PAW5

In the interest of full disclosure, I am co-founder at PAW5, but am happy to be so closely tied to a company built on the foundation of ethics and sustainability, and wanted to share.  PAW5 is a brand of environmental enrichment puzzle feeders for dogs, with the flagship product being the Wooly Snuffle Mat – a new way to feed your dog.  The company was founded on rock-solid core vales of Sustainability, Integrity, and Thoughtful Design.  We discuss our initiatives and core values at length here, but they aren’t just a bunch of words on paper – we put them to action.  As an example, the first product we ever made was not just Made in the USA – it was made on a hyper-local basis, within 250 miles of our headquarters, at one of the country’s longest-tenured woman owned injection molding manufacturers, and in a nearly zero-waste manufacturing process, where excess plastic is re-ground and re-used to minimize waste.

Patagonia

We’ve all heard of Patagonia, but less talked about is this company’s dedication to sustainability.  From charitable giving, to ethical product sourcing and paying a living wage, this company walks the walk.  They even have a repair/recycle program to extend the life of their products, and do their best to keep you in the clothes you’ve already purchased, instead of talking their customers into buying more.

Guayakí

The yerba mate beverage company has a unique way of concretely binding business ethics with revenue and profitability, with their Market Driven Restoration initiative, which directly links the company’s sales with farming practices and restoration efforts in the areas where yerba mate is harvested.  And, as with all sustainable companies, the initiative isn’t just tied to environmental sustainability – the company is focused on expanding the value of Guayakí for all stakeholders involved – from the communities they participate in, to their customers, farmers, and employees – and all done in a way that is linked with building a profitable business.

I’ve never been really keen to this question because I’m not exactly sure what it’s asking. After reflecting on it a bit, however, I came to a very clear answer: Every company, including yours and certainly mine, is an internet company – there is no such thing as a non-internet company anymore.

What does this really mean? There was a time – and I certainly remember it – when some companies existed primarily online, and others existed primarily in “brick and mortar”. Amazon is a prime and early example of the “internet company”. On the opposite end, your local car mechanic was a distinctly non-internet company – he had his garage, and that was about it.

But between 2004 and now, a lot of things happened that made every single company an internet company, whether they liked it or not: the iPhone, Yelp, Google Local Search, the ubiquity of blogging, Twitter…the list goes on. Now you are no longer an internet company by choice – the only choice you have is whether to participate in the conversation. Your local garage has Yelp reviews, and probably a Google Local listing. The dry cleaners down the street may be getting destroyed by an angry customer on Facebook. These companies may not have a website, and they may not do any e-commerce at all, but that doesn’t exclude them anymore from the class of “internet company”.

So yes, my company is an “internet company” – whatever that means anymore – but so is yours. Here’s the rub: are you engaging and participating in the conversation people are already having about you online, or do you really still believe your company only exists in brick and mortar?

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Most people will pay to have the problem solved. Inefficient production process? Hire a consultant. Online marketing presence a bit weak? Hire a PR firm. Don’t understand the laws surrounding your business? Hire a lawyer. You get the idea. It’s a one-for-one scenario: the problem presents itself, you hire the help or buy the machine that fixes it, and that’s the end of the cycle.

The second approach is something more extraordinary, but requires far more effort: you learn how to solve the problem yourself. That inefficient production process? Might be worth reading The Toyota Way and tinkering with the issue yourself. Online marketing a bit weak? Maybe you should start reading Copyblogger, or spending time on Distilled U. Even if you do need to hire someone – maybe the problem you’re facing is incredibly complex, nuanced, or out of your league – it’s worth finding the professional who is willing to teach you how to work on your own once their work is complete, as opposed to someone who just wants to do the work for you without teaching you anything.

One approach empowers you in business and life – it makes you more valuable, skillful, and grants you a deeper understanding of the world around you. Learning isn’t necessarily cheaper – that isn’t the point. In fact, sometimes it’s more expensive – the payoff is agility. The other approach is simply running on a treadmill – you make out no wiser, and no more aware of your weaknesses. Your problem is solved, and your pockets have been emptied, but continued ignorance is your only receipt.

