In submitting your job employment resume cover letter how do you know where to send this letter?



Some organizations do not accept unsolicited applications, resumes or cover letters.

Often applicants who address communications to the human resource (H.R.) department get a standard form letter stating that no applications are currently being accepted. So much for the successful job hunter. The task just got more challenging.

How do you know how and where to submit your employment search cover letter?

First of all find out who hires. You cannot go fishing if you do not what bait the fish like and where the fish are located. To boost your chances of getting an interview address your letter to the specific person or areas that have hiring authority for the position that you are applying for.

If possible address the letter to the supervisor / department head / manager who would directly supervise your work. It should be patently obvious that it is not wise to address your cover letter to “Whom It May Concern”. This job seeking tactic will target your letter to the trash bin.

How do you get to know the right person's name? It all comes down to diligence and standard investigation and research tactics.

One method is to call the target employer and say that you are doing career research and want to address the letter of inquiry to the person who specializes in your career area. Get the person's full name and title. Verify and recheck the spelling and address to ensure that it is correct.

When you do call, introduce yourself, get the name of the person you talk with and thank that person by name for her or his help. Always say that you are a student or are doing research. The person that you speak to could possibly help you later, and using names establishes a friendly, courteous tone.

Another tact is to go directly to the human resources officer, if one exists. Ask whether there is an organizational “chart” or organizational “map” which you could use for your career planning class or personal research. This chart of map should provide you with the name of the department head to which you can address your cover letter.

If this method seems inappropriate for your job career employment search, ask members of your job search employment network to help you devise and plan a more workable approach.

Always use your creative abilities to dare to different and innovative. To be on the cutting creative edge, however always be most courteous, polite and professional.

If possible contact the department head of your target job personally to get you in the door sooner. If you send your cover letter and resume only to the human resources department, it may well be that the person or persons who head that specific department you are interested in may never see these documents.

On the other hand, if you send a letter and resume directly to the person that you would work for, then your chances of getting an interview ill be greatly increased. It is true however that the human resources department may feel sidelined and resentful at being circumvented in the organizational structure.

How do you handle this situation? I the employer is accepting applications, send one letter and resume to the Human Resources department and one letter to the department head. Indicate in your letter that you have sent similar communications to each party. At the worst both letters will wind up in the human resources department. I the employer is not officially accepting applications, send your cover letter and resume to the department only. If your resume and cover letter are persuasive and well prepared then you may well still get that interview.