Job Hunting: Getting Past the Gatekeeper in Today's Job Market

Get noticed and get to the decision maker using cover letters

Virginia Beach, VA (PRWEB) April 1, 2008 -- There is nothing more frustrating for a job hunter than to have their resume intercepted before it can reach someone who can actually hire them. It is tough to land a job when a secretary files that carefully crafted resume off into oblivion. Here, JobsByFax.com discusses how to stand out from the crowd and how to get to a decision maker in today's job market.

The first key to being considered for the position you are looking for is simply to ask for it. Surprisingly, over 60% of the cover letters submitted to the JobsByFax.com service never state what position is being sought. This important detail can be the difference between a resume getting routed to the right person right away or falling into a staff member's pile of things they are just not quite sure what to do with. It has been proven time and again that job seekers who state the position they are seeking in the first sentence of their cover letter have a much higher response rate from employers.

The second common misstep by job hunters is to use their cover letter to reiterate their past accomplishments and prior employment. Leave work history to the resume where it belongs. The real benefit of a cover letter is that the writer is not restricted to what they have already done. Tell the employer how it would benefit them to hire you and back it up. Explain that you have a plan to drive in business like never before or that you are bursting at the seams with new ideas and you can not wait to share them. You can refer to your resume for evidence. For instance, you could explain that you would expect to increase sales by 20% within a year as you have for each company you have worked for.

Arguably the most important step in attempting to reach a decision maker is to direct the cover letter and resume to the right person. If the target is a very small group of companies, it is probably best to do some research online or on the phone and find out who does the hiring and how to contact them. There is really no online service or job board that can come close to that personal touch.

JobsByFax.com offers a strategy that allows a job seeker to transmit their resume to a large number of companies while still directing the documents to the decision maker.

William Yearby, a recent customer had this to say, " I used JobsByFax.com and received a call within 24 hours. As a result, I have been hired by one of the largest operations in my field and have been offered top pay with good benefits. There are no words that can express how impressed I am with the service. When interviewing with the Director of Operations he stated to me, ' I have no idea how your resume ended up on my desk. Normal procedure is that all resumes are filtered through the local administrators then sent to me with a request to consider.' This statement alone proves that the service is very unique from all others."

JobsByFax.com uses a database of companies throughout the United States that includes the decision maker's name at each location. Job seekers choose what type of companies and where to send their resume and cover letter. JobsByFax.com then faxes straight to employers with the decision maker's name right on top.

Cover letters are a powerful tool for those seeking employment and they should not be overlooked. As a company that helps people find jobs every day, JobsByFax.com has seen what works and what doesn't and is considered to be an expert on the subject.

About www.JobsByFax.com
Based in Virginia Beach, VA, JobsByFax is an online résumé distribution company that guarantees job hunters will land a job within 30 days of faxing 1,000+ résumés to potential employers. JobsByFax's mission is to quickly, easily, and affordably empower job hunters with the tools needed to market their employment skills directly to the decision makers at companies.

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