Mashable recently had an article about TaskRabbit, and one of their points hit on this exactly: you could pay someone to fix a leaky pipe, or you can pay the same amount to a handyman, and have them teach you how to fix the leaky pipe. Which way do you choose to approach the problems in your business?

We’re going to finally address these issues: big and small, obvious and subtle. We’ll start with the big errors like the hilarious ones I’ve shown you above, but also drill into more nuanced etiquette tips to help even the most experienced professional become a better email communicator, and allow you to gain true value from email. Let’s get right to it:

The Basics

Use a Professional Email Address

HotStuff1212@aol.com isn’t going to cut it anymore. If your name is John Doe, then get some reasonable derivative of that name ASAP on a respectable email site or your company’s domain name. You wouldn’t walk up to a new client and say “My name’s Tina, but my husband calls me SweetiePeas, so you can call me that, too.” Don’t do it on email.

Never Use Crazy Fonts or Colors

Only use standard email font – that means Arial or Helvetica in black. Why? Most people spend over 2 hours a day reading email. Next time you curl up with a book for 2 hours, just imagine the entire book is in fuchsia Comic Sans font – it’ll give you a migraine. Writing emails in non-traditional font is head-splitting eye torture for your recipient.

DON’T WRITE IN ALL UPPER CASE

Did it look like I was just yelling at you? That’s what an all-caps email reads like: one big scream-fest. Only use upper case if you absolutely MUST add emphasis, and use sparingly at best.

Do Not Use Emoticons:(

If you’re trying to express emotion to a client or colleague, find a way to use your words…not an emoticon. Emoticons are very simply a way to express emotion in lieu of polished writing – they are best left to personal emails, and generally look unprofessional.

Communication Skills

Write a Descriptive Subject Line

“Hello”, or “Sup” won’t cut it. It might even put your important sales pitch in the Spam folder. Writing about Monday’s meeting? Then write “Monday’s Meeting” in the subject line.

Use a Proper Salutation

Blasting right into your body without a salutation (“Dear Mike”, “Hi Sally”, etc.) can come across a bit cold – so make it a habit to just say hello first. There’s one exception to this rule: if an email chain has been going back and forth all day between you and another person, you can eventually drop the salutation – you’re now basically conversing. But when you send that first email, don’t forget to say hello.

Always Use Proper Grammar and Spelling

Poor grammar and spelling look unprofessional, no matter where they appear. Get in the habit of correctly capitalizing, punctuating, and fully spelling out words (“You are” does not = “ur”), and it’ll quickly become second nature.

Say The Most Important Thing First

You’re not writing a mystery novel – get your point across in the first 2 sentences. Elaborate from there if you need to.

Advanced Business Etiquette

When Setting Appointments, Be Specific, Take The Lead, and Confirm

Setting up meetings can turn into a “you go first” contest – make it easy by firing off calendar dates and times you’re available right away. Don’t forget about time zones – email is multi-timezone! (“Should we meet next week? I’m available Tuesday August 27th at 1pm EST – please confirm.”) Once a time and date is decided, send a confirmation email.

These Things SHOULD Be In Your Signature

Your signature should consist of a closing statement (“Regards,”), your name, company, and phone number. Optionally, you can include your title, physical address, website, and online presence (Twitter handle, LinkedIn account, etc).

These Things Should NOT Be In Your Signature

Do not add graphics, your email address, or a quote to your signature. Graphics of any kind (a logo for example) are embedded attachments, and generally annoying. Your email address is redundant, and a personal quote is simply unprofessional and unsolicited.

Instead of Telling, Show Something Using a Link

If you want someone to check out a website, file, product page, or anything else online, don’t just say “You should go check out XYZ”…send the exact link! It saves your recipient time, and avoids confusion.

Be Judicious With Your Use of Attachments

Attachments aren’t necessarily bad – however, your first email to someone (a prospective client?) could easily be flagged for Spam if it has an attachment – best to avoid it for your first email to someone. Once you’ve established rapport, attachments are less likely to cause a problem. Still, a file-sharing service like Dropbox enables you to share large files via a simple link, removing all possibilities of confusion and server-side email blocking.

Understand How CC and BCC Work So You Can Use Them Correctly

CC means “Carbon Copy”. BCC means “Blind Carbon Copy”. Everyone who is CC’d on an email can see everyone else who is CC’d on an email, and Reply All to everyone. If you send out an email to your 100 top clients by putting their email addresses in the CC field, everyone can see all 100 email addresses – it’s a privacy issue. If any one of them hits “Reply All”, they can now email the whole group – it’s a huge risk. Instead, put all 100 in the “BCC” field: now no one can see who the email was sent to, and they aren’t able to Reply All.

Be Courteous With Reply All

If you add someone to a Reply All chain, let everyone know – it’s nice to know when there’s someone new in a conversation. Keep the conversation on topic, and the number of people to a minimum. If you don’t have anything important to say, don’t say anything at all.

Remember That All Emails Are Public

When you’re discussing business via email, someone’s privacy is in your hands. Emails are easily dragged out of archive for lawsuits, and even more relevant, people will often absent-mindedly forward an email chain without thinking of what you said 14 replies ago. With this in mind, don’t write angry, nasty, or inappropriate emails – they could very easily end up in front of the wrong eyes. When forwarding an email, read back through the entire email chain for private information before sending – this is a very common and costly mistake.

These concepts are the foundation of excellent email communication – they’ll enable you to get actionable results via email from your clients and colleagues, or at the very least, prevent your emails from becoming an unprofessional annoyance in someone’s inbox, and marring your reputation.

Want the inside track on my latest ultra-efficient business hacks and tips? Follow me on Twitter @DenODonnell – I share my favorite business content on Twitter, usually before I get to writing an article about it on Starterist!

1) Personal Overspending That Affects The Business

Your business is what’s paying your salary, so you better make sure it’s financially secure before paying yourself enough to afford another yacht. Out of control personal spending – and that is a completely personal definition – can lead to personal greed, debt, and living an unsustainable lifestyle. As a result, your judgement will be clouded in your business. You’re no longer deciding what’s best for the company, you’re deciding instead what’s going to get you the next loan payment. While some argue they’re one in the same (“my interests are the business’s”) – they aren’t. One is long-term thinking, and one is short-term and mostly selfish. If you think you can’t live frugally, or it’s just not the thing to do for a respected executive or business owner, take a look at Warren Buffet’s personal spending.

2) You’ve Stopped Learning

Nobody who has accomplished great things in business did so only with the knowledge they accumulated in college. Great leaders are great learners. If you’ve achieved status in your profession, it’s easy to determine that you’ve done so based on your prior education, and that your learning is over. This couldn’t be further from the truth. For the good of you, your employees, and your company, find your weak skills and learn to make them stronger. Coasting on self-education and assuming you “know it all” will only be at your peril.

3) Lack of Humility

Your title: owner, founder, CEO, president – whatever it is – is just a title. It’s there for legal and essential business reasons so people know who should be signing paperwork and making decisions. Believing that it makes you more valuable, important, or entitles you to treat people differently will only come at the cost of your business’s success. It will make you distant and unrelatable by your employees, clients, and partners – meaning you won’t be able to work with these people or lead them very effectively. A humble leader is affable, and able to win the trust and followership of those around her. The former attitude can also lead to a lack of objective, clear thinking. Decision making is instead driven by ego, rather than sound logic. This type of behavior has singlehandedly destroyed great companies:

4) Escalation of Commitment / Sunk Cost Fallacy

The principle of Escalation of Commitment (or Sunk Cost Fallacy) says that as investments mount on a doomed project, people are less likely to give up and move on despite obvious signs of failure, simply because of the amount of prior investment. As a result, vast amounts of future resources are dumped into dead projects based on poor decisions made in the past. This is closely tied with the point before, which is that you must remain clear-headed and objective in your decision making at all times – a great leader shouldn’t fall victim to psychological pitfalls like an Escalation of Commitment / Sunk Cost Fallacy. Keep humble, and be cognizant of the viability of your projects, regardless of past investment.

