Subject Line for 'Cold Call' Application/Resume?

[wurm]

Hello,

Just need some advise here, I'm planning on sending a 'cold call' application via email, but I'm not quite sure what to put as a subject line?

Any suggestions?

I'll be sending to 3 companies, I've called all three and was advised that there were no available positions, but I do have email addy's for all 3, so I'm planning on sending my CV anyways.

TY.

[wurm]

P.S

I already have a cover letter, I'm just not sure on what to put in the subject line?

Some have suggested leaving it blank (bad idea I think, although when I applied for my current job I forgot to put a subject line kasi nagmmadali ako, lol.) or to put in "resume" as the subject. (This might work, I'm not too sold on it though)

[c0Rinthian]

Rather than responding to your question with just 1 answer, I would like to highlight the Things to AVOID when doing a blind/cold call application.

(BTW, to answer your question, the subject line should SPECIFY what position(s) you are interested in applying for).

Your CV/application is your marketing brochure through which you try to sell a commodity, ie your skills to the potential buyer ie the prospective employer. The sole purpose of your CV is to fetch you an interview call. Nothing more, nothing less.

The points mentioned here are not listed in the order of priority; instead they are listed in the sequence in which they usually appear on a CV.

Colorful or glossy paper and flashy fonts
Your CV is a formal, official document. Keep it simple.

Resume or CV at the top
Many people tend to add headings to their CV. The usual are CV, Curriculum Vitae and Resume. Do not do this.

Photographs until asked
Do not add your photo to the CV until you have been asked for it. Photographs are required only for certain types of positions like models, actors etc.

Usage of 'I', 'My', 'He', 'She'
Do not use these in your CV. Many candidates write, 'I worked as Team Leader for XYZ Company' or 'He was awarded Best Employee for the year 2007'. Instead use bullet points to list out your qualifications/ experience like: Team leader for XYZ Company from 2006-2007.

Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors
Proofread your CV until you are confident that it doesn't have any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. These are big put-offs for the recruiters. Moreover, sometimes these mistakes might land you in an embarrassing situation.

A candidate who submitted his CV without proofreading it committed the mistake of wrongly spelling 'ask' as '***'. Now you can imagine the type of embarrassment he must have faced during the interview, when the interviewer pointed it out. These mistakes tend to convey a lazy and careless attitude to the interviewer.

Lies about your candidature
Do not lie about your past jobs or qualifications or anything which might have an impact on the job. You may be able to secure a job with these lies today but tomorrow you may lose it as well.

Abbreviations or jargon that is difficult to understand
People screening your resume usually belong to the HR department. If they do not understand what the abbreviations and jargon mean, they will simply dump your CV in the trash can. Avoid over-using such terms as far as possible.

Reasons for leaving last job
Leave these reasons to be discussed during the personal interview. For example, some candidates write: Reason for leaving the last job: Made redundant. Avoid making such statements in your CV, they add no value. Besides, if you do get an interview call, chances are the interviewer will address the issue.

Past failures or health problems
Mentioning these immediately slash your chances of getting an interview call.

For instance, you have a gap in your employment because you started your own business which did not do well. Some candidates might write -- Reason for gap in employment: Started own business which failed. Do not do this type of injustice with your job hunt at this stage of writing the CV.

Current or expected salary
Leave it to be discussed while negotiating the salary.

Irrelevant details
Leave out the details like marital status, sex, passport number, number of kids, age of kids. These are usually irrelevant for most interviewers but at times could be used as a basis for discrimination.

References
Do not include them until asked. In fact, it is not even required to mention the line 'Reference available on request'. If the recruiter requires a reference, he/she will ask you to bring it along for the interview.

on cover letters:

the purpose of the cover letter and resume is not to land the job -- it is to land the interview. The task is to send a letter that will create enthusiasm for an in-person meeting; cleaning it up properly is a necessary first step in creating that attractive submission.

Don't make (1) Cover letters addressed generically to Sir/Madam (2) Cover letters that aren't customized to the position you are applying for.

A generic cover letter is redundant; why write it when the recipient knows that it has nothing specific to tell?


I would also advise you to tailor their CV to the role rather than using a generic one as often as possible. Otherwise they are likely to be overlooked in favour of someone who has done this.

If you're emailing the CV, an attached cover letter is also unnecessary. A few concise lines in the email will do you more favours than an overlong letter and the reality is most people will scan this and move straight to the CV

Now that you have run through the list, take a fresh look at your application strategy and prune away unnecessary details and unaffordable blunders that could have cost you your dream job.

Good luck! :)

BTW- make sure to send your application seperately, one of the most irritating emails that a recruiter can receive is a message sent by a candidate to at least 50 recipients (private companies, and staffing firms) without even putting the email ID's in the BCC field.

What's worse is, they come up with a generic message similar to this:

"Dear Sir/Madam:

With reference to your posted advertisement, I am interested in applying for the any position available.

I am confident that my qualifications, skills and past working experience are relevant to the requirements of the position and I can make significant contributions to the continued success of your company.

My resume is attached for your review and I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss with you personally how I can best serve your company."

Thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you

needless to say, that application promptly got sent to the recycle bin :grrr: