Unusual Cover Letter Question....

I am wanting to apply for a position I saw in a classified ad, but it does not give the company name, it just gives a P.O Box address to send the resume to. How would I handle this in the cover letter where you usually put the employers name and address? Can I just put the PO Box address?

With such limited information it can be difficult to figure out how to proceed (without completely forgoing common formalities).

I certainly don't think it would hurt to use the PO Box address. You may also choose to leave the information off altogether. I really don't think there is a wrong answer here.

Best of luck to you!

K.C.

I have over 20 years of experience in various industries; real estate, insurance and restaurant. How do I make it sound like it is a positive thing to hire me at 52 years of age? I have a strong resume. I want to create an unusual, yet striking cover letter.

Sherry, we're 52 - not 70. Fifteen years ago we would have been considered experienced, in our prime, and very much wanted.

Don't let it get to you. Just don't mention your age, don't make it a factor.

I do not mention my age but the length of my experience tells all...maybe too much

hi i want to apply for the job .can i have an addres so i can write to them .

JWS1960 in St. Johns, Michigan said: I am wanting to apply for a position I saw in a classified ad, but it does not give the company name, it just gives a P.O Box address to send the resume to. How would I handle this in the cover letter where you usually put the employers name and address? Can I just put the PO Box address?

JWS: The company doesn't want to be identified for a number of reasons. First of all, they don't want to be inundated by a bunch of telephone calls. Secondly, they might not want their competitors know that they're hiring. Thirdly, they probably don't want any walk-ins either.

Where did you see the ad at? Try to contact the place where the ad was placed at and see if they'll give you the name of the employer.

Also, if you are working, could it be your present employer? I've heard of people who have sent their resumes to their present employer and they don't even know it.

If I were you, I wouldn't send your resume there. Only send it to a company that gives its name, as well as it's address, website and email address. You have to be very careful.

Good luck to you.

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: Definitely. Giving employers clues to age gives employers carte blanche to practice age discrimination.

Use your cover letter (and resume) to sell yourself. Your positives are your knowledge, skills and abilities. Summarize your experience in your cover letter and/or narrow your quals and experience to the open position. Throw in a couple of accomplishments. Then you can say that perhaps you can make similar contributions at (name of company).

List your work record for only the last ten years on your resume. Employers are interested in what you've done lately. Anything older than ten years is ancient history. Also listing only the last ten years helps conceal your age. In that regard, unless you are a new grad, leave off your school graduation dates. Grad dates hand employers the keys to pinpointing your age, plus or minus a couple of years.

What you are saying sounds great and is adviced given by many, but leaving your years off as far as your education will be another giva away that you are an older person.

I have decided to include in my cover letter a sentence that says "I am a 45+ business manager applying for the position..."
I am embracing the fact that I am an older person seeking work..this way not only do I seek employment, but am building a case as well, especially with companies that I have applied repetitively for various positions that I qualify for!

It is a bold move...I will see what happens!

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: Not necessarily. Putting down grad year for a recent grad is fine, even if one is older. But after one has worked employers are more concerned about experience.

According to the only HR person I would ever trust, putting down age point-blank on materials can cause rejection automatically. She explained that companies DO NOT like to see age on materials. She explained that disclosing age can cause them problems during EEOC spot checks. For that reason companies automatically discard all such materials. Perhaps another reason why employment apps do not ask for dates of birth because it is illegal. Bear that point in mind when you draft your cover letter. Otherwise, you're painting a rejection target on your back by disclosing your age.

Thanks for your comment, but I just read that it is NOT illegal to ask ones age and I am not disclosing my age, I am simply mentioning that I am an older experienced person by giving a 45+ age range as a positive factor. Anyway, I will try my way and again thanks.

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: How can it? The employer cannot readily determine age if one leaves off grad years and lists only the last ten years of employment. Further my comments, above, employers care more about experience. The same suggestion applies to a 32-year-old as it would to you, who is over 45.

Yes, but a 32 year old is less likely to leave off years of graduation, as they are not subjected to age discrimination..besides it will all be a mute point once one arrive for the interview!

It never fails that when a person responds to any comment whether on this site or others, people feel compelled to correct their grammar or spelling, if the person is saying something they don't like. Please don't attack my intelligence. Thank you.

..and I won't bring up age or anything in this particularforum again..it is not that serious!

Ok, one last comment. The only thing leaving dates off of your resume will get you is a possible interveiw. No matter how much you dye your hair and act youthful and energetic, etc., the employer will still be able to tell that you are an older person, and if they are into age discrimination, then you are out! So, all you accomplished is wasting your time and money.

Age discrimination has to be stopped - the law needs to be revamped. There needs to be more defined ways of identifying it etc

Volunteering to include my age range on my cover letter is no different than voluntarily responding to questions on job applications or job websites about race, sex and veteran status.

(I did not proof read - it is not that serious!)

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: Continued from above....

Red herring, with volunteering age being a non sequitur.

Providing race, sex and vet status on an app, as you noted, is voluntary. No one holds a gun to anyone to volunteer this information. The only HR person I would ever trust for accurate information told me employers detach responses to these questions from applications – obviously to avert any hint of bias.

Further, you wrote, above, that you would volunteer your age in your cover letter. Your cover letter is separate and apart from any job app on which one MIGHT volunteer race, sex and veteran status. You put your age squarely in the reader’s eyes by setting it forth on your cover letter. Much different than an app, which will not or should not ask age-related questions.

Finally, the key word here is "volunteer." Do you want an interview or not?? It is foolhardy to volunteer certain, potentially negative information to employers. Some information simply is not the employer's business. Other information, such as AGE, can and will be used against candidates.

One may have to own up to certain information eventually, but better to own up to it to a live person where one can explain and clarify that information instead of on a black-and-white piece of paper that can be summarily chucked into the wastebasket.

Good luck with your efforts. Try to be less defensive about presenting proofread copy.

Ok, I am not here to convince you of anything or change your opinion, the only real evidence will be the outcome of my decision. Thanks and good luck to you. When I land my job in the near future, I will let you know!