Pain letters are the new cover letters, according to one recruitment expert as they give jobseekers a “more powerful and immediate way to tell their story to hiring managers.”
Avoiding the black hole
According to HR expert Liz Ryan of the Human Workplace, most CVs and cover letters end up in a ‘black hole’. From there, she believes, a jobseeker’s odds of hearing back are very slim. That’s why Ryan came up with the idea of a ‘pain letter’ in which the candidate explains how they would offer ‘pain relief’ to the hiring company.
Homework required
This means to draft an effective pain letter, the job-seeker has to do their homework. They need to identify what ‘pain’ a company might be struggling with. For example, a Payroll Specialist might look at a fast-growing company that experiences ‘the pain associated with employees getting paid the wrong amount or not getting paid on time’. The Payroll Specialist’s letter would highlight how they would address this situation. In Ryan’s words: “Stop focusing on your skills, and tell us instead about the kinds of pain you relieve!”
To the point
An effective pain letter is short and to the point, starting with a hook to draw in the reader – a reference to a news story about the company, for example. The candidate would then zero in on a ‘business pain’ the hiring company is likely experiencing (choose one ‘pain’, advises Ryan, even if there are a number of issues). The candidate should also describe a time when they saved the day at work by addressing a similar issue.
Snail mail, not email
After adding a simple conclusion, how can the job-seeker make sure their pain letter won’t go straight into the aforementioned black hole? The trick is to find out the hiring manager’s name and snail-mail address and pop the pain letter and a CV in the post. That way it will land right on their desk and get their attention.
Source: forbes.com
