Liz Craig, Writer

Any number of things may nix your chances of getting hired for a job that’s right up your alley. Here are seven of them. But of course, you wouldn’t be dumb enough to pull any of these stunts, would you? Hmm. Better read them.

But no matter how well you behave when interviewing, there’s one thing your qualifications and experience cannot trump: age.

Judging from the number of highly qualified “mature people” (i.e., people over age 35) I know who are seeking and not finding jobs, I think there’s a devilish something at play called “IWM,” or “Interviewing While Mature.” And unless you have a total body and face lift and start ending all your sentences with, like, a question mark?, IWM may be a factor.

During those years you were acquiring priceless knowledge, practicing what you’d learned, and racking up glowing reviews from co-workers, clients and bosses, the aging process was proceeding apace, indifferent to your desire to stop it at age 26. So ironically, as you became more qualified to be a “hit-the-ground-running” employee with a good work ethic, you became less desirable to employers who think it’s scary to hire mature workers. What is the fear?

Just guessing here, but they may have some weird ideas about “mature people,” like:

• They might be old dogs who can’t (or won’t) learn new tricks?

What, in your ignorance, do you hope to prove by this childish exercise?

• They probably want too much money?
• Their Depends might leak on the plush conference room chairs?
• They might not respect their twenty-something co-workers — or bosses?
• They might actually know something and make others look bad?
• They might raise the cost of group health insurance?
• They might not enjoy carousing with the gang after work and playing beer pong?
• They might enjoy carousing with the gang after work?
• They might start reminiscing about how cool it was seeing Abba in concert?

I oughta scrub yer mouth out with lye soap!

• They might purse their lips like a prissy school-marm and rebuke a “young person” for using coarse language? (Get real. Most “mature people” could win a cussin’ contest wrinkly hands down.)
• They might be grumpy? (You would be, too, if your Depends started leaking during an important team meeting!)

Sure, new graduates are having a hard time finding jobs, too, but they can live with their parents and work at Mickey D’s until things loosen up. A mature person usually can’t do that. Mom’s nursing home room is way too small, and sooner or later, the staff will notice you in the closet and ask you to leave.

If you are a mature job-seeker, you can’t do anything about your age. But you don’t have to blurt it right out, either. Potential employers (or HR people) are not, by law, allowed to ask you your age. But they have some sneaky ways of worming it out of you, so I recommend reading this article, “Five Ways to Avoid Disclosing Your Age in an Interview.”

Or, as I mentioned, there’s the total body and face lift option…

In a previous post, I bemoaned the loss of the Ajax knight, Speedy Alka-Seltzer, and other personable brand symbols. These days, I lamented, we’re all too sophisticated to identify with such silly characters. But I was wrong. The Brawny paper towel man, a brand symbol since 1974, lives on, though he’s evolved over time.

Have you seen the new Brawny TV spot, or his image on the package lately? He looks like a gay teen’s dreamboat. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. For a funny take on this brand symbol’s evolution, see this blog post from 2004.

Wouldn’t you want your brand symbol to represent how strong and tough the product is? To me, a “brawny” guy reeks of testosterone, sweat and whiskey and is strong enough to uproot trees one-handed. “Brawny” this guy is not. Fer heaven’s sake, he’s wearing a white tee under his shirt that conceals any manly chest hair he might have! Women and gay teens protest!

Great balls of fire, this new TV spot is so lame I can hardly believe it. Take a look for yourself.

Did the Brawny brand people miss the boat on this one? Are gay teen boys really their target market? Or, as some have opined, do women who love the pictures on the covers of historical romance novels go for this type of clean-shaven, friendly, unthreatening hunk? IOW, a gay guy? The guys on those covers are brawny. And they have long, flowing locks, not the neat executive cut Mr. Brawny has.

And by the way, is the animation of him supposedly singing (ugh) as choppy as it looks to me? It’s like one of those foreign movies dubbed in English, where the lips and the words have nothing to do with each other.

Tell me, what do you think of the symbol and the advertising wisdom or idiocy of his look?

So it’s up to you to create compelling advertising for a product. All the information you have to go on is a list of product features in a brochure. It does this, it looks like this, it costs this much. Really basic stuff. But you want to get prospective customers excited enough about your product to buy it. Just describing its features the way Mr. Spock would — from intellectual observation — won’t do the trick. You have to find a benefit in the product that will show prospects they need, want or desire it.

