oracle, writing. They may be more specific depending on the field and particular job. Soft skills are also represented by key words, as referred to in the “Assessing All Your Skills” section earlier in this chapter.

Also, keywords make you findable. Recruiters routinely search the Internet using their pet search terms. So, spend some time brainstorming the wording that typifies the industry and role you want. The job posting gives you the best resource. Notice the words they use and echo them. You can also look at similar ads, online industry materials, social media sites and the free Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the U.S. Department of Labor (www.bls.gov/ooh). This exhaustively describes everything each type of job requires.

Do not just add keywords to your résumé. Rather, work to translate your own descriptors into the common industry wording. And it’s legitimate to adapt your own job titles in the same spirit. On the other hand, avoid jargon and biz-speak language that readers may not necessarily understand. It often leads you to empty rhetoric that dilutes your impact.

Writing the summary statement

To guide readers to review your qualifications in the light you want, begin your résumé with a strong three- to five-line narrative capsulizing why readers should be interested in you. Rather than telling your readers what kind of job you want, tell them why you match what they want.

Effectively done, the summary embodies your job target and makes you eminently qualified for it. This can take a lot of thought so don’t be surprised if that is the case. But if you worked out your core message, as I recommend in “Knowing and Expressing Your Value” earlier in this chapter, you can easily adapt it to the purpose. For example, my young friend who applied for the arts administration job might write:

• Arts Administrator, Art Historian, Practicing Artist
• Experience and advanced training in archiving, preservation and photography. Special expertise in designing computer systems to perform administrative work more efficiently and economically. Adept at training people to use new technologies cheerfully. On every job, recognized as the go-to person when computer glitches happen.

What if you’re nearly or altogether new to the job market? Give serious thought to how you have prepared for the opportunity you want and what you will bring to it. Then figure out what in your life to date demonstrates these claims. Typically, you compete with other novices, so how you frame your own qualifications helps you stand out. An example of how a beginner might apply for a job as lab assistant:

• Medical Lab Technician
• Lab assistant with hands-on clinical skills gained through two years part-time work at New Rochelle’s Orient Technologies, concurrent with earning BSc with Honors from Candida University and maintaining 4.4 average. Strong computer skills and developed writing abilities. Fluent in Spanish.

A helpful way to develop your self-summary is to start with the job you’re aiming for — not the one you already have, if you’re already employed. Describe it as specifically as you can. If you don’t have a help-wanted posting in hand, scan online to find some in your field and look carefully at the requirements. This tells you what matters to the employer and provides you with the keywords you need. Then review your own experience and see how well you can align it with those skills and qualifications.

An interesting tactic is to invent an ad for your ideal job. Put yourself in the head of the hiring manager and describe the opportunity in detail — the role, responsibilities and challenges; essential “hard” and “soft” skills; desired experience and other qualifications. Then answer the ad you wrote. Besides giving you some useful insights into your résumé content, this helps you define what you want more closely. And in turn, this helps you recognize the right opportunities and identify ways to get there, such as learning something new or networking with a particular set of people.

The best résumés make it look as if the candidate has been preparing for the job all of their life. You achieve this not by misrepresenting your skills and qualifications, but by looking at them within the perspective called for. Strategize what deserves the most emphasis for each job, and which factors count in your favor. Often you must creatively translate the value of a skill learned elsewhere for this job. Never expect the reader to do this for you.

Discriminate among the parts of your own experience. In Jed’s case, for example, he knew that his personal avocation — painting — was not what would connect with his target job market, but rather, his practical skills. Yet the fact that he is himself an aspiring artist is relevant, because it means he will relate to the community that serves artists. He mentions this clearly, but doesn’t elaborate.

The summary statement is almost always the first — and perhaps last — part of your résumé that will be read. Use it to communicate your value to reviewers so they will be drawn to read more and orient the rest of the résumé as backup.

