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Rank: Newbie
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Joined: 3/25/2008
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Location: Maryland
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Hello-
I have a quick question from seasoned librarians. Do you think its most effective to snail mail a resume/cover letter, or to use electronic mail (or both)?
Additionally, if you use e-mail, should a full-text of the cover letter be the body of the e-mail? Or can the cover letter be included as an attachment, with the body of the e-mail just explaining the position you are applying for?
Thanks in advance! I really appreciate your input.
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Rank: Member
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Joined: 1/3/2008
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Location: Ohio
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The choice between mail or e-mail will depend on where you are applying. If they prefer regular mail, then go regular mail. If they prefer e-mail, then go e-mail. If it's six one way, half-dozen the other I, personally, prefer e-mail. It is faster (you can see more quickly whether or not they received it) and it's free. I also find it more reliable than regular mail.
As to whether to send an attachment or send your resume in the e-mail itself, I would say send an attachment (making sure it meets all file requirements) unless otherwise asked. As a fail-safe, I always state in the body of the e-mail that if there are problems in the attachment to please let me know. I generally get a respose, especially if there is a problem (which is rare). Just be certain you stick with basic fonts and very simple formatting in your resume, and you should be OK.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 1/31/2008
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Location: Oregon
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I agree, email is generally my preferred way to submit application materials. If in doubt, ask the contact person listed in the job description which they prefer. I think most people nowadays recognize the benefits of receiving applications by email. If nothing else, it simplifies the process of creating multiple copies for members of the search committee. Attachments are best, and I usually make them PDF files -- see http://www.cutepdf.com for free software to create PDFs.
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Rank: Member
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I will go by email as long as an email address is provided in the job ads.
I usually send the cover letter as an attachment and state in the email body what files I am attaching.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Job Hunting Tips - Moderator
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Location: Cairo, Egypt
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I second making your cover letter, resume, and references into one long PDF sent as an attachment. Then your email can say, "Please consider the attached PDF with my cover letter, resume, and attachments as my application for the position of Technical Services Librarian."
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Except for in the case of those excruciating online apps I have gotten into the habit of doing both. It is usually near effortless to email a copy and if applying for the position isn't worth $1 in postage costs then you probably shouldn't bother applying. This ensures that they both get it fast and get it in exactly the format you prefer. In addition you get your name in front of the contact person twice. For emails I send everything as an attachment with my name in the file name. I advise against bundling your attachments. That may sound spiffy, but it involves putting all of your eggs in one basket. What if your attachment doesn't open? If your resume and cover letter are separate there is a better chance they can see at least one. Plus, not every item goes to every person. For instance, your list of references is often excluded from the copies given to the committee. Mushing it all together in one file just means someone else has to extrude it later. It is much easier to select all of the attachments and hit Ctrl-P to get a complete application packet than it is to slice up a pdf to get a partial application packet.
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I think the important thing here, which should not be overlooked, is to READ and RE-READ the job posting. Many times, there are specific instructions on what to submit and how to submit it. No matter your preference, *always* follow these instructions if they're part of the posting. And, if you learn of the job on a list-serv, it's always wise to locate the original posting on the organizations web site and see if there are additional instructions there.
That said, I think email is fine these days. However, I would recommend combining your cover letter, resume, and (if requested) references into a single document (with page breaks, of course) and attaching it as a PDF. Give it a good title, like "Application for Position #124272 - First LastName.pdf". Send an email that is brief and says something like "Attached, you will find my cover letter and resume in reference to the position of Super Librarian in the Department of Knowledge. I look forward to speaking with you about the position."
Sending a single file helps keep your materials together, and makes it easier for the HR or contact person to forward your information on to members of the search committee.
Good luck!
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 1/3/2008
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Location: Maryland
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Where the application packet is going is important too. It may be directly to the library or a central HR dept for the municipality.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Management - Moderator
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Joined: 1/2/2008
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Location: Cleveland, Ohio
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Robert wrote:Except for in the case of those excruciating online apps I have gotten into the habit of doing both. It is usually near effortless to email a copy and if applying for the position isn't worth $1 in postage costs then you probably shouldn't bother applying. This ensures that they both get it fast and get it in exactly the format you prefer. In addition you get your name in front of the contact person twice. For emails I send everything as an attachment with my name in the file name. I advise against bundling your attachments. That may sound spiffy, but it involves putting all of your eggs in one basket. What if your attachment doesn't open? If your resume and cover letter are separate there is a better chance they can see at least one. Plus, not every item goes to every person. For instance, your list of references is often excluded from the copies given to the committee. Mushing it all together in one file just means someone else has to extrude it later. It is much easier to select all of the attachments and hit Ctrl-P to get a complete application packet than it is to slice up a pdf to get a partial application packet. I would also always send attachments in PDF. As a person that has been on regular search committees recently, it does not matter of the cover letter and resume are in a single file or two files. The ones that do not look "professional" are those that put their cover letter only in the email. Can you imagine how the formating looks when someone prints that from their email program. If you can submit by email, it is almost a waste to also send by postal mail. The postal one often just finds the circular bin, if they email one has already been received.
Brian C. Gray Head of Reference & Engineering Librarian Kelvin Smith Library Case Western Reserve University http://blog.case.edu/bcg8bcg8@case.edu
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Rank: Advanced Member
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joan wrote:I second making your cover letter, resume, and references into one long PDF sent as an attachment. Then your email can say, "Please consider the attached PDF with my cover letter, resume, and attachments as my application for the position of Technical Services Librarian." Also use your name as the filename as it stands out. If we get dozens of docs or PDFs that all say job101 or resume, often some may get lost.
Brian C. Gray Head of Reference & Engineering Librarian Kelvin Smith Library Case Western Reserve University http://blog.case.edu/bcg8bcg8@case.edu
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