Corporate Bull

How to Write a Good Cover Letter

youngcopywriter — Sun, 16 May 2010 15:07:14 +0000

Even in this challenging economy, every company has room for exceptional contributors. If you make operations run smoothly and come up with innovative ideas that will increase the company’s profitability, then they need you. Here are some tips to help you draft a winning cover letter.

Research

Always research the company you’re applying to. If it’s a big corporation, check out their press room online. Read their press releases. Look for common themes. This will give you a big-picture perspective of where they’re moving as a company. Then, see what other people are saying about them. Do a Google News search of the company. And don’t be afraid to leverage your network. Is a friend of a friend a currently employee at said company? Try to get a few minutes of that person’s time to find out what the company culture is like. Maybe this person can even connect you to someone who works in the department you’re applying to. Finally, research the company’s competitors. How do their offerings differ?

Establish Credibility

When applying for a position, do establish your credibility and work history. But don’t spend more than a paragraph doing so. The past is gone. Today, companies care about what you’re planning to do for them now. Talk specifically about how you can apply the skills you’ve learned elsewhere to their business.

Show Off

After doing all that research, do you see areas that the company could move into? Is their competition pummeling them in certain areas? Sometimes it takes a person outside the company to see obvious opportunities that are being missed. Are there certain lucrative markets that are going untapped? Talk about this. Do don’t paint the company in a bad light. Let them know you’re passionate about making their company even more successful.

And finally, don’t forget to mention that you’re easy to work with (team player), committed to meeting deadlines (dependable) and attentive to detail (thorough). Believe it or not, many companies are willing to higher less experienced people if they possess these three characteristics. So don’t forget to weave them into your cover letter.

Was this helpful? Do you disagree with any of the tips? Have any of your own to add?

B.S.-ing

youngcopywriter — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:35:18 +0000

Every now and again, you just have to make something up to meet a deadline. Often, you might even have to sound like an expert on something you know very little about. And 9 times out of 10, you won’t have time to conduct interviews with the real experts.

1. Research

Compile the facts you have regarding your task. If you have time to do a Google search and find an industry research tidbit to support your work, do so. Make sure it’s from a reliable source (e.g. Gartner, IDC, Forrester). Corporate big shots love facts and figures almost as much as they like acronyms.

2. Position

Where are you going with this? What are you supposed to support or destroy? What is the logical course to take? There a million ways to spin an argument. Determine the main point you’re trying to get accross, then build an outline to support it.

3. Avoid gobbledygook (a.k.a jargon)

Avoid it completely, especially if you don’t even know what it means. Also, try to avoid filler words. Terms like “synergy” and “industry-leading” are overused to the point of being nearly meaningless. Rather than wasting time jamming in every hackneyed phrase you can recall and misusing industry terms, be concise. And use verbiage you’re comfortable with.

And most importantly, be confident yet open to feedback.

Prioritize Like a Pro

youngcopywriter — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:33:11 +0000

Every office has at least one person that’s in a constant state of panic. While this is understandable given how much is being squeezed out of employees, it’s not productive. Sometimes that person having a meltdown might even be you. We’ve all been there. It’s hard to manage multiple tasks and get everything right when it’s all due yesterday by the time it hits your desk.

1. Know your stakeholders
If you don’t know what they’re like yet, ask someone who’s been working there longer. Is stakeholder X the type of person that pads their deadlines? Do they submit all the info you need to do the job? Are they notorious for replacing and resubmitting content an hour after they give you the first draft? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you know what to prioritize. If stakeholder Y gives clear direction and rarely pads deadlines, do their project first rather than banging your head against the wall trying to pull content out of the air for a less-defined task. Don’t be afraid to ask people what they’re looking for. Ask them to relate what they want to a previous project or something you’re familiar with to ensure you’re both on the same page.

2. Prioritize
Don’t panic. Prioritize. What’s on your plate? What can you do now? What really needs to be done first? Who is on vacation or otherwise out of the office and unavailable to approve your work? If the person who’s the final word on approving a project is climbing Everest for the next three weeks, you probably don’t have to put it on their desk tomorrow. If you need more info on another project, ask for it and work on something else while you’re waiting. You might have 15 tasks on your plate, but if you only have enough info to do 8, then do those 8 and put inquires out on the rest. (Sometimes you’ll have to B.S. your way through projects, but that’s another topic for another blog).

