Along with 89 others, you answered my ad for
an "administrative assistant" in the Seattle
Times. Now along with 88 others you have received
my rather impersonal rejection letter. Don't you
wonder why?

You could have read my ad more carefully.
Such as sending a dated cover letter (a test of
your writing ability) and a current resume (not
one with the new phone number penciled in) within
a week of the ad appearing.

I said I was looking for an organized and
computer-literate administrative assistant. By
organized, I meant the proven ability to manage
several tasks at the same time in spite of
frequent interruptions.

Computer literate is defined as advanced
skills in Windows 95 (not 3.1), MS Office Pro
(which means Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access),
and some accounting program (such as Peachtree
First or QuickBooks).

Your resume and cover letter said nothing in
detail about these skills. The winning candidate
specifically stated how they were "one of four
employees out of eleven who completed multiple job
tasks each month in spite of frequent
interruptions via the phone and in person
customers."

They also talked about how they linked files
together, used Word and Access to mail merge
documents, and tutored other employees in a
variety of programs including the ones listed
above.


I also asked for e-mail and Internet skills.
Your resume and cover letter lacked an e-mail
address (free at the public library), specific
Internet browsers and e-mail programs (i.e.,
Eudora) you have used, and a personal/resume web
page (also free through http:\www.geocities.com).

The successful candidate had all four and
stated that they enjoyed "cat juggling" on their
web page that went into more detail on their
office management skills.

For some of you, I would have appreciated if
you had shown up for the interview. My time is
valuable just like yours. Finally, I advertised
the position salary as being DOE which to me meant
between $10-15 an hour.

Several eliminated themselves by asking in
the cover letter for $13.00 (although I might have
given it to you in later negotiations once you
proved yourself to me). The winner got $12.

So, if you really are serious about being
employed, perhaps it's time to think of this
process as a form of "sales" and rewrite your
"promotional materials" (resumes and cover
letters) to meet the needs of the marketplace. Or
get the training or experience.

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