Seriously doubt anyone here is looking for this sort of job, but I'm hiring an organist/music director. Not the point, though. What has blown me away is that in the job description, where I tell people where to send the application, it says "submit cover letter, resume, and references." Of the 7 applications I've received, only 2 came with cover letters. Is this common for people to be so dense?
Graduating in May with a degree in Economics. Any suggestions for me as i dip my toes into the big bad scary workforce? Been a bit of a bitch because so many finance jobs require a decent amount of experience.
1. Decide where you are going to live
2. Target companies that hire people with your backgrounds (whether they are hiring now or not).
3. Get your LinkedIn Profile up and running - make it sharp, good picture etc. It should basically reflect your resume which is probably light since you are just graduating, so HIGHLIGHT your education.
4. Send a connection request to everyone at these targeted companies. I don't care if it's the CEO or a Secretary. You are just sending connect request. If they use linkedin, they will likely accept, if they don't use it - they won't - no biggie
5. After you have your connection request up in numbers, send introduction emails to the managers and HR folks introducing yourself. If there is a job that fits your background (entry-levelish), reference those jobs. If no jobs, just introduce yourself letting them know you are interested in their company and would like to network regarding future opportunities.
6. Follow up with them every couple months.
7. Do this for every company you are targeting in your town.
GET YOUR FACEBOOK ON POINT. Don't make your profile picture you acting like an asshole. It doesn't have to be you in church either, but just make it somewhat normal. When hiring companies have nothing to base on, they will take a look at what you put out publicly and pass judgement. Is that fair? Probably not. Is it reality? Yup.
Start there....
If you're graduating this May.... Isn't your question like a year late?
Because we're anticipating 25 or more applications by the time the search is over. I don't give a crap where someone learned to play the organ, which really is all a resume tells me. References are helpful, but I'm not going to start there. The cover letter is where the candidate can express themselves and put a "face" to the resume. It is where they can convey their passion for music, their understanding of how music can transform a congregation, what sort of teacher they might be. Church hires are different than corporate hires, so it's not as simple as "can you tickle the ivories?" but "how can you enhance the ministry of this congregation through music?" No resume will answer that, and in trying to make heads or tails of so many applications, the cover letter allows candidates to distinguish themselves. I'm the HR committee, so having a lot of time isn't a luxury I have while I'm also running the church. The cover letter gives me something to go on, some reason to say "I want to talk to this person further." Furthermore, there really are only a handful of schools that produce quality organists, so the resumes are going to look fairly similar.
Also, if you want a job that requires at least a BA, you should be able to crank out 3 paragraphs for a cover letter. Even if you think it's stupid for me to ask for it, your refusal to do so shows me that either 1) you are incompetent, 2) you are lazy, or 3) you don't really care about this job, you just want any job you can get. I've just been surprised that, so far, so many people aren't doing it. I thought cover letters were standard anyway (even without asking for it).
My wife is a recruiter and has a strict set of rules for applicants to follow. It's not like it is difficult; you just have to be able to read and follow directions. If they don't, she doesn't even bother looking at their materials. She throws them away, for the reasons you expressed (lazy, inability to follow directions, etc.). It is astounding how many otherwise qualified people are unable or unwilling to follow simple directions. I wish I could say it was just dumb millennials who have been told they are special their whole lives, but it cuts across generational lines.
you may find a job through linkedin. you will definitely find a job through actual networking. family and friends of family can be a huge help when there's a mass of unwashed college grads descending upon linkedin.
i bet if you had asked for a short response to that question ("how can you enhance the ministry of this congregation through music?"), you woulda gotten a way higher take rate.
i'd say less than 20% of peeps submit a cover letter with a standard application that doesn't explicitly ask for one. i rarely use one, and when i do it's a generic one.
Maybe I'm not interested in catering to the lowest common denominator. Again, if you can't write a compelling letter as to why I should consider hiring you, then I'm not interested. Maybe I'm wrong, but if I am, I'm still the boss who gets to decide who to hire.
why would you requiring all that stuff
and are you going to ignore the 5 who didn't submit a cover letter? if not, you have your answer. if you are, id say that's kind of dumb and goes back to the initial question.
If I was making employment decisions and gave explicit instructions and then applicants didn't follow said instructions I would probably take that as indicative of their attention to detail and how important the position is to them. #inthetrash