5) Micromanagement

There’s a fine line between leading a team to ensure great quality, and gumming your team up by micromanaging a project to death. This requires a lot of self-awareness on a project-by-project basis – some will require more active management, others less. One key point to keep in mind is that you made plenty of mistakes trying to start your business, so allow your team to make their own mistakes. It won’t be the end of the world, and certainly not the end of your business.

6) Frequent Absence

At some point in our career, we’ve had the boss or met the owner who just wasn’t there – be aware of this concept, and don’t become it. Your business needs a leader, and one who is present. During a successful period, your business may get on fine without you – you can come in 3 days a week, put in light hours, or work on personal side projects, and it seems the business runs itself. Eventually, this will no longer be the case. Your top talent – the people that actually run it for you – will leave for greener pastures, and a more involved leadership. Or, more likely, they’ll start their own business. Your competitors will advance in the field while your business treads water without a leader. If you love your work, and your business, you’ll be there.

These are pitfalls: dangerous situations that don’t present themselves until it’s too late. They’re subtle traps. It takes incredible self-awareness to recognize these weaknesses before they become full-on problems for your business, but with practice and mindfulness, none of them will surprise or get the best of you.

Want the inside track on my latest ultra-efficient business hacks and tips? Follow me on Twitter @DenODonnell – I share my favorite business content on Twitter, usually before I get to writing an article about it on Starterist!

Be Who You Are

Let’s establish one solid idea here: you’re running a small business. If you’re feeling a bit insecure about this, it’s time to wipe that notion away forever – being a small business is your strength. It is not a weakness! If you’re not totally convinced, then just look at the data:

– Here’s a Washington Post article showing Americans prefer small business.

– An article in the UK discussing the customer service benefits of small business, and why customers are willing to pay more to shop at small businesses.

– A 2013 survey that showed consumers were more satisfied with small business than large businesses, on the basis of how they were treated.

So by the measures that really count (what consumers want) – you’ve got it. Trying to appear bigger than you really are will only serve to hurt you in two major ways: 1) You’re presenting a false image for your customers, and consumers can smell a lie. 2) You’re eliminating one of the major advantages you actually have against large businesses. We’ve established that consumers love small business, and that you can’t pretend to be bigger or smaller than you are – so why give up one of your company’s intrinsic strengths? The last thing you need to figure out is how to really make this work for you.

Define Your Small Biz, and Advertise It

Take out a piece of paper, and draw two columns. One is for your large competitors, and one is for your small business. In the “large business” column, define all the parts of their business that you view as a threat. These are the points that might draw customers to their door. In fact, these might even be things that you saw in their business, envied, and considered copying to seem bigger! Some examples might be an automated phone system, a larger product offering catalog, bigger store, or the PR and advertising resources to attract large clients.

OK, great – we’ve defined the “big side” – now onto you. The most creative part of this exercise is looking at all those perceived threats to your business and coming up with awesome small business opposites of them – key offerings to your customers that are unique, valuable, and something only a small business like you could pull off. For example, does the large competitor feed customers through a massive automated phone system to finally reach someone? Why don’t you pick up the phone personally? If you think people will be turned off by a manager, employee, or even an owner picking up the phone…they won’t – they’ll be impressed. How about that large product catalog? As a hands-on owner/operator, you could sift through virtually every product in your industry and offer a small catalog of only the best – tell your customers you’ve spent the time weeding out the junk products so they don’t have to. The big business simply can’t do that.

By the end of all this, you should have a clear picture of what makes your business amazing, small, and why it’s such a huge competitive advantage. It’s the best shot you have to take business away from your larger competitors – but if nothing else, it feels amazing being who you actually are in business, as opposed to trying to be someone else.

