How to Write a Cover Letter Everything You Need to Know

How to Write a Cover Letter Everything You Need to KnowHow to Write a Cover Letter Everything You Need to Know7theres a definite art to the exercise of writing a great titel letter.Like most aspects of job hunting, understanding how to write a titelbild letter can be learned, and you can only get better with time and experience. As you grow increasingly comfortable with selling yourself and explaining why youre the best candidate for the job (the reason cover letters exist, of course), you may come to appreciate how to take advantage of cover letter tips to write a letter that makes you shine.Heres what you need to know about how to write a cover letterDO Strategies to consider.Start off strong.Kick off your cover letter with a bang. Some options include making a statement about your enthusiasm for the company, your passion about what you do and your accomplishments, or using keywords in your cover letter to catch the hiring managers attention.Explain why youre the one.Making the cas e for why youre the best candidate for the job can help you preemptively answer the question of why you want to work for a particular company by showcasing your knowledge and qualifications.Research the company.Finding an employer thats a good fit for your flexible career goals is an essential first step in your job search. If youre a member (and hopefully you are), understanding how to research a company in the database can set you on the right path.Study the company culture. Seek to know acompanys cultureand understand its mission and how it works to achieve it. Study the companys website and research outside sources in your research, and reference your knowledge about the company in your cover letter.DONT Mistakes to avoid.A cookie-cutter approach.A job search isnt one size fits all, so to that end, take particular care to ensure that you customize your cover letter not just to the company, but to the particular job at hand. Each cover letter you write should be unique to the j ob youre applying for.Being long-winded.Keep your cover letter tightly worded and avoid straying off course by being wordy or bringing up off-topic information. As much as possible, avoid repeating your resume while keeping your language personal in a succinct way.Inappropriate humor.Exhibiting humor thats in poor taste is bad form in pretty much any situation, but it can be particularly harmful in a cover letter. While you dont want to be overly serious or heavy, avoid going to the opposite extreme by being too light or frivolous.Loaded words and phrases. Self-promotion (which is what a cover letter involves) can be tricky, and its easy to step over the line. Certainwords and phrasescan be overkill, such as saying youre THE perfect person for the job, or coming off as too picky or demanding.The Basics of a Cover Letter That ShinesA major goal of writing a standout cover letter, of course, is to set yourself apart from other job candidates. As you compose a letter that helps you shi ne, dont lose sight of a few basics.Make sure you address the letter to the correct person.Be sure to use the correct title (Mr. or Ms. is usually appropriate) and name of the contact person. At all costs, avoid using To Whom It May Concern or other generic titles or honorifics, which could be a red flag that you havent done your research.Spell out the specific position youre applying for.No matter how beautifully crafted your cover letter may be, it may all be for nothing if you fail to include the basic information like the title of the job youre trying to land and, particularly, the kind of work flexibility youre seeking.Demonstrate your knowledge of the employer.You can be brief, but a tightly crafted sentence or two that shows off what you know about the employer can make you stand out. Good places to research this information include the About Us and mission statements of a companys website. Researching companies on can help get you ahead.Briefly highlight your soft skills.A cover letter is a great opportunity to highlight any soft skillsyou may have. Unlike so-called hard skills, soft skills encompass interpersonal talents like creativity, interpersonal relationships, communication, and decision-making.A big finish.Make your final paragraph a closer. Summarize why youre the right candidate for the job and dont forget to thank the hiring contact for their time and consideration. If a meeting or interview hasnt been set up or offered, nows a good time to request one as the next step in the hiring process.Looking for some help with your job search or career?SIGN UP FOR CAREER COACHING

Living in a financial desert can be bad for credit score, financial success

Living in a financial desert can be bad for leistungspunkt score, financial successLiving in a financial desert can be bad for credit score, financial successYour financial health is partially a result of whether or not you grew up in proximity to banking or other financial institutions, according to a new study from Iowa State University.Those who were exposed to banks at earlier ages have increased financial literacy and trust of the institution. However, people who grew up in financial deserts swaths of neighborhoods without banks hesitate to get credit, resulting in lower credit scores and more delinquent accounts.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe study will be published in the Journal of Financial Economics.The fact that this has a lingering impact is important because people dont have a lot of control over where they grow up, said researcher James Brown, Kingland MBA p rofessor, in a release. I remember growing up right across the street from a bank and going with my dad to open my first account. But a lot of people grow up in an environment where banks are not visible and its not as easy to connect to a financial institution at a young age.The researchers obtained their data by studying people on Native American reservations with tribal courts, comparing them to people on Native American reservations with state courts. Reservations with tribal courts had 20% fewer bank branches per capita in the 2000s.FindingsFor those who grew up with fewer financial institutionsThey are 20% less likely to have a credit reportThey have 7 to 10-point lower credit scoreThey have 2 to 4 percent higher delinquency ratesThe effect on their credit scores is similar to the effect of reducing annual income by $6,000Moving to a community with stronger financial markets does improve individuals situations. However, researchers estimated, it still takes about 17 years to g et their credit score back on track and 12 years to reduce delinquency rates.Exposure and trust go together, said Brown. If you grow up in an environment with more banks, youre more inclined to trust banks and the financial system. If you grow up in a financial services desert, youre much less likely to trust financial institutions, which may be one reason you dont engage or you dont pay back your credit card bills with the same frequency.Relatedly, The New York Times reported on financial deserts in 2017, writing that the Bronx has fewer bank branches than any borough except for Staten Island.That same year, the Wall Street Journal reported on the closure of black-owned banks across the country. On the South Side of Chicago, a resident told the paper that fewer small banks in her neighborhood meant that it would turn into a financial desert, with only predatory institutions available for banking, like payday lenders and check-cashing joints.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reve als 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

