What's the word I'm looking for?
I had been tossing an idea back and forth in my head about applying for a job with DirecTV. This job is a Customer Service Position at their call center. After debating the merits of how this gig would be different than any retail experience I’ve had in the past I decided to go for it. I logged onto DirecTV’s site and began the application process.
At one point I came to a section where you are allowed to upload attachments to your application – resume, cover letter, things of that nature. My resume I felt comfortable with but what of my cover letter? I took another look at it and saw that it needed some polishing – if not a complete overhaul! As I was at a loss as to what I should say I came to the conclusion that I needed some help.
For months now I have had ads for different products up on this site to give people an “unfair advantage” towards securing a job or at least an interview. I decided that I would take advantage of one of these guides myself, and I settled on the Amazing Cover Letter Creator created by Jimmy Sweeney. In going to his site I saw that the initial price was $39.95 and I decided that I would think it over for a couple of hours and talk to wifey about it. When I tried backing out of his home page I got a pop-up that asked me to hold on for a special offer. This came in the form of a “Tough Times” offer which allowed me to purchase the program at a 51% discount – $19.95! Well now, that’s more like it!
I talked it over with wifey and she said go for it, so I did – and got an even better offer. I was able to get not only the Cover Letter Creator but I got his Amazing Resume Creator thrown in for an additional $9.99 for a total of $29.94 – for products that would normally cost $89.90. Not only that but I was able to get three other products -”Top 3 Award-Winning Cover Letters”, “Amazing Job Interview Success”, and “BIG 3 Salary Negotiation Secrets” thrown in for free.
I apologize if I’m sounding like an infomercial right now, but I’m still geeked out about the deal I got as well as what I was able to do with this stuff.
Once I got it all downloaded to my computer I started in on the cover letter right away. When you open the e-book you are faced with an Introduction that takes a few minutes to read – and it is well worth the time to read it. It describes what kind of jobs are out there and how they are classified so that you can easier tailor your letter to the specific job. It does this by giving you three different guidelines to use to consider the job pool, your experience and your audience. You are also given an opportunity to conduct a “Career Reality Check” so that you can determine the correct number of Attention Getting Ingredients, or AGI’s to use so that you will get the interview.
Then comes the part where you actually construct your cover letter, here you simply have to select the right categories for the job or industry you are going for to be taken to a sample letter. It is easier if you copy and paste this sample letter into a program like MSWord so that you may edit it and personalize it to fit your qualifications. You can also replace some of the text in the letter by copying and pasting several AGI’s which are provided for you. These can also be personalized to fit your specific situation, just go through them and see which ones you like and paste them into your letter.
I found this part of the process to be challenging at first as there were so many choices, but once I was able to zero in on what I wanted to say I found it to be quite easy. I also used parts of my old cover letter and incorporated them into my new letter. Once I was done with my new letter I printed it out and asked Wifey to take a look. Now understand that Wifey, at one point, worked for a job placement agency herself so she knows what does and does not look good in a letter or in a resume.
When she saw this new letter that I was able to put together in 20 minutes she was blown away. She had a quibble with a couple of grammatical errors (her late Mother was an English major and a Teacher) but other than that she was very impressed with what this product was able to produce.
That makes two of us.
Once I got it saved I uploaded my new cover letter to my DirecTV application, finished the application process and submitted it. A couple of hours later I got an auto-responder e-mail saying that they received my application and they were reviewing it to see if I would be a fit for them. I have Customer Service experience from when I worked retail and Outside sales, and I have Computer experience from when I was an Admin Assistant and from when I worked in Database Management Support so somewhere in there I should have what they are looking for.
So, would I recommend this to any of you who are looking to get a leg up in your job search? I have to say a wholehearted YES!!! I am normally skeptical about buying products like this because I have been burned more than a few times before, however this one really is different. I don’t know if my letter will get me an interview at DirecTV or not, but it certainly showed me that I can improve my chances.
I am willing to bet that the Amazing Cover Letter Creator could do the same for you.
My husband did his resume and cover letter several months back when he was looking for a job that targeted certain employers, and found several jobs to choose from. Several companies called him. Of course, all required him to relocate and in many cases, were for places we were not planning on moving to. I did mine the same and since we are moving to New Mexico, a few of the hotels had called me, and a few spas but the thing is, I would have to move from the northern to the southern part of the state, and had to decline the offers because it would mean that my husband and I would have to commute 6 hours one way. He is now working for Direct Tv as a service tech, and then I have a scheduled interview once I get there at the end of the month.
The program may not do exactly what we did but it seems like it will work and probably better. Good luck and I hope you get the job. so many jobs are hard to find and right now, i am sure it would be a blessing to find one that will at least pay well, and with a reputable company at that!
Thanks karol, good to hear that you have an interview yourself. As they say on the stage “break a leg”.
I am feeling a lot better about my chances for getting not only an interview but also the job – a lot better than I have in a long time. Wifey really has a good feeling about it and I’m going to try to get myself ready for the interview – ask for what you want, right?
You betchya! Ask for what you want and you just might get it. I know direct TV is a good company and when you get the interview, you will get the job. For the position you are applying for it is a lot easier than what my husband does. He is a tech and has several hours of driving between installs. Of course where he is at, there are times there are no addresses and just a few days ago, got a job install where he had to look for a white bag tied to a fence on the reservation. It was funny because of these directions when he got to the general area…LOL…he passed several property fences with white bags tied to them. He had no clue which property to go to and when he stopped to ask someone, they said everyone in the area knows to tie bags to the fencing but they forget to untie them. Needless to say, he had to report back to Direct TV that further direction by the customer had to be given since the customer wasn’t answering their phone. Note, if you get the job, and you are taking orders, please get all the directions you can if you have no physical address! Ha. Ha. He comes across things like this all the time. He has gotten lucky a few times with neighbors but sometimes he drives several hours for a job, only to find customers not there or forgot and has to reschedule at the last minute. It happens. Thank goodness, my husband doesn’t mind driving! Most of the time, he works on the reservation where he is at or or surrounding areas. He is from there but hasn’t lived there in years, and so he is still learning his way around again.
I think keeping positive about the interview and knowing what you want and willing to take the chance on learning something will be a plus in your favor. i think you will find it interesting and I know you and your wife will be happy when things are back in perspective and back on track. I am excited for you! Break a leg and take a bow!
What you were saying about your husband and the directions he has to get somethimes sounds very familiar. When I was trying to sell Rainbow Cleaning Systems I had to get directions to rural areas all the time. After I got the directions I would look it up in Yahoo! Maps or try to find them on Google Earth. It got harder as I got further out away from city limits and more into the mountains sometimes, but there were only a handfull of occasions where I would get lost. So yeah, been there.
I’m concentrating on the end result right now instead of the process of getting there. I’m trying to picture myself at that job and being happy in it. One of the things that they say in “The Secret” is to concentrate on the end result instead of the process by which you are going to get there. Just concentrate on what you want and let the universe line up the circumstances by which it will happen for you. I have to keep reminding myself of that.
You will get it. I have confidence in you. I think positive all the time. I would be a basket case if I didn’t. Most days, anyway. LOL.
I know my husband has a hard time. It isn’t so much the area. Just directions people give. On the reservation, people do not have addresses most times. So the handy-dandy garman he has can’t spot anything but the town. Most people have post offices. He has stopped by the post office a few times for directions. He has asked neighbors and sometimes, they might leave a work number, aside from a home number so that sometimes helps. His saying for misguided directions is that he stopped at the four corners today and asked a sheep which way to go. Ha. Ha.
He likes his job. I really think you WILL, too. Always hopeful!