Telecommuting Cover Letters

Question: How do I market myself online?

Answer: With a stellar cover letter and resume.

Okay, so let's get into the meat of this. You know that you need to market yourself, and you can do that with a stellar cover letter and resume. But, why is that so important? Let's think about this. When you apply offline for a job, you are competing with a handful of people (usually) and right there you have a better chance to get called in for an interview. Online jobs you are often competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of other applicants for the very same position.

In the "real world" you apply in person. Therefore, you can dress for success and put your best foot forward. You can impress them with your presence and personality. Online you can't. What's your "best foot forward" online?

That would be your cover letter and resume - how you present yourself on paper. Your cover letter and resume have to show your skills and your personality; it has to be your presence.

How do you put your best foot forward with your cover letter and resume? A telecommuting employer (one who hires work at home employees) is looking for different things on cover letters and resumes then those offline. Let's talk about cover letters first. If you're not sending a cover letter with your resume then this might be one of the reasons you're not getting hired. The cover letter is your VERY first impression. Take the time to show you're very serious about the job they have open. See if you can find who the head of HR is, and address it to that person. Tailor your cover letter to that specific position.

This is optional, but I always put where I found the position (for example, "The position I'm applying for is Customer Service, which I found at XYZ.com"). I always did that even with offline jobs, but it's not necessary. I think some employers just like to know where you heard about their job. This is especially helpful online because jobs get passed around and around online. It could have started out on a certain website and then ended up on hundreds of others.

Make sure you pay attention to the job ad. Does it say you need DSL? Does it say you will be working with certain software? Whatever the requirements, if you meet them, put that down on the cover letter. The employer will scan over your cover letter, and you want what's on yours to stand out and grab their eye. If you have what they need, you're going to grab their attention - and that's what you want!

Overall, you want to pay attention to detail, outline why you're the best person for the job (without going on too long about how great you are), and point out that you have what is required for the job.

Nell Taliercio is the owner and founder of TelecommutingMoms.com [http://www.telecommutingmoms.com] – which is a leading resource website with work at home jobs [http://www.telecommutingmoms.com] and everything a telecommuting mom would need. Come visit us today!

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Telecommuting Cover Letter Tips

You have your resume completed and you want to get a cover letter developed to send along with it. Should you use the same one you used for past onsite jobs? The answer would be no.

Onsite jobs are different than telecommuting jobs. Not only do you not commute to work for a telecommuting position, but employers are also looking for slightly different things from a person who will work from home.

Since cover letters help sell you to the employer, then the cover letter you send with your telecommuting resume should be much different than the ones you have used in the past for onsite jobs. You need to sell them on those things that hiring managers are looking for in a telecommuting applicant.

So, what do they look for?

Home office setup- What does your home office contain? Do you have what the job position requires you to have? Most employers want to know that you have everything you need or at least the major components, such as computer, high-speed internet etc.

Why are you the right person for the job?- Tell them what makes you be the person that should be hired for the job. Use statements like, "I have 6 years experience as a web designer, so I know..."

Avoid telling them anything that they don't want to hear- Most people want to work from home to be with their kids or because they're tired of commuting. You're not alone there, but employers don't want to know that. You will just appear desperate for a job and could make them lose their interest in you fast; even if you have 20 years experience doing the job.

Give them what they do want- Most job ads will list requirements that the prospective employee should have before they'll consider hiring you. Tell them that you have those requirements, listing them in your cover letter. The resumes that get more attention are the ones that have what they're looking for. The cover letter will get them to want to check out your resume. The ones that don't may end up getting deleted.

Research the company, if possible- You may find that the company's motto relates to an achievement you have. For example, let's say a company has a motto about caring for their customers. If you have an achievement award for best customer service excellence, then the hiring manager should know that. Show them that you fit their mold. It also shows them that you did your homework.

Always keep in mind that any job that will done from home will most likely be a position that hundreds, if not thousands, will also be applying for. You will need to stand out from that crowd to get noticed.

Take your time creating your telecommuting cover letter. Don't be afraid to sell yourself to grab the employer's attention. Without an effective cover letter, your resume probably will sit on a computer's hard drive unread or get deleted.

Nell Taliercio has been working at home full time since 2004. She's worked as a telecommuter, virtual assistant and affiliate marketer. In 5 years she's discovered many secrets to finding legitimate work at home jobs and securing them. You can find work at home job information and tips at: http://www.justonlinejobs.com

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