By Nonprofit Times Jobs
A job posting often comes sans the name of a contact person at the organization to which you are applying. Considering the trend toward personalizing every aspect of the job search, do you surrender to the generic, but encompassing, To Whom It May Concern, or do you launch an all-out reconnaissance mission to find out the whom?
The golden rule of the application process, according to experts, is to follow the instructions as closely as possible. But if no contact name is given, James Weinberg, founder and CEO of Commongood Careers, a nonprofit search firm in Boston, MA, advises doing a bit of research.
“I think ‘To Whom It May Concern’ is an act of last resort,” said Weinberg. “That just shows you don’t have a personal connection with the organization.” Weinberg added, “The ubiquity of the Internet makes researching organizations easy and expected.”
If you can’t find the name of someone at human resources, Weinberg recommends addressing your application to the executive director of the organization, asking the person to forward it to human resources or the appropriate person. It shows that you took the time to find something out about the organization.
To personalize your cover letter beyond the salutation, Weinberg and other recruitment experts offer the following:
Open with and state strongly your passion for the organizations mission and why specifically you share that passion: Instead of stating, “I always wanted to help people,” Weinberg suggests something more personalized, such as the following:
“Because I was raised with the educational opportunities, its personally very important to me to make sure that other people have those opportunities as well.”
Identify yourself as a qualified candidate; show that you read the job description carefully and address how your background meets the majority, if not all, of those criteria. Connect your skills to every single qualification they are looking for.
If there is a gap—if you cant make a connection to a qualification they are seeking—address this and explain how you have different, but comparable, skills.
Stay away from statements like, “I know I am the best person for the job.” It is more effective to state your skills and experience, and let them do the talking for you.
If you have a mutual—and willing—contact at the organization, mention the person in the first paragraph. Supplement this by inviting the executive to call the mutual contact to inquire about you.
This article was originally printed in Nonprofit Times Jobs, Vol. 2, Issue 4, February 22, 2006. Once a week, NPT Jobs will helps all levels of nonprofit executives looking to advance their career prospects by providing featured articles on employment trends and highlighted job opportunities in the nonprofit sector.