Building your work history section

Whether you call it Professional Experience, Employment or Work History, this section must prove the claims of your summary statement. A reverse chronology is standard. Start with your current or most recent job and present it more or less in the following order (I point out variations you can choose):

• Job title, company name and location, employment dates: You can take some liberty with titles — for example, if you were officially Third Assistant Manager for Technology, but your main job responsibility was troubleshooting, you are justified to call yourself Technology Troubleshooting Specialist. If you feel guilty about this, user lower case letters to make it generic.

  You can also choose to use a title that closely matches the job you’re applying for, assuming you can back it up. This will help keep you from being screened out by the machines. If you’re questioned on the difference between your actual title and the one you used, explain that you were trying to communicate the reality of your job functions.

  Regarding dates: If for any reason you do not wish these overly noticed, put them quietly at the end of this line or the end of the description, rather than thrusting them into the margin in bold face.

  Include a phrase explaining the places you’ve worked as necessary and helpful. If it’s a company few will recognize, identify it. For example, “Whitehead Hats, largest Midwest wholesaler of top hats with $200 million revenue.” If it’s GE, sure, people know the name, but not its scope, or the specific piece that employs you, so put that in.

• Narrative overview: Don’t start a job description with bullets! You first need to provide a succinct perspective on your main responsibilities and overall achievement. Follow with bullets that present notable accomplishments. If you have trouble writing the overview, write the bullets first and then look for the most general and encompassing bullet you wrote to expand on. For example, a magazine editor might write:

  Directed editorial, design and production of the martial arts supply industry’s leading publication. Produced 12 120-page monthly issues, overseeing a staff of nine. Increased ad revenue 19 percent over five-year tenure.

• Bulleted accomplishments: Each bullet should provide a detail of the job and whenever possible, be achievement oriented. It’s not being there that counts — the responsibilities you carried out that nobody complained about — it’s about how you made a difference. The editor might say:

  • Responsible for coordinating work of sales and editorial departments.

  But shouldn’t. This is better:

  • Created integrated team of sales professionals and editorial staff to collaborate on issue themes and facilitate ad sales.

  That sounds a whole lot less passive and boring. But better yet:

  • Introduced collaborative sales/editorial team system to create issue themes, securing 11 new advertisers in the first six months.

  The last version is better because it quantifies an achievement. Do this every time you can because it speaks every manager’s language — call it bottom line-ese. Did you save time or money? Increase efficiency? Solve a problem? Introduce something successful or innovative that accomplished a specific goal? Flaunt it! If you’ve done a decent narrative overview of your current job, as described in the preceding section, you can use bullet follow-ups to highlight your best contributions.

“Soft skills,” described earlier in this chapter, give you more ammunition for citing achievements. Some are hard to quantify, but being specific in some way helps. For example, “successfully worked on 90% remote basis for two years.” “Mentored 14 new hires and adapted onboarding processes to virtual communication.” “Oversaw transition from computer system A to system B.” “Reorganized files to speed access and decrease staff time for all departments.”

Mentally brainstorm your time at the job to identify those crystallizing specifics that prove your value. One good way is to review projects you’ve led or been part of, because those typically start with a problem and end with a successful resolution. Also look at everything that produced a tangible result: “Built a landing page that doubled the conversion rate in three months.”

Try also asking yourself, “What would have been different in my unit or organization had I not worked there?” Some of your accomplishments will be hard to translate into time or money. Get as close as you can — sometimes an anecdote or testimonial will work. For example: “Office restructuring idea identified by the CEO as among the ten best ideas of the month”; “Class op-ed writing assignment published in regional newspaper”; “Managed intern program rated 92 percent effective by participants.”

Treat earlier jobs similarly, with a short opening narrative amplified with bullet points. Logically, each previous job merits less territory than the more recent one, but don’t short-shrift an earlier job if it relates best to the role you want.

