In general, I agree...
Without getting into too lengthy a diatribe, I must say that two things jump out at me in this discussion. The first is the issue of cell phone numbers on a resume and the other is that of what to put in your cover letter.
A resume must convey, on its most fundamental level, who you are, your qualifications, your work history, and how you can be reached. If one of the most reliable and consistent ways that you can be reached is by cell phone then you should put your cell phone number on the resume. It's pretty much that simple.
It was different in years past when the only option was a pager number. I did not recommend that people put their pager numbers on a resume because they had several fatal flaws that made them notoriously unreliable - not the least of which was that the person placing the page never really knew if they had paged the right individual - that is, unless the right person called right back.
In my case, the best way to be sure that you will at least get a message to me is to call my cell phone. If I'm in the country (which I haven't been in the past few days) I get those messages pretty much wherever I happen to land, as soon as I land.
Now, without disagreeing with the concept of brevity so expertly espoused by Lori and Kathy, I will also say that there are times when a cover letter needs to contain more detail than the five Ws permits.
It's important to understand the difference between a cover letter and a resume. Allow me to over-generalize for a moment (it's what we historians do best). First, a resume is a statement of professional qualification with contact information. A resume, in its purest form, will not contain personal information.
A cover letter, on the other hand, can be anything from a very simple accompaniment to your resume just to show that you cared enough to write it in the first place, to a fact filled summary that says all the things a resume can’t say because of its structure and purpose. In other words, a cover letter is where you can say some things that you want you target company to know about you that you can’t say in your resume.
Writing has many features that give it power that most people fail to fully grasp. One is its permanence. When you write something down it relates your thoughts, and sometimes more importantly, your attitudes, in a way that can be re-evaluated over time. All one has to do is read what was written another time. A permanent record of what you have to say in the hands of your interviewer can be quite handy before, during, and after an interview. If they can’t remember who you are, perhaps your letter will jog a few brain cells later on.
Another power of writing is the degree of control it affords you over the flow of information you have to offer. When you take the time to put your thoughts in writing you have the power to control not only what information you present, but also how you present it. You also have the power to change what you write before anyone else sees it thus, giving you the ability to have precisely the impact you desire or intend on your reader. One has only to think of instances where one has misspoken in a coversation to understand the potential importance of writing in this regard.
You can use your cover letter to direct attention to facts about yourself that you want on parade during an interview. You will be asked about yourself in some form or another. When you get this question you might be able to cite your cover letter as a source for details of personal accomplishments or awards, personal hardships that interrupted work experience, etc. The point is that a cover letter can help you direct the attention of the interviewer where you want their focus to be – on the details you want them to consider about you.
So, while I do encourage people to restrain their cover letters somewhat (ONE page maximum), I think that what you put in it depends entirely on who you are. When a well written cover letter is read and considered against the fabric of your interview, it can often have contribute to a strong personal impression.
It is my experience that cover letters may not always be fully read by those to whom they are presented, but they often are. In cases where a cover letter is not read by an interviewer prior to an interview, it is often possible to create interest in doing so with good verbal presentation skills during the interview. In situations where your letter has been read you have the opportunity to emphasize key points by citing the letter during the interview. In either case, you a direct attention to things you have chosen as key points about you more than once.
Repetition is a well known teaching tool. Repetition fosters remembering the thing repeated. If YOU want to be the thing remembered skillful repetition of key facts will help you teach your target company about you in a way that will be more effective and will help you to achieve your goal.
You can say a lot on just one page. Check out the Declaration of Independence sometime – it’s just one page!
TIS
