Archive for November, 2009

Many professional applicants choose to include a cover letter with their resume or application when submitting a bid for an open position with a company. Cover letters are simply letters that are addressed to the hiring committee or chairperson in charge of filling a position within a company and are a good way for a corporation to understand a few things about an applicant prior to meeting them:

1. How articulate is the applicant? Cover letters will provide a basic understanding of the type of communication that the applicant is most familiar and comfortable with. If the corporation largely relies on email communications, but a person cannot write a coherent cover letter, this may indicate the job may not be a great fit for them.

2. How dedicated is the applicant? Cover letters do not just write themselves and they do take some research on the part of the applicant to understand the best way to write a letter to the corporation. In this respect, a very good cover letter could indicate that the applicant is willing to go above and beyond the job requirements when needed.

3. How bad does the applicant want the job? In many cases there may be a tie between applicants with regards to qualifications and job fit, yet the hiring committee hires the applicant that is “chasing” the job harder. Well written cover letters indicate preparedness and desire.

In order to provide an effective cover letter, remember a few specific tips.

1. Begin the letter with a personalized salutation – Do a bit of research and determine the name of the person whom will be accepting your letter. Address the letter to them as this will add a very personal touch to a normally impersonal task.

2. Customize the letter – Research the company and the job as much as possible. Pick keywords out of the job description and use them to help describe your past experience or qualifications. Utilize this information to tailor every aspect of the letter to sell you and your skills as the best for the position.

3. Focus on your strengths – Do not include information that could not be considered a strength. Remember, the cover letter is a chance to sell yourself, nothing more. Any other pertinent information that needs given to the employer can be dealt with AFTER you get an interview.

4. Provide your contact information and keep the tone professional – While the letter is a chance to show your potential employer who you are and why you are the best at what you do, it is still important to maintain a professional attitude throughout the letter. Provide the most up to date contact information so that the employer can get ahold of you and then close the letter professionally (Sincerely or Kind Regards are two good endings to use).

Stick to these tips and your cover letters will be drawing you more attention than you ever thought possible during the job hunt process.

A good cover letter is a way to sell yourself as an employee or applicant. It is often the first impression you will make on an employer and should be concise, well worded, and able to detail all of your strengths. Often it seems that applicants will look at a cover letter as a way to reiterate their resume (which in most cases is included in addition to the letter) or as a simple note that accompanies their resume submission.

Unfortunately, what many people will miss if they utilize a cover letter in this way is their dream job or the promotion of a lifetime. Cover letters are not simply a way to inform of an employer of your intent to bid on a position, they are a chance to explain in minute detail exactly why you are the right candidate for the position. When writing cover letters there are a few essential steps that you should take in order to make your cover letter as effective as possible.

1. Begin with a proper salutation – Do a bit of research about the company and the person to whom your letter will be arriving. If you can determine the person’s name, address them directly in the letter. This personalizes the letter and also shows that you are intuitive enough to do a bit of background research on the position.

2. Describe where you learned of the position – Open the letter with an introductory paragraph describing where and how you learned of the position and why you are applying. Say something like, “I learned of this position from an ad in the local newspaper and am very interested in pursuing this opportunity.”

3. Give a BRIEF description of your education and work experience – Give just enough relevant information about your past work experience and your education to prove you are qualified for the position. Do not go into great detail about your alma mater as this is not the focus of your letter.

4. Describe your work experience and relevant accomplishments – This is the main portion of the letter that you want the potential employer to read. Describe your past jobs and why you were great at them. Focus on meaningful and positive changes you made in the work place and tailor your strengths to the job announcement (ie do not include explanations of how you improved the copying process in your office building if you are applying for a job as a stunt man).

5. Close with a “clincher” and your contact information – Conclude with a paragraph telling the reader exactly what qualifies you as the best candidate for the job and why they would be remiss if they did not choose you. Include your contact information including phone number and email and explain that you would love to meet with someone to further discuss your qualifications and the specifics of the job.

6. End with “Sincerely” – Close the letter respectfully and professionally by using “Sincerely” (or Kind regards). Include your name, current title, contact information, and a signature.

When you are in a place where you are thinking about moving forward and getting the career that you are interested in, you will find that one thing that you are going to need to work on is writing your cover letter. A cover letter is something that is required in many fields, and if you are interested in making sure that you get the job that you want, you need a good cover letter to pave the way. A cover letter is not a resume and you will find that writing a good one does take a certain amount of know-how. Take some time and consider what your options are going to be when you are thinking about finding a cover letter example to look at.

A good cover letter is going to be something that is personal to you. In many ways, you are going to find that you are in a place you need to let your cover letter introduce you. A resume is a good document, but it will not let the company in question know about what you are like and what your real goals are. A cover letter is meant to tell them something that your resume can’t, that is, a little bit more about why you are going to be wonderfully suited for this job and what benefits you can give to them.

One of the tricky things that you need to think about, and one of the things that you have to watch out for when you are looking for a cover letter example is the fact that not all good cover examples are alike. They will differ depending on what industry you are working for, and you will also find that you are in a place where they differ thanks to what company you are applying for. Some people find that a cover letter should be more impersonal, while others find that a warm tone is going to be essential when you are thinking about making the right impression.

When you are looking for a cover letter example, remember that you should think about where you are applying. There are some people who create a single cover letter and then send it out no matter where they are applying to, and this is widely considered to be a mistake. A good cover letter tells the company that you are applying to why you are perfect for them, not why you are perfect for the entire industry, after all! This is where tailoring your cover letter comes in; while it can, and probably should, follow the same template, you will find that coming up with a different one for every job application is quite important.

Take some time to make sure that you can find a cover letter example for what you are doing. Sometimes, seeing how other people have done it right can show you how to do the same. What cover letters catch the recruitment personnel’s eye, and which one tells them that you are wholly not suited to work there? What should you put in and what should you leave out? The more you know about finding a good cover letter example the better your chances are of getting hired!