Showing off strengths

Here are a few more ways to adapt the presentation to your strengths and the job’s demands:

• Create a Professional Highlights section. This is especially useful if you want to minimize the impact of your chronology. To focus on your capabilities, make this Highlights section a star attraction by putting it right up front before listing your jobs. This approach enables you to work in your soft skills gracefully and provide a substantial perspective on your assets. A simple rundown of the positions — in effect, where the experience was developed — can follow. This is a good tactic for a highly experienced job-seeker, a career switcher or someone reentering the job market. See the section on choosing a format earlier in this chapter to help with this.
• Work in testimonials. If a professor said you were the best accounting student he ever had, or a former boss agrees to acclaim your contributions, use the accolades to strengthen your hand. Sometimes even a coworker or friend who looks to you for related help can add spice. Give some thought to graphic presentation for testimonials. You might add a statement at the very bottom or box it in a good place.
• Add an Areas of Expertise or Professional Skills section to clearly communicate your capabilities. Include certifications, licenses and languages you can speak or write. Or, add a Professional Development section if you’re in a fast-moving field like technology. Even if you’re in a slower-changing field, indicate that you care enough about your field and skill building to take advantage of courses, workshops and training opportunities.
• Include pastimes and hobbies. These are helpful to cover if they’re relevant to the job, like flying model airplanes if you’re an engineer; if they speak to your perseverance, like winning dressage competitions or climbing mountains; or if they speak to leadership and initiative, like starting an astronaut fan club. If you think they’re interesting, they may help you connect with reviewers as conversation starters, but be sure they are not controversial (for example, a political affiliation or gun club).
• Include a Community Service section. This has become a valuable part of people’s credentials in our socially conscious world. Activities not job-related can help you come across as a caring, involved person, and who doesn’t respond to that? Such a section is also useful if you’ve been out of work for a long time, or if thus far it’s what you mainly have to show rather than work experience. Unpaid work does count! If you taught free classes in tax preparation while out of work as an accountant, that’s a lot more impressive than looking like you sat around the house. But don’t call it volunteer work. Call it community service.
• Incorporate an Honors section. Scan your school years as well as job history and personal life for these. Use your judgment about what to include — if you’re applying for an engineering job the employer might not want to know you were the champion seller of Girl Scout cookies in your troop, but they well might care if they’re hiring a salesperson or PR specialist.
• Include a Personal Assets section to present your soft skills. Some examples include your ability to work without supervision, handle remote communication media, adapt to fast change, maintain poise under pressure, learn new skills quickly. This works well if you’re relatively new to the world of work, but tie the claim to facts as much as possible.
• Explain employment gaps. Why leave those unaccounted-for years open to interpretation? Basically, tell the truth. Most employers are entirely open to erratic career paths today knowing that so much is out of the individual’s control. If the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 derailed your career, say so. If you were caring for a child or relative, say so. If you tried your hand as an independent consultant, that’s fine, no matter that you didn’t wildly succeed. But be prepared to speak of the experience and outcome, as well as why you now prefer a staff job. Explaining gaps may be better done in a cover letter rather than résumé, but if your résumé shows holes that may provoke serious questions, consider including a line such as, “occupied with family needs.”
• Make the most of your progress. If you were promoted after three months, say so. If you were the youngest regional manager ever appointed, say so. Especially if you’ve held one or more long-term jobs, it’s important and inspiring to make your progression obvious. You can incorporate these successes in the job narratives or in a highlight statement.

Do not include any information that trivializes your experience. If for example your administrative assistant duties included organizing meetings, overseeing supplies and filing, leave out filing, unless you’re going for a job where it’s important or you can cite some specific accomplishments related to that work. You do not need to include everything you’ve ever done or every detail of a job. Doing so tells the résumé reader at the least that you can’t discriminate the wheat from the chaff. Worse, including the least significant tasks distracts readers from absorbing the higher-level work and may lead them to value you less than they otherwise would.

