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Writing Cover Letters
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A great cover letter is your
opportunity to speak in your own
voice, and set yourself apart.
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Since you're usually up against many
other candidates for the job, a
cover letter is an ideal way to
stand out. Although a cover letter
might not be a requirement, make it
a habit to include a well-written,
customized letter with every resume
you submit.
How likely are you to read a letter
that's addressed "To Whom It May
Concern?" If you can, try to learn
the name and title of the person
making the hiring decisions - that
way, you'll be able to personally
address your cover letter, and have
a much higher chance that your
resume will get the attention it
deserves.
Your chance of landing that first
interview is greatly increased if
you demonstrate some knowledge about
the job you're applying for and the
company hosting it. Read the job
description very carefully, and
research the company on the
Internet. Go to a search engine such
as
or
, and type in the
company name, then click on the
company's web site.
After you've read through the job
description and learned about the
company from the Web, you should
have a good idea what they're
looking for. Instead of using your
cover letter to let them know what
you're looking for, let the company
know how you can meet their
challenges by improving
efficiencies, saving them money,
etc. In the process you'll not only
demonstrate an active interest in
their organization, but stress why
they should hire YOU for this job.
Resumes, by their nature, tend to be
factual and very dry. A well-written
cover letter, on the other hand,
gives you an opportunity to
communicate more directly with the
employer, and come across uniquely
and individually. Write as you'd
speak, but express yourself
professionally and emphasize what
you can do for the company by
talking about the results you have
achieved.
You're probably very busy trying to
find a job, but keep in mind that
the employer is even busier filling
them. Although you want to customize
each cover letter with job and
company information, and show the
wisdom of hiring you, it's best to
keep your letter to at most two or
three paragraphs. So stick to what's
important, and put yourself in the
reader's shoes: Is your letter
interesting? Is it a quick read?
Would you want to interview the
person who wrote it?
A great cover letter is the perfect
chance for you to show your stuff -
it's also the perfect chance for you
to ruin your chances with typos,
misspellings, bad grammar, or
factually incorrect information.
Double- and triple-check your letter
after you're done, and it might even
help if you read it out loud. Share
your letter with friends or family,
and have them read and proof it,
too.
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