Megan Said:

How do you stand out in resumes/cover letters?

We Answered:

It's hard work but the best way is to actually tailor your CV to every single job for which you apply. Have a standard, master, CV but when you apply for any given job take out the parts of your CV that don't dovetail into the experience sought by the prospective employer and, so much more importantly, elaborate the parts of your CV which do have the experience sought. You can even go as far as using the same terminology as is used in the job ad. This will instantly make the recipient remark how suitable you look for the role.

Agnes Said:

What to put in a resume/cover letter when still in high school with no work experience?

We Answered:

Do you really need a resume for an entry level job at Kohl's. For my first job (something like what you are trying to get) I pretty much talked to the store manager for awhile and he hired me on the spot (yeah, he was a bit short staffed), no resume was expected as we both knew full very I had no experience beyond mowing lawns, but he didn't care. The job wasn't exactly rocket science. If things have changed that much since I started working (yeah its been awhile) and you really do need a resume I'd just honestly fill out whatever you can think of (high school grades, anything you do right down to cheerleading squad, etc); but I really doubt they expect a resume for an entry level job right out of high school.

Darren Said:

How effective is it to send out a resume & cover letter to companies cold without knowing if there is an jobs?

We Answered:

You have nothing to lose except the cost of printing the resume and the stamp to mail it. You don't even have to buy a stamp if you email it. You should send the resume to the HR department and also to the manager of a specific department within the organization if you know where you want to work. Example, if you are a billing specialist, you would send a copy to the business office manager.

You should have some idea of what job you want and for what type of job you are qualified, so target businesses that might need your skills and experience. However, don't wait until a position is advertised. Most managers know well in advance when a position will become open, long before a position is advertised. Oftentimes a position is never advertised.

I have been a manager in several organizations and always kept a file of promising candidates, so that when I knew a posiiton might be opening up, I would be in a position to hire quickly. As people would send me resumes, I would copy the promising ones for my file and send all of the originals to HR.

In my career, whenever I was seeking work (I have a medical skill), I always sent a resume and cover letter directly to the manager of the department in which I wanted to work. If the manager was interested, he/she would call me to schedule an interview, at which time I would fill out an application. If the manager wanted to hire me, he would take me to HR.