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Writing the Perfect Cover Letter
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With the power
to make or break your job-hunt, the cover letter accompanying your
resume may well be the most important tool you will use during your search
for employment.
A well crafted cover letter; one that effectively
highlights your unique skills and accomplishments and clearly illustrates
your potential value to the employer; will give you a competitive edge
over other candidates. Designed to seize the attention of the reader, he
or she will be curious to learn more about you. With attention and
interest aroused, he will turn to your resume with an eye toward your
employment candidacy. |
On the other
hand, a poorly written letter communicates a lot to the reader, but
unfortunately, the message that is sent is not the one that you want to
transmit. Send a poorly organized cover letter that looks unprofessional
in form and design or that is filled with grammatical, punctuation, and
spelling errors, and you send a message that you are an inarticulate and
disorganized individual who is unable to communicate clearly and
concisely.
The cover
letter is, after all, the first communication that you will have with a
potential employer. The reader will inevitably form an opinion about
you from what is presented in this document. Given the importance of first
impressions, it is obviously in your best interest as a job hunter to
spend both time and thought writing a clear, concise, and attention
grabbing cover letter. Even if you have the most stunning qualifications
and accomplishments and have spent hours, or even days, crafting an
impressive and high impact resume that communicates these, if your cover
letter is poorly written, this resume may not even be read.
Likewise, a
resume that arrives on an employer's desk unaccompanied by a cover letter
will likely end up directly in the garbage. The failure to send a cover
letter conveys to the employer that you are an unsavvy candidate,
unfamiliar with even standard business practices.
Writing the
letter
Step 1:
It is important that your cover letter be visually attractive. Assure this
by using quality paper and envelopes. Many individuals use paper that
matches their resume in order to achieve balance and continuity. If you
have crafted your resume on a computer, you may wish to use a matching
letterhead for both documents. If paper matching your resume is
unavailable, it is acceptable to use personal stationery or a white "laid"
or "linen" paper in 24-lb bond or higher. Pay special attention to
details, including the print quality. Laser or ink jet printing is
preferable.
Step 2:
Unless you have used personal stationery or letterhead matching your
resume, begin your letter by typing the return address, excluding your
name, in the upper left or right corner. The date appears next, on the
left margin, two lines under your address. Apply two more lines and type
the full names of the addressee, apply another line and type his or her
title, another line and the company name, and finally, under this, the
address. The salutation should begin two lines under the address and
should be in the form of "Dear Mr. ..." or "Dear Ms. ..." In business
correspondence, you should always use a colon after the salutation rather
than a comma.
It is
essential that you take the time to personalize each letter in this way. A
letter addressed to "Whom it May Concern" will almost always be tossed
aside. Do a little investigative work to learn the name and title of the
person who has the hiring power in the company. Many times, you can obtain
this information by simply making a two-minute phone call to the company
or by spending a little time in the library. If, despite your best
efforts, you cannot obtain the name of the hiring authority, try "Dear
Hiring Manager:".
Step 3:
The body of the letter comes next. Begin by thinking of your cover letter
as a personal marketing document. As with any other marketing document,
the purpose is to grab the reader's attention while emphasizing the most
attractive benefits of the product or service. In this case, YOU are the
product or service, and the message that you want to convey is that of
your unique value to the employer. In order to do this, your letter must
promote you to the employer by highlighting your achievements and
accomplishments.
There are
three basic parts to a cover letter:
1. An
introduction - a statement of who you are and why you are sending
the letter
2. A sales pitch - an overview of your qualifications,
skills, abilities, and accomplishments
3. A call to action - a request for a specific action such
as an interview
Ideally, you
will cover these three basic parts in just 3 - 5 concise paragraphs typed
on one page. The following is an outline of how the "typical" cover letter
content is organized.
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First
Paragraph - Immediately state the position you are interested
in and the reason that you would be the best candidate for this position.
If you are responding to an advertisement, state this. If you have been
doing research into the company, this is a good place to mention it.
Second Paragraph - Discuss your qualifications and show how
the company will benefit from them. Highlight your special
accomplishments. Consider using bullets to make these stand out. If you
are responding to an advertisement, use this paragraph to detail how your
background parallels the qualification requirements mentioned in the ad.
Don't feel that you need to write a detailed synopsis of your employment
history. Include just the highlights and the pertinent information.
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Third
Paragraph - Make it clear to the reader that you would like to
speak to them in person. Specifically ask for an interview and make sure
that you include your telephone number and any special instructions to
reach you. Alternatively, write that you will follow up with a telephone
call on a specific date at a specific time and then make sure that you do.
Step 4:
The closing of your letter should appear two lines under the body. Align
this with your return address. This may be either on the right or left
margin, depending on the style you chose. A simple "Sincerely," will
usually be fine. Under this, apply four lines and type your name. Make
certain that after the letter is printed, you insert your signature above
this.
Type an
enclosure line on the left margin and several lines under your name. This
may be in the form "Enclosure" or "Enc. resume". Finally,
whenever possible, use an envelope that matches your paper. Try to
avoid using mailing labels as this makes your envelope look similar to a
bulk mailing and it may not be opened. Although it is acceptable to hand
address or type the envelope, some experts believe that a hand written
envelope will be more likely to be noticed and opened as it resembles
personal correspondence. If you have the time and are sending only a few
letters at a time, you may wish to use this method, otherwise, it may be
more efficient to print the envelopes using a mail merge program.
Contributing Author: Michelle Dumas, CPRW,
NCRW is a nationally certified professional resume writer and the owner
and operator of Distinctive Documents. From an office based in
Somersworth, NH, USA, Distinctive Documents provides comprehensive resume
services to job hunters worldwide. For more
information about the services of Distinctive Documents or to contact the
author about this article, please call (603) 742-3983, send an e-mail
message to
support@distinctiveweb.com , or point your browser to
http://www.distinctiveweb.com
Copyright ©
Michelle Dumas 1997
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