JUNE 1 — Ah, it is June already and some more recent graduates might still be looking for work and wondering, just why aren't their cover letters getting answers?
It could be because of the very first line in your cover letter. You know, the bit that says “Dear Sir/Madam” or “To whom it may concern.”
While that would have been acceptable a decade ago, these days employers want to see a little bit more effort. Yes, jobseekers, you might actually have to (gasp) pick up a phone and talk to someone.
Of course, you could email first, wait for a reply and then call. That is, if you know who to email in the first place.
Yes, some job ads are not very helpful in the sense they usually just give a contact email or address, with no mention of who you need to address in your cover letter.
That's when you have to display that thing most employers appreciate: initiative.
It really is not that hard. Call or email to find out whether you should be emailing or posting your application to the HR manager or the head of department. Get a name. Get two names. Get phone numbers or emails.
Why do you need this information? Because you want your application to sound personal. I mean, why else do you think mailing lists are all about addressing you by your name and not “Sir” or “Madam” or “Sexless Android”?
Yes, some employers are testing you to see how far you will go to make an impression. They're not expecting flowers or chocolates, just proof that you are willing to make an effort.
If, however, the company is cagey about letting you have a name or designation, maybe they have a good reason. Privacy concerns, perhaps. Or they want to be able to filter out applications to focus purely on qualifications and are less interested in niceties. Or maybe they remember that one time the overenthusiastic jobseeker sent the hiring department head a bottle of wine and a studio photo with the words written on the back: “Call me.”
However, make the effort. Try. Only after you have tried and failed, do you get to sit on the crutch of Dear Sir/Madam/Hamster.
Calling or emailing ahead to get someone's name and designation right will also come in handy at work. Don't make the mistake one PR company did of sending a media invitation to Ms Mah Yu Ni. Getting my surname wrong was one thing, but a blind stab in the dark at guessing my race? Priceless. Especially as my full name and designation were printed in the magazine I edited; all the PR company needed to do was flip through it at a newsstand.
So do remember to think of those little details when you apply for a job. And for heaven's sake, make sure you get your contact's name right, else risk being fodder of ridicule for years.
Feel free to share your jobseeking stories by sending them to [email protected] and no, please do not call me Ms Mah.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
