To land that dream job, offer a peek into your soul

Want to work for a small company or an entity that is anything but corporate? So how do you stand out in an age where you just click "attach" and "send"? How do you make it past the first gate? Video resumes and clever digital portfolios may work if you're vying for a seat at a creative company, but what if you're not pursuing an opportunity in the arts or social media?

I don't believe the resume matters nearly as much as most people think it should. Most competing for a position will possess roughly the same qualifications despite different backgrounds. Overall I find the playing field fairly level. A computer program scans your submitted resume for specific key words, or a busy human in HR spends little more than 30-60 seconds ingesting your geek cred. So is the key to shorten and sweeten, to load that resume full of key words you know HR will seek? I say NO. If it would be that easy, don't you think everyone else would be doing the exact same thing? So then how would you be different from all the other candidates? I say quit focusing on the resume so much.

As corny and perhaps strange as it may sound, I'm convinced an unconventional cover letter is the golden ticket. You read that right: unconventional. I'm not talking about that formal, standardized, snoozy-worthy cover letter whose cookie cutter format may be grammatically correct and may even summarize your accomplishments succinctly. I know we've all read those and likely have written quite a few of them ourselves. No doubt that at some point during our days of youth an academic of higher authority drilled some kind of formula into our noggins for that "perfect" cover letter. And perhaps that may have worked two decades ago.

But in today's electronic age, no one has a chance to analyze penmanship or critique choice of paper stock. The human touch has been lost in a sea of 0s and 1s. While we seek outlets to personalize experiences within digital spaces in social media, our cover letters attached to our resumes still often read robotic, devoid of spirit, of human emotion...that is, if we submit a cover letter at all. I say: offer a peek into your soul. Write a letter that truly reflects who you are. Forget the rules, write from the heart, and see where it goes. You may be surprised.

You see, when I was seeking a change in career from accounting and finance several years ago in favor of CRM as an account director, I knew the odds were stacked tall against me. My background, save for five years very early in my career, screams entirely accounting, auditing, finance, and project management. And you know how extroverted and charismatic many of us accountants are! Wooo...give us some rum punch, and we're all but busting out our calculators to figure out which asset gives us the greatest return. An HR director at an advertising agency would take one look at my resume, scratch his/her head wondering if I had applied to the wrong position at the wrong company, then click "delete". That's what I would EXPECT. Wouldn't you? So I decided to offer up something unexpected, at least from an accountant. No, I didn't rewrite my resume and weight it with all the marketing-related work I had done in my finance positions. I wrote an unconventional cover letter.

And it got me not only an interview, but two other interviews afterwards. I didn't end up taking the job, but I did get to meet five people in an industry I was trying to get into. About a year later, when I was applying for a Marketing Director role, I tweaked my letter a bit further (it's the letter that follows this post). Not only did I land the interview, I was called back for a second round and then offered the position. I'm convinced my resume was a minor player in these two instances, as my professional background was not what had been listed in the job description. In fact, I was told my compelling cover letter was why they called in the first place.

But writing an unconventional cover letter isn't necessarily just for marketing and sales careers. I tailored that same cover letter I had penned for the advertising agency to the craft beer industry, and I'm convinced it played a key role in my beating out 203 other candidates for a senior accounting gig at a popular craft brewer. Unconventional cover letter + accounting? Is that not worth a second look?

Look, I'm not completely off my rocker with idealism. There will be companies who will never read your quirky cover letter or may pass it off as unprofessional or as ill fit to the corporate culture. Fine. They did you a favor. Would you want to work at a place where you'll be ignored or seen as weird anyway?

Likewise, if you can't see yourself taking the time and going through the pains of writing a thought-out, personal cover letter for a company, you probably don't really want to work there anyway.

And that's how I see it.

My cover letter for the Marketing Director role:

Passion. That is the only way I can describe what I feel for the type of work you do at XXXXXXXXX. I possess a marketer's heart and creativity, as well as a financial accountant's brain and tenacity. Needless to say, the juxtaposition of the two facets certainly keeps things interesting inside my head. As a dedicated and analytically-minded professional with a successful career in financial management, I have built a solid foundation using my left brain, the brain that grew up concocting chemistry experiments in her parents' garage during her days of youth; the brain that entered every grade school mathematics competition she could get her hands on; the brain that pursued truth through weaving a fabric of scientific formulas with the thread of meticulous detail.

But something was....and is...still missing. The thirst for artistic creation still lingers in the recesses of my throat. My entrepreneurial zeal is begging for release.

The Director of Marketing opportunity would be a mutually fantastic fit. As I come from a financial background, I know and understand your target market well and have numerous established connections throughout the globe. I have already completed much of the research by having taken the lead with financial software implementation solutions for several entities, including the American Marketing Association’s Triangle Chapter. I speak the XXXXXXXX language in a way your target market will understand and appreciate. Likewise, this position would allow me to complete my transition from finance to marketing full circle. As I mention in my article “From Beans to Brands” (http://embatalk.com/index.php/homepage/posts?post=beans-to-brands), I’ve been trying to change the course of a ship with all the rope I can muster. I am currently taking MBA classes to complete a second top-tier focus in marketing (I already earned my MBA in 2008 with Global Business Administration as my focus) and have earned high marks in Pricing this spring of 2009. Strategic Brand Management is next on the docket. I would love the opportunity to apply my lessons to a technology and solutions package that runs in my blood. I have the tools. I’m ready to use them.

I write to you today to engage in further conversation. To give you an idea of some of my capabilities, I have attached my resumé for your review. Highlights of my credentials and aspects of my background pertaining directly to this position include:
• Managing budgeting, accounting and finance functions, and contributing vitally to the business plans and growth strategy of rapidly growing small business entities.
• Playing a key part in implementing project-management-based software, as well as training and coaching staff members on its use.
• Five years of retail management and banquet facility sales with a laser focus on measuring merchandising effectiveness, sales of high-ticket items, and market penetration.
• Revising accounting systems to streamline operations, promote cost efficiency and bolster cash flow management practices.
• Graduating from the OneMBA program at Kenan-Flagler Business School (UNC-CH) with Beta Gamma Sigma honors. Top grade of the class in statistics and microeconomics.
• Earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Business Management with academic distinction (3.93/4.00 GPA) in just three and a half years.
• Earning highly esteemed Brand Advocate status in manufacturing and a highly coveted spot on the Executive Leadership team for the American Marketing Association Triangle Chapter.

While I am confident I would add to the competency and knowledge base of your team, I also feel I could further develop both my left and right brains to their fullest potential. A versatile, diligent and creative individual, I am eager to explore opportunities for supporting brand management development and execution. Nothing excites me more than a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment!

Please consider the value that I would bring to XXXXXXXX, and be sure to visit my profile on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/agm1127 for my recommendations. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. I certainly hope to have the opportunity to discuss my qualifications, dreams, and innovative ideas in the near future. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Audra G. Marotta