3. Take 5
I know you don’t have time for lunch break, but you need to leave the office—even if it’s only for 5 minutes. You’re not a machine. After staring at that monitor for endless hours, you start to zone out. Taking a short break can help you refresh your mind and improve your accuracy rate once back at your desk.

And don’t forget to breathe! People tend to sigh a lot when they’re frustrated. This generally consists of a short inhale and long exhale. Instead, increase the oxygen flow to your brain by taking a few deep inhales and exhales.

Is this helpful?

Lessons in futility

20somethingprofessionals — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:38:34 +0000

I have a hard time doing work that is futile. I like for there to be a point to what I’m doing. I struggle a lot with “what’s the point of my job?” or “am I even really needed here?”

I’ve dealt with these feelings in a number of positions. Sometimes it’s easy to fall into the way of thinking that you’re nothing special and anyone could do what you do. The pull is even stronger to think this way when you’re on the bottom of the totem pole and what you’re doing is so tedious and simple that you feel like a caveman could do it.

There are a few things I keep telling myself. And while half the time I roll my eyes at myself, I know that things will change.

I have a specific skill set. I have something to offer to the workforce.
My job is not my life. There is a lot more to who I am as a person than what people see on the surface at the office.
Let it go. This doesn’t matter in the scheme of life.

Like I said, I have a tendency to tell myself these things and then realize that it feels like BS. When I’ve spent all day working on something, and someone comes back and redoes it all, or unravels it all, I could cry. And in my line of work, this happens 3 out of every 5 days. You can imagine the futility I feel. My job is pointless if someone else is going to come along and redo it behind me, just because they “felt like it.”

I don’t have any real advice. I don’t know how to change this from happening. I do believe it’s not specific to any one role or position, but certain ones feel it more often. Has anyone else felt like this? What you’re doing is pointless? Let me know. Or maybe I truly AM going crazy.

Look before you hit “send”

youngcopywriter — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:58:21 +0000

Due to a copy and paste snafu, I sent a jazzercise coupon link to a senior member of management instead of the article he requested. You can image how embarrassed I was when he called a short time later to inquire about the link. As a general rule, I always read the verbiage in e-mails before sending them out, but rarely bother with the links. Now I know better.

I’ve manged to avoid a number of crude spelling mishaps over the years. For instance, due to the proximity of the “t” and “g” on the QWERTY keyboard, I’ve nearly signed an e-mail “Retards” instead of “Regards.” And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve caught myself accidentally leaving out the all-important “l” in “public relations.”

Because mistakes like this can at the very least make you the butt of an awkward joke, and at the most cost you your job, here are 3 tips to help keep your communications HR-friendly.

1. Remove the words “pubic” and “retard” from your spell check dictionary

If you remove these potentially potent words from your spell check dictionary, they’ll always come up as spelling errors when you run the check—rendering them unable slip by undetected.

2. Run spell check

With spell checks so readily available on applications like Gmail and Outlook, there’s simply no excuse not to. Though word usage and grammar can be complicated, spelling is easy now. With the press of a button, you can instantly find out what’s incorrect.

3. Read everything (including links) twice

While spell check is great, it doesn’t know everything. For instance, it might try to replace an obscure name or acronym with a term it knows—leading to an error that only you would be able to detect. So really look at each word when you read it for the final time. Don’t put all your faith in spell check.

Do you have a copy and paste horror story to share?

Something worth reading

20somethingprofessionals — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:22:50 +0000

I know I’m supposed to be giving you ideas and thoughts of my own, and I promise that will come, but I read this blog this morning, and for any of you writers, it’s something to add to your list of things to read once a month.

Copyblogger is probably my favorite blog on the subject of writing, and as usual, it hasn’t let me down. This blog, written by Sherice Jacob, seemed to speak directly to me on the subject of my own writing.

I hope it helps you as much as it helped me!

