Customized Cover Letters

I just got off the phone with a client who had a simple question: Who do I address the "Dear" line on the cover letter to, if I don't have a person's name? [He's looking for entry-level jobs as a TV producer, and was sending off his resume to television stations. Several of the job postings just said: Send to the attention of "Human Resources."]

I asked him: Do you want the easy answer, or the effective answer? The easy answer is to do one of the following:

• Dear Sir/Madam
• "To Whom It May Concern"
• Omit the "Dear" line altogether, and just put RE: [JOB TITLE] and then go directly into the body of the letter.
  

That's the easy way to do it, and how probably 90% of job applicants handle it.

But my clients comprise the best 10% of job seekers -- or so I'd like to believe. (My tips and guidance help get them into that top 10%, usually.)

So my answer to him wasn't so easy -- but it's definitely more effective:
I told him to call each of the television stations and ask who he should address the cover letter to (and be sure and get the correct spelling of their name and their job title). For the types of companies he's targeting (TV stations), 95 percent of the time, a 2-minute phone call can yield this information.

In the other 5 percent of cases, you can find the information you're looking for on the company or organization's website. In a TV news job, you're probably looking for the name of the News Director. That's fairly easy to find on the TV station's website. You might want to call to make sure that person is still the News Director, though, because that's a job with a LOT of turnover (particularly right after a ratings period).

There are few things worse (from a job seeker's perspective) than sending the resume and cover letter addressed to the FIRED News Director. One, it might not get to the new News Director and second, they might not think very much of your research skills if you didn't know there was someone new in the role (even if it just happened last week).

So take the effective route, and make the call. You may even get the opportunity to talk to the hiring manager (or HR person) directly. That's a GOOD thing (although some of my clients find that nerve-wracking -- but hey, your goal is to get in front of that person eventually anyway, right? Better to break the ice now!).

Don't take the easy way out ... be effective!