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I
saw an ad with Comprehensive Hire as the contact name:
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Thank you
for your interest in Comprehensive Hire, Inc. If you came to this
web page
because you are responding to an ad that we placed for one
of our clients, we appreciate your interest in the
posted position! We would like you to know that we are not an
employment agency or recruiting firm but recruiting consultants
that help small and medium sized businesses
hire employees. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding our hiring
process. If you have not already sent us your resume in regard to a posted
position, please email us your resume to
jobs@comprehensivehire.com and state what position you seek. |
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I am looking for a job and want to send Comprehensive
Hire my resume:
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If you are
looking for a job and have come to Comprehensive Hire's web site
hoping for
assistance in finding a position, we can only help you if you
are responding to a specific
position. We post openings on a
variety of websites such as
monster.com and
craigslist.com. Our advice to general job seekers is to utilize as many resources as you know of to find your next job:
networking, industry associations, job transitions groups, job boards, recruiters
- all and any of these methods are viable avenues to your next position. We
do not accept or retain unsolicited resumes. See our tips below. We
hope these assist you in a successful job search. |
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Cover Letters:
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Write
a few sentences directed to the hiring manager addressing the
position and your qualifications in relation to the position. With
the increased use of email, my preference is to receive a Cover
Letter in the body of the email vs. a separate attached document...
but preferences of hiring managers vary, so not a deal maker or
breaker. If sending a resume by mail or fax, include a short note
addressing the same items. |
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Your Cover Letter should
answer these questions:
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Specifically, what ad are you responding to? (I am
responding to the ad on monster.com for Accounting
Manager position with XYZ Companyî) |
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Why
have you responded to the particular ad? |
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How
does your background meet the criteria outlined in the
advertisement? |
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Is
there anything not clearly stated on your resume - such
as a specific industry you have worked in, that relates
to the position? |
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If the
ad asks for salary information, include a salary range. |
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If
relocation is involved - |
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Are you
planning a move to the new city? |
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If so, when
are you moving to the new city? |
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Is there a
specific reason you are interested in the city? |
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Do you plan
to be in the new city for interviews on a specific
day? |
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Do you plan
to pay for your own relocation and interview
expenses? |
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Big mistakes on Cover Letters are:
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No
Cover Letter. If the resume is sent alone, without a
Cover Letter, it may not be clear what position, if any, you are applying.
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The
candidate addresses the wrong position/wrong company in
a Cover Letter - oops! |
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The
Cover Letter is addressed 'Dear Sir'. Address 'Dear Hiring Manager' or 'Dear Sir/Madam' if in doubt. |
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The
candidate sends out resumes to multiple email addresses
using cc: - not personalized and obviously a mass
mailing. |
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The
candidate addresses the right position but sells their
background as something it is not. |
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The
candidate does not address relocation and simply sends a
resume requiring a major relocation. |
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The
candidate does not address location of the position if
the candidate lives in the same metro area but across
town. |
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Errors
on Cover Letters, word-use errors that do
not come up in spell check and simple spelling errors that do come up in spell check
- have someone proofread your Cover
Letters! |
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All
levels of job applicants make mistakes on Cover
Letters. No matter what level of position you seek,
mail room to top-level management, check your
information for spelling, grammar and word use. |
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Resumes:
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Everyone has a different
opinion on resumes. |
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Basic resume writing:
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The
first thing we look for is a strong objective statement.
Please, candidates, tell us what type of position you seek! |
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Provide
your job history in an easy to follow, chronological
order from present to past and include dates of the
positions you have held. Annual dates are acceptable |
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Explain
information in simple language. Have someone outside
your industry ensure that what you are saying makes
sense to a reader not familiar with your field. |
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Be
brief. Provide 3 - 5 accomplishments or duties per
position. We may receive 100s of resumes per
position. The more concise and to the point a resume
is, the more likely it will be read in full. |
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If
sending your resume by email, send as a Word document or
cut and paste the body of the resume into the email.
Want to make sure you are sending the resume in the
right format? Call the company and ask what format they
like to receive resumes! |
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Big Mistakes on resumes
are:
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Over
30% of the resumes we receive have a simple spelling
error that shows up when spell check is activated in
Word. In particular, if you are using an online system - such as Monster.com or Minnesota's Job Bank
to post and
send your resume, double-check your spelling! |
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If
there is an explainable gap in your employment such as
education, staying home to care for kids, a sick
relative etc... include
that in your resume: '1997- 1998 - stayed home to care for aging parent' Why leave a
question in the reader's mind what you were up to for
that year? |
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Have
the Objective relate to the position you are applying. If your Objective states that you are interested
in management and you send a resume for a staff level
position, what position is it that you really want?