Make Clarity a Focal Point

20somethingprofessionals — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:12:15 +0000

I’m just getting into the fun world of social networking, and while I’m still pretty green behind the ears, every day I’m finding something worth noting in my own life.

Most recently, I stumbled upon Writers Inspired, and I’m definitely inspired, to say the least! The most recent blog, 2010: The year of Clarity, really got me wanting to reevaluate how I spend my time. So I’m going for it! Much like many of us have a budget for our money, I’m going to budget my time. Whether it be work, freelance, relaxing or anything else, I’m going to do it with the hopes that time won’t get away from me as it has in the past. I’m hoping this makes me a better employee, better writer, more successful human, and a happier person overall. Yay!

H1N1: Let’s fight a virus with antibacterial soap!

youngcopywriter — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:05:52 +0000

My company recently announced that they were filling the soap dispensers with antibacterial soap to stave off the spread of the swine flu. I’m no doctor, but this makes about as much sense as trying to fight HIV with antibiotics. It’s a virus, not a bacterial pathogen!

However, there are always plenty of people out sick with bacterial infections. So…why wasn’t my company packing antibacterial soap in the first place? You would think that the extra cost involved in upgrading the soap would outweigh the cost of constant gaps in covered due to bacterial illnesses. But no. It takes a virus-based pandemic to get them to upgrade.

What’s your take on this?

We Have Acronyms For Acronyms

youngcopywriter — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:03:49 +0000

Corporate culture thrives on acronyms. As soon as a new initiative is formed, there must be an acronym for it. Learning this lingo is part of the initiation process into Corporate America—or CA as I like to call it…just kidding. You’ll be sitting in a meeting and someone will spout an 8-acronym sentence. The lunacy of it all is sometimes no one in the meeting even knows what the acronyms stand for anymore.

A few months back, I reviewed an outgoing communication that made an acronym out of several existing acronyms. Insanity! It takes jargon to a whole new level. At least you can successfully Google most common acronyms, but acronyms of acronyms? Not really.

So how do you navigate this mess?

1. Ask

Regardless of whether you’re fresh out of college or a seasoned professional, you’re not expected to know everything when you’re starting out at a company. So ask. It’s better to ask and know then assume…because we all know what happens when you assume.

2. Google it

If the opportunity to ask what the acronym means doesn’t arise, Google it. There are several information-rich sites like acronymfinder.com that can help you decipher what people are talking about. Sometimes the search results on big aggregators like AcronymFinder can turn up an overwhelming number of definitions per acronym. Luckily, if you’re looking for an industry-specific term, there are several sites that will enable far more refined searches. For instance, if I was looking for an Information Technology (IT) definition, I would use http://whatis.techtarget.com, an IT terminology encyclopedia.

3. Make a List…and check it twice

Once you’ve gone to the trouble of finding out what it means, write it down. Even if you commit it to memory, chances are you will eventually have to teach these terms to the new intern or associate. Save yourself the trouble of having to verbally convey everything by preparing an alphabetized reference sheet. Before passing it on, verify that the information you’ve compiled is correct. While IBS might mean Irritable Bowel Syndrome to you, it could mean Internet Broadcasting Systems to your company, so double check.

Know of any other industry-specific acronym encyclopedias? Feel free to post them below.

Humble Beginnings

youngcopywriter — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:51:08 +0000

Corporate American culture. That’s what this blog will explore. All the unethical and idiotic behavior from the perspective of those lowest on the totem pole.

You’ll notice that there are two of us posting thoughts and opinions. They may not always match, and you may not always agree, so feel free to join the conversation.

We’re writing about our experiences with the hope that other aspiring young professionals will be better prepared for the world they are about to enter. If you’re already a member of Corporate America, we hope you find our anecdotes to be amusing.

Though 2009 was a tough year, with cutbacks across the board, things are starting to look up for aspiring professionals. 2010 holds the promise of more jobs. A nationwide CareerBuilder.com survey found that 20 percent of employers in the U.S. plan to hire permanent, full-time workers in 2010—up 14 percent from 2009.

So there is hope, but now it’s time to change your fairytale perspective on Corporate America.