The 6 Things You Should Never Sacrifice for Your JobNo Matter What

The 6 Things You Should Never Sacrifice for Your JobNo Matter WhatThe 6 Things You Should Never Sacrifice for Your Job- No Matter WhatThe typical workday is long enough as it is, and technology is making it even longer. When you do finally get home from a full day at the office, your mobile phone rings off the hook, and emails drop into your inbox from people who expect immediate responses.While most people claim to disconnect as soon as they get home, recent research says otherwise. A study conducted by the American Psychological Association found that more than 50% of us check work email before and after work hours, throughout the weekend, and even when were sick. Even worse, 44% of us check work email while on vacation.A Northern Illinois University study that came out this summer shows just how bad this level of connection really is. The study found that the expectation that people need to respond to emails during off-work hours produces a prolonged stress response, which the res earchers named telepressure. Telepressure ensures that you are never able to relax and truly disengage from work. This prolonged state of stress is terrible for your health. Besides increasing your risk of heart disease, depression, and obesity, stress decreases your cognitive performance.We need to establish boundaries between our personal and professional lives. When we dont, our work, our health, and our personal lives suffer.Responding to emails during off-work hours isnt the only area in which you need to set boundaries. You need to make the critical distinction between what belongs to your employer and what belongs to you and you only. The items that follow are yours. If you dont set boundaries around them and learn to say no to your boss, youre giving away something with immeasurable value.1. Your HealthIts difficult to know when to set boundaries around your health at work because the decline is so gradual. Allowing stress to build up, losing sleep, and sitting all day witho ut exercising all add up. Before you know it, youre rubbing your aching back with one hand and your zombie-like eyes with the other, and youre looking down at your newly acquired belly. The key here is to not let things sneak up on you, and the way you do that is by keeping a consistent routine. Think about what you need to do to keep yourself healthy (taking walks during lunch, not working weekends, taking your vacations as scheduled), make a plan, and stick to it no matter what. If you dont, youre allowing your work to overstep its bounds.2. Your FamilyIts easy to let your family suffer for your work. Many of us do this because we see our jobs as a means of maintaining our families. We have thoughts such as I need to make more money so that my kids can go to college debt-free. Though these thoughts are well-intentioned, they can burden your family with the biggest debt of all- a lack of quality time with you. When youre on your deathbed, you wont remember how much money you made f or your spouse and kids. Youll remember the memories you created with them.3. Your SanityWhile we all have our own levels of this to begin with, you dont owe a shred of it to your employer. A job that takes even a small portion of your sanity is taking more than its entitled to. Your sanity is something thats difficult for your boss to keep track of. You have to monitor it on your own and set good limits to keep yourself healthy. Often, its your life outside of work that keeps you sane. When youve already put in a good days (or weeks) worth of work and your boss wants more, the most productive thing you can do is say no, and then go and enjoy your friends and hobbies. This way, you return to work refreshed and de-stressed. You certainly can work extra hours if you want to, but its important to be able to say no to your boss when you need time away from work.4. Your IdentityWhile your work is an important parte of your identity, its dangerous to allow your work to become your whole i dentity. You know youve allowed this to go too far when you reflect on whats important to you and work is all that (or most of what) comes to mind. Having an identity outside of work is about more than just having fun. It also helps you relieve stress, grow as a person, and avoid burnout.5. Your ContactsWhile you do owe your employer your best effort, you certainly dont owe him or her the contacts youve developed over the course of your career. Your contacts are a product of your hard work and effort, and while you might share them with your company, they belong to you.6. Your IntegritySacrificing your integrity causes you to experience massive amounts of stress. Once you realize that your actions and beliefs are no longer in alignment, its time to make it clear to your employer that youre not willing to do things his or her way. If thats a problem for your boss, it might be time to part ways.Bringing it All TogetherSuccess and fulfillment often depend upon your ability to set good boundaries. Once you can do this, everything else just falls into place.More From Inc.If Your Boss Is Pushing You Too Hard, This Might Be Why5 Reasons to Stop Apologizing and Ask for What You Deserve5 Essential Tips for Finding a Work-Life Balance