So how do you turn features into benefits? By following the WIIFM method. “What’s in it for me?” is the first question the prospect will ask. And it’s the crucial question you must answer. A fact sheet for a banana might list features like “attractive yellow hue,” “soft texture,” “delicious flavor,” etc. But does that make you want to buy a banana? If you’ve never heard of it before? No. Only if it has a benefit for you. In selling, WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) applies to bananas and every other thing under the sun.

“What do I need a banana for?” your prospect asks.

You reply, “Well, bananas are delicious and handy to take on a trip, ’cause they have their own wrapper. They’re great for snacks or sliced on cereal. Each banana has only 100 calories and no fat. They provide the potassium you need every day to stay healthy. And they’re natural and unprocessed, with no food additives. Oh, and by the way, kids love ‘em.”

“Okay, sounds pretty good, but I’m looking for new menu ideas. Got any?”

“You can make fantastic banana nut bread with it, or ring a fruit salad with alternating slices of banana and kiwi, or — well, here — here’s our new banana cookery booklet, ‘Go Bananas With Bananas!’ There are literally hundreds of ways you can use bananas in salads and desserts!”

“All right — I’m sold!”

What’s the difference between a feature and a benefit? A feature is a “so what?”, while a benefit is the “what’s in it for me?”, the sizzle of the steak, the one thing that makes prospective customers sit up and take notice.

The old AIDA formula still holds:

• Attention

You must get the prospect’s attention so they’ll listen to your message. A great visual, a compelling headline, or on TV or radio, a curious sound (or silence)…

• Interest

You must tell him or her something that interests him or her in your product. Some way to use it to solve a problem, some way the product enhances their life, makes them look more attractive, saves them money…

• Desire

What would make your targeted prospect desire the product? (Better health, wealth, quality of life, convenience, deliciousness, fun?)

• Action

You’ve hit the prospect with the benefits that should appeal to them. If they have a need that your product can fill, then they may go out and buy it.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? It is, but often, advertisers present a list of features, thinking surely the prospect can figure out how the features are beneficial to them. It’s best not to count on their taking the time to connect the dots.

So as an advertiser creating a campaign, always ask, “What does my prospective customer need this (product or service) for?” If you can’t think of an answer, well… think harder.

It always makes me feel warm and safe when I send out invoices at the end of the month or at the end of a project. But I get a cold chill when I realize that most clients don’t pay me for another month.

Is there a way around this time-lag between billing and receiving the money?

Some smaller clients who have control of their checkbooks will write a check sooner. But big companies with Accounts Payable people seem to drag their big corporate feet. Either that, or it takes that long to go through the maze of corporate bookkeeping.

The bills I get are due within a week or two. Like for utilities, insurance, mortgage payments and other things. At the Quik-Trip, it’s pay right then or go home hungry. So why do big companies get the big breaks?

If anybody has devised a system for being paid sooner than 30 days later, please share.

Y’see, I have an interest-bearing checking account. And for every day my receivables are delayed, I’m forfeiting interest! Actually losing money! So what should I do, charge clients my unearned interest for 30 days?

What do you do? I’d really love to know.

Recently, I wrote some career-advancing articles for a client. Whattya know? While researching, I was shocked to discover some of the dumb mistakes I’d made during my own career. Oops. Well, now I know — only a decade or so too late. Freelancing suits me better anyhow. Employers rarely let you have a parakeet chirping in your space and a cat purring on your lap. And cubicles are creepy.

OK, here’s one of the articles. Think I wrote about eight in all.

Do I Really Need to Send a Cover Letter with My Resume?

The answer is an emphatic “Yes!”

But, you say, “My resume has everything in it employers need to know.” Wrong! It only lists your job titles and employers, your responsibilities, and your accomplishments. But it doesn’t explain how all that qualifies you for this specific position.

Sending a resume to a potential employer without a cover letter is like walking up to a complete stranger on the street and handing them your resume. Without a cover letter, you haven’t said anything to convince the employer to read your resume.