Want the inside track on my latest ultra-efficient business hacks and tips? Follow me on Twitter @DenODonnell – I share my favorite business content on Twitter, usually before I get to writing an article about it on Starterist!

A set of core business values are pretty easy to build. It’s easier, actually, in the startup phase, because you don’t have clients, co-workers, employees, vendors, and 1,000 other people pulling you in several different directions. Thirty minutes a day of quiet reflection for a few days should really do the trick. The question you need to answer is this: “Regardless of whether my business is met with success or failure, opportunity or threat, what are the philosophical foundations of this business that are a part of me (or us) as the founder(s) that we’re unwilling to give up no matter what?”

This is an important answer to give yourself now because down the line it will be challenged. If you know your core values, they can stand up to the challenge, and your business will remain intact. If you have never asked yourself that question, though, you’ve officially lost control of your business and its philosophy. How have you lost control? I’ll give you an example from my personal experience:

When we started Clear-Coat in 2007, we decided on a few key principles to anchor our business. First was outstanding dedication to the customer experience. It wasn’t just a general pledge to “customer service”. We specifically said that no matter what, we want to make sure that we start with a great customer experience platform, and moving forward, only make choices that improve it. Next, we were dedicated to domestic manufacturing and our employees. Last, we wanted excess resources to go towards growing the company before all other things – we wanted a core principle to be that we “invest back in the business”.

Those were the core values we laid down in the beginning…then the forces of business kicked in. Customers wanted product for lower prices. We could achieve this by making our product overseas, or cheapening the customer experience a little. But we had our philosophy in place, so we didn’t. There’s always the choice of higher compensation for employees and founders, or getting a nicer office – but we set out to reinvest in the company, so we stick with it. The point here is, without this philosophy in place at first, you have no keel…no anchor…no base for your company or your brand. Now you’re letting your business philosophy, and really your entire business, be steered around by market forces. A customer wants a lower price, so you outsource. Another customer wants a “bare bones” experience at a lower cost, and you give it to them. Someone is tired of the view out of their office, so you move to a fancier spot. Now who are you? What has your business become? Is it your business, or simply a conglomeration of the wishes of 1,000 customers’ demands?

“Core business values” have unfortunately been put into a soft and snuggly pile of “nice business ideas”, as though it’s along the lines of “how we feel about our business”. It’s not. 30 minutes of your time now can make sure that you keep your business on course, and give it the real platform it needs to build a brand. Without a good business philosophy you believe in, you’re opening your company up to be controlled by market forces. Besides, the world could use a few more companies driven by rock-solid core principles.

Want the inside track on my latest ultra-efficient business hacks and tips? Follow me on Twitter @DenODonnell – I share my favorite business content on Twitter, usually before I get to writing an article about it on Starterist!

Truth: Business Automation is Possible

Let’s start off with the positive side of this – I think this myth of “businesses running themselves” surfaced in the first place because there is such a thing as fantastic business management, organization, and automation. Put these elements together, and what you’re left with is an incredibly effective leader/founder: someone who isn’t burdened by trivial or mundane tasks, and instead spends time finding new business, working through long-term strategy, or establishing personal relationships. At first glance, the picture looks like this: the founder is out meeting with clients over lunch, and the company is “running itself”.

Instead, let’s look a little deeper. Or more specifically, further back in time. If you looked 1 or 2 years ago, that same founder may have been buried under a pile of daily chores. Tasks like managing benefits, payroll, paying taxes, processing orders, inputting bank statements….the list goes on. These tasks could easily eat up a 60 hour week. This is where business automation (and good leadership) come in. Spending 2 hours a week on benefits administration, payroll, and onboarding new hires? A good way to automate these processes is to use a full-service payroll company, or even better, a PEO to manage the process entirely. There’s a ton of business automation software, machinery, and services – some are incredibly easy to implement. Inputting bank statements manually? Find accounting software (like Quickbooks) that will download transactions automatically. Spending hours putting in orders? Build a web portal for your customers, and simply link it to your accounting software via an API to automagically bring in those orders – it’s easier than you think.

