May 28. 2003
(Elje Jlortlanò ©bsvruer
Page A7
CAREERS Special Editio n
Five Common Cover
Letter Mistakes
Recruiters read thousands o f
resumes over their careers. After
a while, all those resumes start to
blend together.
So how can you, an anony-
mousjob seeker, catch a recruiter's
eye? Introduce yourself with an
effective cover letter.
Sure, a resum e lists all o f your
ach iev em en ts, but a resum e
c a n ’t capture your personality
. passion or desire for a particu ­
lar job. A cover letter is the p er­
fect place to let potential em ­
ployers know you as a person:
W hat y o u ’ve done, w hat you
can offer and how you express
yourself. And th e re’s an added
bonus: You can write in full sen­
tences instead o f fragm ents or
bullet points.
M any jo b se e k e rs sp e n d
hours crafting each item on their
resum e. Then they w hip out a
quick-and-dirty cover letter full
o f m istakes — not realizing that
a cover letter is ju st as im por­
tant as a resum e.
State exactly which jo b you’re
applying for. Include the exact
name o f the position. If the ad
provided a job ID number, then
include that too. It's also a good
idea to mention where you heard
about the opening.
M any recruiters handle hun­
dreds o f jo b openings, so they
w on’t automatically know which
one y o u ’re gunning for. By re­
m inding them o f the specific
opening for w hich y o u 're ap­
plying, you'll make it more likely
that your resum e will be read by
the right person.
Do you send the exact same
cover letter to every employer?
Big mistake.
The point o f a cover letter is to
make a personal connection with
the reader. So to write a success­
ful cover letter, you should tailor
it specifically to each company
you send it to.
Community College Grads on Career Paths
Get on board TriMet
and make your
career connection
p
ss;-
North Portland
resident Tracy
LeanneJones
overcame a
learning
disability and
economic
disadvantages
on her career
path as a
student at
Portland
Community
College.
■F
With over 2,600 employees, TriMet proudly serves
our community, offering exciting career opportuni­
ties in many different areas.
Visit TriMet’s website at trimet.org/jobs, call our Job
Hotline at 503-962-7640 (TTY 503-238-5811) or
stop by our office at 4012 SE 17th Ave. in Portland.
_____________
T R I © M E T
_____________
See where it takes you.
Portland Community College is celebrat­
ing its 41 st and largest graduation ceremony
ever, awarding 2,934 diplomas to PCC gradu­
ates. Commencement exercises are set for
Friday, June 13, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Memo­
rial Coliseum.
Family, friends, faculty and staff will be on
hand to congratulate the graduates and cel­
ebrate their accomplishments.
PCC is the largest and most ethnically di­
verse institution o f higher education in Or­
egon. It serves more than 105,000 full-and part-
time students. Ethnic minority students make
up 26 percent o f the student population. Stu­
dents hail from all walks o f life, ranging in age
from 14to96.Thisyear’sgraduatingclassis 14
percent larger than last year.
Tracy Jones, student leader at the Cas­
cade Campus in north Portland, was chosen
to deliver the student address. Jones, a single
mother o f three who began her studies from
a homeless shelter, has plans to transfer this
fall to the University o f Maryland.
The 36-year-old mother o f three young
boys had a rocky start to college. She lost her
ability to pay for housing when her partner
and the father o f her children lost his job.
From there, the road began to smooth out.
Jones said.
“I have created a support system in this
family at PCC and I am forever indebted to the
people who have helped me succeed in life,"
she said.
A lthough talented in art and m ath, Jones
struggled with reading and retaining infor­
m ation due to a diagnosed learning d isab il­
ity. But it did not prevent her from earning
good grades and induction in the national
com m unity college honor society, Phi Theta
Kappa. She has also been a student leader
at C ascade Cam pus, directing student pro­
gramming.
Portland
C om m unity
C ollege
w w w .p cc.ed u
If you think these add up to a
great education, you’ve already
passed your first test.
Call 503-977-4519
■ a ■ « n e ■ •
I
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• •a s m a
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Find these jobs at:
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i
OR
www. nc. blm.gov/jobs
APOLLO COLLEGE
OVER 45,000 GRADUATES SINCE 197«
Lloyd Center Campus
2004 Lloyd Center (3rd Floor)
(503) 761-6100
BLM
Oregon/Washington
Equal Opportunity Employer
1