Nearly every applicant for a job submits a resume, and usually a cover letter. The resume is a tool to market you to an employer. It describes the successful application of your competencies. It provides insight about your motivation, commitment and degree of expertise. And it indicates a level of performance that you have already achieved, and therefore should be able to repeat and build on for a new employer. The cover letter more clearly connects you to the requirements of the position.
Let’s go a step further. What if you were to demonstrate to the employer how you would perform in this job if it were offered to you? You can achieve that by preparing a Job Proposal that speaks to the specific needs and interests of a specific person in the company. Here is an example.
JOB PROPOSAL
To: DPCo International
From: Ernest Hawthorne
January 31, 2010
The reason for this document is to give you a sense of the energy and work ethic that I will bring to the position of Digital Prepress Operator.
My resume tells you what I've done in the past, but it does not tell you how I will work for DPCo. This is how I think, and it shows my work style.
In my role as Digital Prepress Operator
- I will be energetic, creative, and very effective.
- I will be ready to learn, with high personal expectations. I am committed to succeed, and am prepared to take on the challenges of the job.
- I will listen well and communicate clearly.
- I will work the way I live: I will take responsibility for the "health" of my role, and try to create a healthy environment which is free of open problems.
Work Style
- I will put personal energy and a strong commitment to gain skills so I can produce at full capacity quickly.
- I will be positive - always looking for good solutions to challenges which are a win for the company, the department, and the customer.
- Where possible, I will welcome being able to have choices about how to do my job, but will be accountable for the results.
- Problems will not hang around. I will do whatever it takes to resolve problems quickly, in a way that is a win for all involved.
- I am totally reliable. I will bust my butt to get up to speed fast, and I will get the job done!
I think that this is very helpful advice to keep in mind. As a college student, I continually feel the pressure to narrow my focus, so I can graduate and find a career. It is much easier to narrow my focus to developing a couple of skill sets or areas of interest instead of focusing on one career track.
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