Re: Resumes for Technical Communicators

Subject: Re: Resumes for Technical Communicators
From: Herman Holtz <holtz -at- CLARK -dot- NET>
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 1995 14:42:10 -0500

> My experience with reading and evaluating cover letters for hiring
> is for university teaching positions.I am often surprised how often people
> applying for positions in English write cover letters that are ineffective
> because the letter merely says what position the writer is interested in and
> directs the reader to the resume. Is this true in your professions? Do you
> managers out there prefer to see a detailed cover letter or a brief one?

In my opinion, a cover letter is a waste of time. If you have something
more to say, why did you not say it in your resume and refrain from
wasting a busy executive's time reading yet another piece of paper? (As
that busy exective with a desktopful of resumes, that was my reaction.)

On the other hand, why not a half-page letter INSTEAD of a resume? (Read
Carl Boll's Executive Jobs Unlimited for examples.) I tried that myself,
and it worked very well for me. Caution: It works when and only when you
have a real sizzler to put in the letter, but in tha case, it is
dynamite.


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