One more piece of advice: Make it look good. Aim for an inviting, accessible presentation that reads easily. This means:

• Keep good margins and plenty of white space rather than cramming in more information that few will read.
• Use a plain, legible typeface in at least 10-point type for body copy and a bigger version of the same font, or one other coordinating typeface, for headings.
• Don’t use fancy fonts that may not even translate between platforms, especially for your name.
• Arrange your elements in a logical way; most reviewers prefer a standard format so you don’t need to get creative and invent your own, unless you’re a graphic designer who needs to show that skill off (but still do not sacrifice clarity and accessibility).

If a video résumé is appropriate to your industry, check out Chapter 12 for guidelines.

Planning a cover letter

The basic decision-making system I introduce in Chapter 2 and apply to email in Chapter 6 works for cover letters, too. Start by focusing your goal. While your ultimate purpose is to get a job or secure a contract, as with the résumé itself, you rarely achieve this result from paperwork alone. The letter is best viewed as a personal introduction to your résumé. Or, in some cases, it may serve as the whole application.

Your audience is critical, so think about what will connect with the particular person you’re writing to. When you give some thought to what someone on the employer’s side worries about and hopes to find in a candidate, it’s surprisingly easy to figure it out. In all cases, envision harried, pressured professionals facing hundreds of applications and happy to say no to as many hopefuls as they can, the sooner the better.

Never treat the cover letter as an afterthought. Most of your competitors invest all their energy into résumés and tack on careless, perfunctory notes rather than letters. Take advantage of this. The bonus is that the process of planning a letter yields insights on how to stand out.

Use the strategy outlined in Chapter 6 for email: Brainstorm a list of the points you may want to make. Consider the following questions to find content ideas:

• What personal facets are you unable to include in the application that would animate your bid?
• Do you have any connection with your reader or the organization worth referring to — a common acquaintance or alma mater, for example?
• What key qualifications and qualities is the organization looking for — and what are your most salient match points?
• Does your personal story give you an anecdote that epitomizes your enthusiasm for the field or how you prepared for it, overcame major obstacle, applied out-of-the-box thinking, used a relevant skill, learned something and so on? (Chapter 8 shows you how to develop your own story to draw on.)
• How can your cover letter embody the qualities the organization seeks (for example, leadership, initiative, adaptability, creativity, attention to detail)?
• Why do you want this opportunity? Can you say something genuine and positive about your motivation? Show enthusiasm?
• What can you say that is genuine and positive about the person or organization you’re applying to? And why do you think this is a good match?

Opening with pizzazz

It’s always worth taking trouble with your letter’s opening sentence and paragraph. Like email, letters should get to the point as quickly as possible and focus on what most matters to readers so they are enticed to keep reading. But often, letters need context. If you’re responding to a job ad, you’re probably impelled to begin along the lines, “I’m writing in response to your ad for an SEO specialist in the Daily Techie’s July 1 issue, page 13.”

If you’re delivering the letter as an email, use the subject line to identify your reason for writing: “Application for Software Engineering Job #1465.” But if it’s a physical letter, avoid a boring lead this way: At the top of the letter, preferably on the right-hand corner, type “In application for the SEO specialist job, Daily Techie July 1.” Then you can begin the letter more like this: “I began inventing computer software at the age of 9 using a flashlight in the dark because I was supposed to be in bed.” Or, “For years my goal has been to work for Soapstone Unlimited because … .” Or a simple, straightforward statement can work (use your judgment): “As a Topsy Software developer with seven years’ experience, I see your job opportunity as an ideal match.”

To create a strong opener, look for clues in the brainstorming list you assembled based on the preceding section. If you’ve developed your story, as demonstrated in Chapter 8, look to it for a special nugget that’s yours alone. Then review the job description exhaustively to find match points.

Consider: What do you most want the reader to notice in your résumé? What will make you more “real” to the reader, more individual? What’s your best selling point for this particular job? If you have trouble honing in on a special asset or need more to work, identify three things in line with the “rule of three” idea, which has rhetorical power.

Avoid repeating word for word statements in your résumé. That wastes people’s time and bores them.