Your cover letter gives the potential employer a taste of your personality and attitude, spells out specifically how your skills and experience are relevant to the position, and shows you’re not only familiar with the company’s mission, but can help them fulfill it.

A cover letter is the first step toward getting that interview you’re requesting. So put your best foot forward with a great letter!

Write a Great Cover Letter. But First…

Step One: Check Your Resume

Make sure your resume is current. Does it include every position you’ve held in the last 10 years (if you’ve been working that long), the responsibilities you had, and the achievements that would interest an employer in your field?

Your generic resume won’t be the one you send to every employer. You will want to tweak your basic resume to position yourself most effectively for specific employers. The following targeting tips for your cover letter will help you customize your resume, too.

Step Two: Research Your Target Company

In archery, you aim for the bull’s-eye. It’s the same in your job search. To target your message effectively, you need to find out what the company is all about. The company’s website will help you learn about its mission, organizational structure, values and culture, and its clients or customers.

Try to find the name of the manager of the department you hope to join, or the name of the Human Resources person. It’s much more effective to address your cover letter to a specific person than “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear sir or madame.”

Step Three: Connect the Dots

Think about how your skills and experience connect to specific experiences, attributes or abilities the employer is asking for in the ad or job post. When you connect the dots, you create a picture of you as a valuable asset to the department or company.

Writing the Letter

Your cover letter will consist of one page filled with three or four carefully crafted, interesting paragraphs, in the following order:

Paragraph One:

Open with “Dear Mr./Ms. So-And-So.” Then, in two or three sentences, introduce yourself, tell them what position you’re applying for and why you’re contacting them (Don’t bother with how you learned about the opening, as in, “I’m writing in response to your CareerBuilder ad on January 10.”). Explain why you’re interested in working for this particular company.

Paragraph Two:

The purpose of your letter is to sell this employer on the idea of asking you in for an interview. So in the second paragraph, state your relevant experience and show how well it fits the employer’s requirements. Offer your two or three strong selling points and examples. Show enthusiasm, but without going overboard.

Paragraph Three:

In a few sentences, point the employer to your resume, indicate your availability for an interview, and provide your contact information (phone, e-mail). End with a positive statement about your desire to discuss the opportunity further, at a time that’s convenient for them, and thank them for their consideration.

Conclusion:

You can close with “Sincerely,” “Yours truly,” or “Regards.” If your letter is on paper, leave four blank lines and sign your name. Some people think it’s better to sign in blue ink, so it doesn’t look like a copy. If you’re sending an e-mail, leave a couple of blank lines, then type your name.

After Writing the Letter

How’s Your Spelling?

Be sure to proofread your letter before sending it. SpellCheck helps, but it’s not foolproof. It ignores correctly spelled words, even if they’re not the correct words to use in a particular context. For example, if you wrote “lion’s liar” instead of “lion’s lair,” SpellCheck wouldn’t notice the mistake.

Check Sentence Construction

Have you used active voice throughout, or did you slip into passive voice? Active voice is, “In this job, I created a system for…,” and passive voice would be, “A system was created that…” You want to be the actor, not a passive observer. So use active voice.

Strike the Right Tone

You should sound objective and professional, but not stuffy. Friendly and upbeat, but not casual. Words like “heretofore” will make you sound too professorial. “My BFF” or other slang expressions will make you sound immature and flippant. Stick with simple, clear, non-colloquial terminology.

How’s Punctuation?

If you’re unsure about the difference between “their” and “they’re,” or “its” and “it’s,” check a punctuation guide online or at the library. Be sure you know where and how to use commas and dashes, too.

Use the Correct Format

Whether you’re sending a letter on paper or attaching a Word file to an e-mail, you will need to use a standard business letter format. You can find examples of block style, modified block style, and others online.

Following Up

How long should you wait after sending your cover letter and resume before following up with the employer? That’s hard to say.

Remember that managers and HR people get buried in applications, and it takes time to sort them into “go” and “no” piles. Then it takes more time for someone to call and schedule interviews. You want to show you’re interested, but you don’t want to annoy the employer or HR person. A couple of weeks should be enough time to wait before calling. Use your own judgment as to when or if you should call again.

With an up-to-date, targeted resume and a well-written, compelling cover letter, you will improve your chance of getting an interview for that job you really want.
Good luck!