These steps aren’t “running” your business – they’re automating the more mundane parts of it. Now that founder out at lunch looks a bit different – while a machine or service is doing some repetitive task anyone can do, she’s doing something that only she can do – having an important lunch to connect with a client. She’s running her business.

False: Your Business Will Run Itself

The idea that a business can run itself implies that is doesn’t require leadership, or creative thought: it just needs to keep chugging along like a machine. Needless to say, this mentality isn’t too flattering to whatever founder adopts it: it’s saying they’re inconsequential to the success of the business. Usually in an organization, if there’s someone who contributes so little that the place runs perfectly fine without them – they could disappear for 6 months and nobody would even notice – they’re due to get fired. Either you’re an amazing leader, or your business could get on fine without you – but you can’t really have it both ways.

I’ve seen businesses try to “run themselves”, and it operates just like any other business without a leader: poorly. Just watch any episode of “Kitchen Nightmares” – that show is less about bad food as it is about owners not being present in their business. No business will run itself – there must be someone steering the ship. If your business is partially automated and you finally have some time on your hands, don’t make the mistake of walking away – your company still needs your leadership to take them to the next level. Put that time to use on deeper, longer-term ideas – be a leader, run your business!

Want the inside track on my latest ultra-efficient business hacks and tips? Follow me on Twitter @DenODonnell – I share my favorite business content on Twitter, usually before I get to writing an article about it on Starterist!

How Handing Over Your Books Hurts You

Bookkeeping is entering and checking the daily/weekly/monthly transactions of your businesses. This means customer invoices, credits, expenses, credit card statements, running payments, cashing checks, depositing funds, bank statements, and much, much more. These transactions are the lifeblood of your business. When something goes wrong, it goes wrong here and trickles through the system. If a vendor overcharged you, you’d find it here. Are warranty claims slipping out of control? You’d find that info here 9 months before it becomes a real problem. Of course if you aren’t monitoring the books at a transactional level, you wouldn’t know these things. Looking at the Profit and Loss report every month just tells you what happened….it doesn’t tell you what’s happening. When you don’t enter these transactions, or at least understand them and monitor them closely, you’ll find people get overpaid, warning signs go ignored, and sometimes you’re even doing something that exposes you to an audit. There is a way out, though – and it’s not as hard as you think.

How to Become a DIY Bookkeeper

We might now be on a sticking point: you agree that your company’s books are incredibly powerful, and releasing that control to someone else (a non-executive) makes you extremely vulnerable – but you still don’t have the time to enter these transactions, and you still don’t understand accounting. That’s OK – there’s a solution.

Start by learning practical, no-nonsense accounting by buying this amazing book. I’ve personally read this book, and can recommend it to anyone starting out. It teaches you accounting in a fun (yes, really), practical way that you’d actually use for business. There’s no extra junk – just the info you need.

Next, start using standardized accounting software. I recommend Quickbooks, for reasons I’ll explain next. I’ll be the first to admit it’s not the absolute best – and once you grow, you’ll want something better – but if you’re small enough, this is probably the best software out there. Why? It’s what everyone uses – and that’s worth a lot. Your bank, credit card, and payroll will sync with it, because Quickbooks is absolutely ubiquitous. You can Google any problem you’re having, and someone has written about it. Simply put, Quickbooks is the best because everyone else is using it, so you have a huge support structure.

Now that you know basic accounting and you’ve bought Quickbooks, use the automated features in the software to save you time. You don’t have time to enter all your bank and credit card transactions. Quickbooks is great at importing these – all you have to do is error check. Don’t have time for payroll? Use their fully managed payroll service. By leveraging these services, you’re still keeping everything within your control, but not wasting time. And you’re saving money by ditching that outsourced bookkeeper.