Another caution: Be scrupulously courteous. Always address a specific human being if you possibly can, using their last name and title. Never demand something of the reader — for example, “Please call me at 2 p.m. on Thursday, February 5.” Close respectfully and considerately: “I look forward to learning about the next step for pursuing my application,” “I can be available for a conversation at your convenience any time after 2 p.m.” End with letter-style formality: “Sincerely” is fine. “Thank you” is better: “Thank you for considering me,” “Thank you for reviewing my credentials,” or other variations.

Another caution: Edit and proof the letter ten times. It requires your best effort — full sentences that relate to each other, for example, unlike the résumé. Ask a friend to review it. Read it backward. Let it sit overnight and read it again. A spelling or grammar error in a cover letter comes across as even more disrespectful than in a résumé, and may keep you out of the starting gate altogether.

Requesting informational interviews

When you ask for any kind of favor in writing, your message represents you to the reader, whether they’ve met you or not. What you say and how you say it determine how they react. If you send careless, sloppy requests for informational interviews, don’t expect people to do you many favors. If you ask in the right way, most people are extraordinarily willing to help. People may choose to spend a half-hour telling you about their experience, for example, either in person or by telephone, if you

• Target the appropriate person
• Define and limit your expectations
• Show respect and appreciation for the prospective conversation
• Demonstrate that you will be a credit to the person, company and industry, when you interact with others in their circle
• Come across as someone worth knowing in the future

Ask the classic “what’s-in-it-for-me” question to frame content for any request. If you’re asking for informational interviews from a relatively young people, they may be pleased to know you consider them knowledgeable and influential. More established people are often motivated to “give back” — to their alma maters, their professions or simply in recognition of their good fortune. They may recall someone who reached out on their behalf at an earlier time in their careers. And, many successful people take satisfaction in helping young people.

In addition to altruistic motives, smart businesspeople like making connections and bringing worthwhile people together. They value being known for their networking skills. When you craft your messages, you rarely address such “what’s-in-it-for-me” factors directly. But being aware of probable motivation guides you to the right tone and content.

If you share a connection, use that entree early in your message — in the lead, if possible. For example, “Our mutual friend Pat Jones suggested I contact you because I’m aiming for a career in your field, biomedical engineering, and would deeply appreciate your advice.”

If you don’t have a ready-made connection, research the people to whom you’re writing and see if you can find one. For example, do you have a college, career path or professional association in common? Did you hear the person speak at a conference or read their blog? Do you have a reason for admiring the person?

Do your homework and make sure it shows in your request. You need to have a good reason to write to a particular person and organization. An individualized message has an entirely different impact from a hit-and-miss email that could be addressed to anyone.

To see what I mean, think about your reactions to the following two messages.

• Message 1
• Dear Rob Walker:
• I’m a new grad with a degree in Business Admin and think I might like to work for an international nonprofit. I see that you do that now. I’m in your area next Thursday available from 2 to 4. OK for me to come in then? Thanx much. —Mark

• Message 2
• Dear Mr. Walker:
• I write at the suggestion of Allison James, who interned with your office this past summer and spoke highly of the experience. I hope very much you might find the time to talk with me about my career path — ten minutes would mean a lot to me.
• I’ve just graduated from Marshall State with a degree in nonprofit management. During the past five years, I’ve held internships with four international development agencies and feel confident that this is the work I want to spend my life doing. I’ve spent several months in Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Peru.
• In hopes of preparing for work like yours, directing overseas field volunteers, I see several possible career routes and would appreciate your perspective.
• Would you consider scheduling time for a brief telephone interview? I can be available at your convenience almost anytime next week.
• Thank you for considering this request.
• Sincerely, Melanie Black

If you think the politeness of Message 2 is exaggerated, perhaps so. But if you were Rob Walker, would you talk to Mark or Melanie? Which one sounds like a good investment of your time — not only because of how much the candidate may value the opportunity, but because of that person’s relative long-term prospects? Melanie comes across as someone worth helping.

