Five star cover letters: Project Manager

This letter received as part of an application for a complex project management role was picked out by Allen Robins from specialist IT recruitment consultancy Woodbine Associates.

The situation

"This letter attempts to cover the requirements indicated in the ad. It gives a solid precis of his work experience, which is easy for a consultant to refer to. It also indicates by default what the candidate considers to be his strengths," comments Allen Robins.

The 5-star letter

Here's the cover letter sent via email which won the recruiter's attention:

I am a professional project manager with expertise in the use of personal computers to manage the projects and risk analysis; and dealing with customers and staff. My strengths include the ability to manage staff during periods of change, generating management reports and problem solving, and creating satisfied customers. I have worked for six different organizations, from a private enterprise small business, to a large domestic telecommunications provider, two multinational telecommunications suppliers, two large metropolitan hospitals and an entertainment organization. The skills I can bring immediately to the job are:

1. To prepare Project Management procedures for a new IT organization, assume control of existing projects inherited from other divisions and manage and create the project office environment for new staff.
2. Project Management of critical telecommunications projects (PABX's, radio paging, networked dictation solution) for a hospital group spread over a large area.
3. Year 2000 project management training and experience in implementing solutions to overcome risk exposure.
4. Hands on experience in work station rollout for a state government department.
5. Telecommunications network design experience and business financial management of design sections.
6. IT teams management during a critical development phase for a major telecommunications provider.
7. Specifications, design and project management of a Dictation system.
8. Project management experiences that involved negotiating contract variations and substantial management of sub-contractor relationships.
9. Developed and maintained performance reporting (to senior management) which was linked to generate the necessary reports, thereby enabling a proactive approach to dealing with the customer.
10. Approved the invoicing of the project management service.
11. Analyzed data to identify regional performance issues and develop options for corrective action to be taken.
12. Negotiated the equipment type and timing for customer's projects, resolving any contractual issues that arose.

    I have been required to participate in, and manage, teams of up to fifteen members. My management style is participative with a focus on developing and empowering others to achieve business objectives. I look forward to discussing this opportunity with you.

The job ad