Why is rejection a good thing?

The very best letter or phone message that you can receive is the job offer.  Short of that, the next best contact you can receive from a business is the rejection letter.  You are thinking that I must be crazy right?? But, the reasons I am going to share will help you understand why it is such a good thing for your job search.

Rejection letters, phone calls, or emails are good for you because:

1. They let you know that the company has made a decision and you can move forward.
2. They give you a contact at the business and a way to network to similar businesses.
3. They give you an opportunity to find out what you could have done better.

Let's discuss the ways to find out what you could have done better.

In hiring situations today, the employer has the reigns.  They have the open position and with so many applicants, they can be super selective in their final choice.  In housing its called a buyer's market.  Finding out how to improve your personal "curb appeal" is what you are after.

• In no way shape or form should your request for feedback sound like sour grapes, be defensive or argumentative.
• Not every employer will give you an answer.
• Personalize your feedback request, just as you personalized your cover letter to the job posting.
• Thank them in advance for any feedback they may give you.

So as an example, perhaps you might say:

Thank you for letting me know that you have filled the XYZ position.  I would really like a position in the MNOP field.

If you have a few spare moments I would be most appreciative if you would be willing to provide insights about my interviewing skills, resume, cover letter, or salary expectations (whichever level of contact you achieved) to help me improve in those areas of my job search.

If you approach the communication as a learning experience for you, you will be more successful in getting an answer from your rejector.  Who knows - the letter you send may just give you a leg up if the person they chose doesn't take the job offer.

Have you been successful with this type of communication?

What is your call to action?

When you are sending your resume and cover letter, in effect, you are sending a sales document.  You are trying to sell your skills to the business and hopefully, you have packaged them successfully enough to entice a business owner or hiring manager to read your materials. Often, with hundreds of resumes appearing for one position, you need to stand out!

Any brochure or flyer needs to have a "call to action" to encourage the reader to:

• buy tickets,
• attend a rally,
• register for a workshop,
• READ your resume
• INVITE you for an interview!

Your cover letter gives you the opportunity to answer the question "what's in it for me?" that the person reading the cover letter will ask about why they should call you in for an interview.

If you have successfully accomplished your job of telling them why you would be a good fit for their organization, the last thing you need to do is establish your "call to action".  Here are some examples:

• I appreciate your consideration and look forward to speaking with you if my capabilities can be of use at XYZ Corporation.
• I look forward to meeting with you to discuss my candidacy. Thank you for your consideration.
• I will be in New York from DATE to DATE and wondered if it would be possible to schedule an interview for that time?
• I am available for a personal interview at your convenience.
• I hope to schedule a personal interview at a mutually convenient time.
• You may kindly contact me by phone at 224-224-2244 or email me at emailaddress (at) emailprovider.com
• Kindly review the enclosed resume and consider my application for the job.
• Enclosed is my resume and photographs of my work.  I have some great ideas for ABC Publication and hope to have the opportunity to discuss them with you.
• If you feel that my experience and drive can benefit ABC Company in this or other positions, let's talk!
• It will be a pleasure to meet with you at your convenience to discuss my credentials in detail.  I can be reached at the above numbers when you are ready to set up a time to meet.  I look forward to your call.
• Would your organization benefit from these attributes? Please call me at your earliest convenience to discuss my focus on bringing a fresh perspective to the LMNOP arena.

And rather than the standard "Sincerely yours" as the line above your signature (closing), what about:

• Enthusiatic about joining your team,
• Until we meet,
• Cordially, or,
• Looking forward to the interview.

The key to getting the interview is making your cover letter and resume stand out.  Your skills have to be a pretty good fit, but, how you package it makes all the difference in the world.

What other inventive, yet professional ending paragraphs or letter closings can you suggest?

Resources used:
Employment Digest
Cover Letter Format
The Everything Cover Letter Book by Steven Graber
Cover Letters for Dummies by Joyce Lain Kennedy
Cover Letter Magic by Wendy S. Enelow and Louise M. Kursmark

Use a Call to Action to Market Yourself

I just read a great blog post on Employment Digest about 4 great Tips for a Cover Letter.  It mentions a call to action.  I would like to explore this idea a bit further.

A call to action for those of you who are not in the marketing and sales industry is a statement in your letter or "advertisement" that makes a statement to cause the reader to want to act upon that statement.  A couple of examples are:  Call within the next 24 hours to save $.  Click here to print your coupon. Link here to read more tips to help you get back into the workforce.

When you are writing your cover letter the article on Employment Digest suggests that your call to action should be to ask for the interview. Asking for the interview is similar to car salesman or real estate agent asking if you are ready to make an offer on a car or property at which you have just been looking.

If you don't ask, they may not feel compelled to take any action at all.

Once you have had the interview and you are sending your thank you note, you may want to include a call to action that invites the interviewer(s) to view your website, read your blog or invite them to call you with the job offer!

Your thoughts?