Hong Kong summers – marked by suffocatingly warm weather, ridiculously inflated travel costs, an explosive influx of returning students and a slower economy. As an employee, surely this is a terrible time for a career change… right? Perhaps not! This might be because you aren’t employing the right mindsets and cover letter tactics. If you are interested considering a career change now and want to get noticed by even the stingiest summer recruiters, then this article is for you!
‘Tis but an illusion
With how notoriously awful Hong Kong’s summer gets, it’s no wonder that many people choose to escape somewhere more pleasant. If you are in marketing like us, it’s peak travel season for both colleagues and clients – creating the feeling that offices are emptied and local customers nowhere to be seen. With recruiters also likely on holiday, it’s expected that job postings will be fewer and the ones that do get posted will take a while to receive a response from. Or so we thought.
According to Kat Boogaard of The Muse, the idea that summer is a bad season for career changes is a façade. Boogaard reached out to Jennifer Faris (a senior recruiter at Vanguard) to debunk this line of thinking – “the truth is that recruiters and hiring managers do not get their summers off, and companies do not stop their operations,” she says. “Summer is a great time for a job search.” Some seasonal and cyclical jobs may not be available, but it’s not a reason to wait until autumn to find a new job!
Truly?
Since summer gets a bad rap as a poor hiring season, Boogaard argues that it’s actually the ideal time to go job hunting – fewer applicants means less competition after all. Of course, this only holds true until your competition catches whiff of this…
Furthermore, Faris points out that hiring managers are relatively less busy during summer, which gives them more time to focus on sorting out applications and to reach out to potential applicants faster.
You know what else a slower economy means? An easier time asking for an afternoon off to go for a job interview and/or to go networking! “People are often looking for any sort of excuse to get out of the office during the summer – especially in August, when everything feels extra slow,” explains Boogaard. “So your request to get together with a new acquaintance or an old colleague will feel less like a burden or a hassle and more like a welcomed opportunity – which means you’ll have a much easier time forging new relationships and expanding your web of professional connections.”
Getting in the right groove
Now that we know summer is actually a good time to go job hunting, we need to make sure that our cover letters are able to turn heads! Mark Murphy, senior contributor to Forbes and founder of LeadershipIQ.com, lists the following best practices:
· Personalise your letters – addressing your letter to the recruitment officer (or hiring equivalent) should be the standard. Using “to whom it may concern” or “dear sirs/madams” may have the consequence of appearing overly nonchalant about your application.
Most job applications will include an email address of who to contact – consider using LinkedIn to learn more about their background. From the application details and the recruiter’s background, try and see if there are company-related points of interest you can mention (or if you are applying through a headhunter, you can try asking them directly).
For example, if you notice this is a new position that didn’t exist prior, you can highlight that you are excited to be a potential pioneer for the position!
· Emphasise transferable skills and tailor your narrative – “highlight the skills and experiences from your previous roles that are relevant to the new position,” describes Murphy. “Be specific and quantify achievements where possible.”
For example, if you are applying for a copywriting position, it’s probably a good idea to omit how many beers you can smash during company get-togethers. Instead, talk about how you can work effectively independently and with a team – then provide examples, case studies and/or figures to back it up.
· Show enthusiasm and commitment – this should be a no-brainer, but the tone you use in your cover letter should reflect your eagerness to get an interview (and ideally score the job). It’s also why you’ll almost always see words such as excited and opportunity in the best cover letters!
· Address potential concerns – “be upfront about your career change, framing it as a positive decision guided by clear motivation and a strong understanding of the new field,” explains Murphy.
Murphy makes an important point here: your perspective matters a lot. Some employers may get cold feet if they learn that you left your previous place of employment on bad terms… which may lead to an avoidable and often troublesome series of inquiries with you and your previous employer – whereas if you frame your job transition as something happy (and ideally where you learnt important takeaways), your potential employer will have less reason to go down the rabbit hole.
On the other hand, if there are things that you aren’t familiar with regarding the job post (e.g. a new technology or application that’s trending in your industry), it’s also okay to admit that you aren’t familiar with it – it’s better to be upfront about your shortcomings than it is to lie. Simply demonstrate that you have a willingness to learn and become acclimated with these new things!
· End with a strong call-to-action – “conclude by expressing your desire to discuss your application further in an interview, showing proactivity and determination,” adds Murphy. Using a call-to-action lets the recruiter know what you want to happen, whereas by not including one, you risk appearing passive about your application. Be confident and assert your desired next steps (respectfully, of course).
· Use strategic language – since you only have a limited number of words to show who you are, make sure that your words aren’t wasted. Avoid clichéd buzzwords like team player or career-driven – such words fall into the trap of telling and not showing. Instead, demonstrate how you are a career-driven team player by recounting that time you were willing to come in and help during the Christmas holidays despite being given the time off!
Furthermore, Murphy also includes several helpful tricks on how you should structure your cover letters depending on your age and level of experience. If you are new in the industry or fresh out of school, emphasise what you have learnt and see how you can apply said knowledge accordingly with the job description. Alternatively, if you are later in your career (especially for an industry where people don’t often change jobs), highlight that your choice to change careers as deliberate – preferably to pursue a personal aspiration or interest – then express how your prior experiences can be assets for your next employer.
Summer may be the season of traveling and holidays, but it can also be a season of new careers and opportunities if you are smart about it. If you’re itching to get out of your current business or spot a lucrative job posting, then now is the time for action!