Unless you provide an explanation somewhere else in your
Cover Letter, the assumption is you want a Management
position, after all that is your Objective. |
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Be true
to yourself. If you really want a Management position,
don't apply for the staff position. If you really want
to be in Outside Sales, skip applying for the Inside
Sales position. |
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Unsolicited resumes: Unsolicited resumes
are ones that are sent to us not in response to a specific
ad. Another type of unsolicited resume is one that is
sent specifying a specific position but the candidate
addresses interest in being considered for a completely
different type of position (i.e. bait and switch). The thought pattern goes
like this, 'if
a company is hiring a mechanic then they
must also be hiring a marketing person soon, too!' As a general
rule, larger companies are best equipped to handle
unsolicited resumes by using sophisticated tracking
software. To investigate positions not yet open,
research and contact the head of the department in
companies (large or small) where you are interested in
working. Proceed with questions about who to send a
resume to for xyz position, if they expect to hire in
the next 6 or so months, where do they advertise so you
can keep a tab on job postings ad if the
company keeps and refers back to unsolicited resumes. This way you will
start to develop a relationship with someone instead of
sending a resume blind that may end up in the trash. |
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We include our phone number in ads so that candidates
have the option of contacting us easily during the hiring process. An inquiry call
is an opportunity for a candidate to find out more about the job and decide if the
position is one that they are interested in applying. Often times, we receive
calls from candidates that want to know more information but they are unsure of
what to ask or what not to ask. As a candidate, go ahead and ask whatever
is important for you to know about the job. This includes: more information
on job duties, pay, hours, flex time, benefits etc...
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Inquiry
Calls / Follow Up Calls:
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The purpose of a Follow Up Call is to ensure that the hiring manager has received
your resume and to check on your status of a possible interview. Here are
some ideas to help you put your best foot forward in Inquiry Calls and Follow Up
Calls
I typically include my phone number in ads so that candidates
can contact me easily during the hiring process. The inquiry call
is for a candidate to find out more about the job and decide if the
position is one that they are interested in applying. Often times,
I receive calls from candidates that want to know more information
but they are unsure of what to ask or what not to ask. My opinion
is that a candidate should go ahead and ask whatever is important
for them to know about the job. This includes: more information on
job duties, pay, hours, flex time, benefits etc...
The purpose of a Follow Up Call is to ensure that the hiring
manager has received your resume and to check on your status of a
possible interview. Here are some ideas to help you put your best
foot forward in Inquiry Calls and Follow Up Calls. |
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Inquiry Calls:
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You are
calling to inquire, right? So ask a great question
like, 'Could you tell me more about the job?' Do you
have other specifics you are interested in? Hours,
flexibility, location, pay? Ask away! |
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Show
some enthusiasm for something stated in the ad: "I was
really happy to see this position is in Maple Grove, it
is so close to home," or "I worked in the construction
business right out of school and really enjoyed that business." |
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Do not
call to 'inquire' about a position and then only pitch
yourself. |
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Follow Up Calls:
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I am calling to see
if received resume. Ok.
Bye. If you are lucky enough to get the person
responsible for hiring on the phone, do not waste
a golden opportunity to make a good impression.
Prepare some questions before a follow up phone
call: |
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"I sent my resume and have a few questions regarding
the position." (use the following questions
or make up your own!) |
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Have
you received my resume? Stay on the phone
until the Hiring Manager or HR person finds
your resume.....then ask - |
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What is
the time frame and interviewing process? |
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Have
you selected who you plan to interview? |
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Do you
know if I will be interviewed for the
position? |
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Is
there anything more you would like to know
about me at this time? |
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Also
ask questions that you would ask in an
inquiry call if you want to know more about
the company or position |
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Express
that you are interested in the position for
a specific reason |
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Thank
the person for their time |
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Job
Seeker Websites:
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Following are few of our favorite websites. An important note to keep
in mind is that although websites are free for Job Seekers, they
dramatically vary in price for employers. The cost for employers to post jobs range from
$0 to $400.00 or more per posting and the price range
for resume databases is from
$0 to over $10,000.00 per year. Because
of the high cost for employers to
post jobs and research resumes, it is unlikely that all employers will use all job
boards. This requires you, the job seeker, to search for jobs and post your
resume on more than just one website.
Worth noting: We learned this
the hard way! Sign up on these websites using an email box other
than your main email address (i.e.. A Yahoo or Hotmail account).
Some job search websites sell email addresses to email 'spammers'.
Avoid the hassle of ongoing, unwanted email and use a separate
email just for your job search. |
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Our top job seeking
website picks:
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automationtechies.com - for electrical
engineers. This company also run a recruiting firm in
the same industry |
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dice.com
&
justtechjobs.com -
for computer/technical related positions |
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careerbuilder.com - national site in partnership with two major newspaper
publishers: Tribune Company and Knight-Ridder Inc. this
site is quickly becoming a powerhouse in the recruiting
field. |
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Craigslist.com
- poorly organized but viable openings. |
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Hotjobs.com / Yahoo.com
- big job site. Mostly big companies and agencies / recruiters. Now affiliated with the Pioneer Press. |
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Theladders.com
- strictly 100K+ jobs. The Ladders charges a small fee to job seekers to access the
site but is free to employers. |
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Indeed.com
- this site pulls postings from multiple free and paid boards. |
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jobsinthemoney.com
- just for accounting / finance positions. |
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mncpa.org
- good job listing site for accountants - CPAs and occasionally non CPAs -
not in Minnesota? check out your local CPA society! |
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Monster.com
- The most recognized job board name. Take the time to post your resume and update your
resume and update your resume here every week or two. It is expensive for employers to
search resumes at monster.com so you need to post your resume and search jobs or create a
search agent. |
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Startribune.com
- or your local newspaper classifieds. The Star Tribune combined its online job board
with newspaper classified listings. This is a huge improvement for the job seeker as now
you search for positions using one search engine and great for employers because of a
reduced cost option. |
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Questions, Comments and
Disclaimers:
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We hope you have found this information helpful. If you have
sent us your resume for a specific position, we do acknowledge
receipt of all resumes sent to us by email. Please send us your
comments on the information we have provided here. We wish you success finding your next position! |
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