How to Write a 20-Second Resume Cover Letter

Author : Anna Maria D'Souza

Why 20 seconds? As a headhunter, I seldom spend more than 20 seconds reading a resume cover letter. I deal with a lot of hiring managers and understand that they have a similar practice.My clients are investment bankers, and these are the busiest people under the sun. Actually all hiring managers are busy and have to read numerous resume cover letters daily. Therefore the longer you write, the less effective your letter is. A 20-second resume cover letter is sure to capture the most attention from any hiring manager.Summarizing the most outstanding resume cover letters that Ive read, I have come up with a formula that works for any industry and anybody.A 20-second resume cover letter must answer all these questions precisely:1. What are you doing?2. What do you want to do?3. What are you able to do?4. What do you want the reader to do?Here is a classic example of a 20-second resume cover letter. It attracts three replies in five minutes even without attaching a resume.Trader PositionsHello, my name is Anna Maria DSouza and am currently trading live Asian markets for a $1 billion hedge fund in London. I am willing to relocate given the right fit and opportunity. In a nutshell, I have my own book as well as do some facilitation whenever I am needed. I have experience in a variety of products ranging from cash, options/derivatives, CB's, etc. Please let me know who I should talk to in order to pursue opportunities.Well if you have valuable experience like this candidate, you are sure that all hedge fund mangers want to see you. What if we are a beginner or have less experience? Can we do something similar? Yes. Just copy my formula and answer the four questions I have set.Here is a draft, assuming I am a fresh graduate. As nowadays almost all cover letters and resumes come through email, I have therefore omitted the traditional letter format.Entry Level Analyst PositionHello, my name is Anna Maria DSouza. I have just obtained my masters degree from the Yale University. My focus was on financial engineering and economics. I am looking for an entry level analyst position. I have been a quantitative analyst intern at Goldman Sachs and have a good understanding of the US and Asian markets. I have attached my resume and would welcome an opportunity to meet you. Please contact me on 12345678 or email amd@email.comRemember, in a 20-second resume cover letter, every word counts. Every word should add value. Never write long sentences, such as I take the liberty to submit my resume or I would most appreciate it if you would call me for an interview.What if I am replying to an ad? Well, easy, use the same formula and modify the headline like this. Entry Level Analyst Position - Reply to Your Advertised VacancyConsider the busy level of hiring managers, your 20-second resume cover letter will certainly attract the most attention and is a guarantee that the hiring manager read your letter in full and wants to see you.Visit authors blog for more tips on Investment Banking Resumes. Anna Maria DSouza is a headhunter. In the past eight years, she has been recruiting senior investment bankers for bulge brackets. Read her blog of Investment Banking Resumes which she aims to help college graduates to build an investment banking career.

Category : General Careers

Get Control of Your E-Mail, Before It Controls You

Author : Merle Stinnett
Ask any online entrepreneur where they spend the bulk
of their time and they'll tell you they are reading
and responding to e-mail. If you run an online business
you may receive hundreds of messages a day. It comes
with the territory and unfortunately, there's no escaping
it. Keeping up with your e-mail is very important to your
success online and you should make every attempt to
answer any and all messages within 24 to 48 hours.Here are some tips for streamlining the amount of time
you spend managing your inbox.1) Folders: Set up folders to better organize your e-mail
and find things more readily when you need them. For
example, you may want to set up folders named after indiv-
uals you get frequent mail from, folders for ezines you
receive, software receipts, and others. When you need
something, you will know exactly where to find it.2) Blocked Senders List: Face it, we all get Spam
and the more active you are online, the more of it
you'll receive. Take it from me, I know. I get
hundreds daily on everything from growing certain
parts of my anatomy (including ones I don't have),
to how I can become a millionaire overnight. An
easy way to rid yourself of Spam is to highlight
the message and add it to your email client's blocked
sender's list. Most all programs include this feature.
Once you add someone to this list you'll never receive
another e-mail from that address again.Another option to reduce the amount of Spam you
get is to run a Spam Filtering program
before retrieving your e-mail. SpamKiller.com
or Mailwasher.net both work great.3) Message Rules: Make sure you set up message rules
or filters as they can automate some tasks and move
incoming messages to their appropriate folders. For
example, you can set up a message rule that says if
email arrives to a certain email address, reply with
a prefabbed text document you have created in advance.
Also known as autoresponders, message rules make it
easy to automatically reply to messages, send messages
directly to the trash and more. This is a powerful
feature; study it and use it.4) Empty Deleted/Sent Folders: Make sure you go into
your sent box and deleted message folders on a regular
basis and delete their contents. Messages can pile up
quickly and slow down your e-mail client substantially.5) Software: Many software manufacturers make add on module
software for many of the popular e-mail clients like
Outlook and Outlook Express. If the program doesn't
have a feature you need, you may find an inexpensive
package that will extend your e-mail client's capabilities.
For an example: check out a list of freeware at..
http://www.webattack.com/freeware/comm/ExLife Add on for Outlook:
http://www.ornicusa.com/add-ins/exlife.shtmlAbout Us Has a nice section here:
http://email.about.com/cs/oetipstricks/Nelson Email Organizer
http://www.emailorganizer.com/6) Do Something: Don't allow messages to build up in your
inbox or before you know it you'll be buried alive in
messages. As you go through your mail, try to act on
every piece of mail you receive immediately.Reply to
it, delete it, or file it in one of your folders.
Just make sure you do something. If you follow this
advice you'll never end up with 500 sitting in your
inbox demanding your attention.7) Print It: If you're like me, you subscribe to a lot
of ezines. If you don't have time to read them online
do what I do: print them out and take them on the road
with you. I read them while waiting for appointments or
when I'm on break or lunch at my night job.8) Customize Layouts: Most e-mail clients allow you
to customize the toolbars and look of your program.
Add the features you use most often to the toolbars
and change the look of the layout to suit your needs.9) Return Receipts: Have you ever sent a message and
wondered if the recipient ever received it? Send your
e-mail with a "return receipt" request and you'll be
sent a notification by e-mail when they have read it.
The reader can stop this message from going out to you,
but nine out of ten don't mind and allow the reply.10) Message Priority: When you send an e-mail you
can set the priority of the message to "high," which
puts a red marker or flag next to it when the recipient
receives it. This tells the reader that the message
is very important and may help motivate them to
reply sooner. Just don't get in the habit of sending
every message this way or people will get annoyed.
Only use it for important correspondence.For a great ezine that will help you be even more
productive with your email go to http://www.email911.com/If you follow these top 10 tips, you won't find
yourself drowning in e-mails and you'll spend less
time managing it. Remember, you need to control your
e-mail, don't let it control you.Merle has been "working" the Net for over
8 years and has a Special Gift just for you.
Download my FREE E-book "50 Easy Ways to
Promote Your Website". Get your copy now at
http://www.WebSiteTrafficPlan.comYou have permission to publish this article
electronically or in print, free of charge,
as long as the bylines are included.
Category : Business:Email-Marketing