Reap The Benefits

This new way of doing things will be tough for about 3 months, but after that, it’ll become routine and easy. More importantly, I’d be willing to bet you’ll find at least one wonky transaction that will save you money that your bookkeeper wouldn’t have found – maybe a vendor overcharged you, or your card was run twice, or the bank made an error. It happens all the time – only now, you’ll know. The biggest gain of all, though – the thing you won’t notice until about 6 months, is you’ll have a Neo-in-the-Matrix-like sense of your business. If anything is going up or down, you’ll know well in advance and can take steps to keep your business ahead of the curve. The benefits of this can’t be understated. Have fun learning DIY bookkeeping, and enjoy regaining massive control and insight at your company.

Want the inside track on my latest ultra-efficient business hacks and tips? Follow me on Twitter @DenODonnell – I share my favorite business content on Twitter, usually before I get to writing an article about it on Starterist!

Generic Resume, Generic Cover Letter, Generic Job

It’s a simple equation: if you want an extraordinary “dream job”, you’re not going to win it with an ordinary cover letter and resume. Jobs that require top-notch talent or offer that once-in-a-lifetime work atmosphere are just that: top-notch and rare. By just filling in the blanks on a generic template, you’re providing something that speaks to how you value yourself – either you’re unique, or your entire value can be filled into a few blanks on a template. Unfortunately, the latter group isn’t who we described to be selected for dream jobs – they get picked for the jobs nobody wants. That group gets picked by the boss who loves ordinary, and that’s a boss nobody wants.

What Does a Generic Look Like?

I’ve seen shocking examples of cookie-cutter cover letters and resumes. One example was when we were hiring an industrial designer, and the cover letter read “utilize my experience in home nursing care for your job opening…” It’s clear where the blanks were to fill in, and who forgot to change them. But here’s the rule of thumb: if you didn’t write your cover letter from start to finish to address the exact person you’re writing, then it’s a generic, and it’s obvious. Why? Because you’re starting a conversation, and cookie-cutter paragraphs sound distant and impersonal. Lines like “I’m really excited about this opportunity, and hope to hear back,” could be talking about anything. What opportunity, specifically? Why are you excited? It takes more work to write a letter from scratch, but it’s worth it – when I’m bombarded with an ocean of cover letters that all sound e-x-a-c-t-l-y the same, an original cover letter written from scratch stands out immediately.

How To Really Get a Hiring Manager’s Attention

Whoever is looking at your resume – a department manager, business owner, or HR personnel – you have to engage them in a conversation. It’s just like walking up to them at a party and starting a conversation from nothing – you need to be captivating. I jump back to the idea that you must write everything from scratch – every letter, every email, and every resume. Instead of sending out 50 resumes a day, you’ll be lucky if you send 2. If you fish with dynamite by blasting your generic resume all over the place, you’re going to hear from the most careless institutions. If there’s 15 jobs you’d really love to be a part of – then write them a letter, and give them a resume they want to read. In fact, the resume is probably the least important part of the whole thing, and I’m not the only one who believes this. It’s completely true that when looking at who to hire, I put more weight personally into their cover letter and email – the resume just gives me some stats to look at.

Get their attention by introducing yourself genuinely. Go on to discuss what brought you to be interested in the position, and talk about your passions and interests. People with passion for work or hobbies are interesting, and show that they care. Offer a value proposition to the company, or a day to come in for interviews, anything – show you’re interested. These are the basics of good conversation, and a great cover letter – show that you’re interested in a genuine, organic way. Show that you’re passionate about things, and not just a bump on a log. Follow this up with a resume that proves your passions, accomplishments, and that you’re invested in the places you’ve worked. Don’t think too much about it; a resume is simply a way to give an overview of skills, but you can easily win an interview just in a great introduction alone.

Start initiating genuine conversation with your next potential employer – I’m certain the results will be fantastic. It’s tough to give up the idea of blasting your resume to 500 different places. It seems like an easy win. But at best, you’ll just land a job you never wanted with a boss that loves generic people, and hopefully you know you’re better than that.