To succeed with network messaging, think through your content options, draft a message tailored to the particular reader, then carefully edit and proof. You may be amazed at what opportunities and people move within reach. If you’re performing a virtual introduction between two people, spell out what’s in it for both parties — why you’re suggesting the connection.

Don’t use the power of written networking, whether via email messages or social media, to replace or avoid in-person networking or human contact unless there’s no choice. You can sit at your computer all day and exchange written messages, but that’s no substitute for a conversation or live interaction. When an in-person meeting is not an option, try for videoconferencing or telephone.

If you want the best assignments, job leads and relationships, show up whenever it’s practical to do so. The benefits of networking face-to-face within an industry and through professional associations are huge. Use your writing skills to achieve one-on-one opportunities.

Saying thank you

Suppose you achieve the informational interview you want and speak to the person. Should you write a thank-you note? Don’t even ask: The answer is not “yes,” but “always.” That applies even if you didn’t find the person all that helpful, and it applies every time someone gives you information, advice, an interview, a contact or an introduction. If you don’t write, the discourtesy may be held against you.

A good thank-you note is notoriously challenging. I often ask graduate students in public relations to thank, in writing, a special guest who participated in a seminar. Most are surprised at how much thought a brief note takes. Those who didn’t pay attention found it especially hard, because they had little substance to work with.

To the writing rescue once more — the idea of defining goal and audience! To thank someone for an informational interview, a job lead, a reference or other favor, your goal is to express appreciation and also to keep the door open for future interaction or help. In considering the audience, decide:

• What did the person do that you appreciate?
• What feedback would this person value?

Consider Roger, whose client, Jen, has referred him to one of her own clients in need of services in his province. Roger sends this note:

Jen, followed up the referral to your client Bob Black, went well! Thanks. Roger

You’re probably not impressed because major elements are missing. The information is vague and gives no concrete idea of the interaction or outcome between Roger and Bob. Second, the tone is careless. Added to minimal feedback from Roger, Jen (who staked her reputation on Roger) is likely to feel uneasy about making the connection and reluctant to reach out on his behalf again. Here’s a version that works better:

• Dear Jen,
• Thanks so much for connecting me with Bob Black. I met with him at his office this morning, and we had a good conversation about his technology update program and how my group is equipped to help.
• Bob asked me to prepare an informal proposal for review by his team. Of course, I’m delighted to have the opportunity.
• Jen, I really appreciate your opening this door for me and will keep you updated on developments.
• Sincerely, Roger

Besides being carefully constructed and written — itself a necessary tribute to Jen’s generous spirit — the note reassures her that Roger made a good impression on her client rather than flubbing it. In this instance, what’s-in-it-for-Jen is creating a connection that benefits both parties and makes her look and feel good.

Depending on the situation, consider too whether a more definitive thank you is called for: offering your favor-giver a cup of coffee or lunch, for example, if practical. Surprisingly few people actively reciprocate a good turn. Returning the favor at some point is the most effective response, of course. Each thank-you situation deserves individual thought.

If your thank-you note is written in the wake of a job interview or pitch for a project, it probably becomes part of your application package. Treat the thank-you note as a test of your communication skills and a chance to customize what the decision-makers know about you. If you spoke to someone on site or experienced the environment, you have new insights on what qualifications the organization most values. Or perhaps you realize you didn’t mention something important in writing or in person. Such additions are first-rate material for thank-you notes. The note is also a good way to reinforce your belief in how good a match you see between the company and what you can do for it.

Odd as it may sound, take the time to thank someone for the opportunity even when you don’t win the job, contract or grant. The same people are likely to make the decision next time, and your positive attitude may pay off. Thanking someone for the opportunity underscores your professionalism and makes you a bit more memorable. Many people positioned to bestow jobs, projects and other awards find the world discourteous. Act as the exception and see what happens.

With the next two chapters, I move on to the digital world. Discover how to strategize your online life to support your goals and dreams.