Writing Effective Cover Letters
A cover letter serves to introduce you to your prospective employer and is a supporting document for your resume. It is your opportunity to sell yourself and your most valuable strengths and accomplishments. It should entice the reader to follow through and read your resume. A cover letter should also include a request for a meeting or interview.
Cover letters generally have a beginning, middle and an end. Your first paragraph should be your opening statement and reason for the letter. The reason may be in response to an employment advertisement or in anticipation of a future opening. The first paragraph should include your job or career objective in title form.
The middle of your letter should include your value proposition. Your value proposition is the reason or all of the reasons that you believe the employer should consider hiring you. You should briefly describe your strengths, your background and your accomplishments. This can be done in bullet form to add more impact.
The last paragraph of your cover letter should summarize your career aspirations, the value you can bring to the organization and request a follow up meeting. You may also want to state that you will be in contact with the employer yourself to arrange for a face to face discussion so that you’ll have more control over the process.
You need to make sure that all of your contact information is included in your cover letter including your name, address, phone number, email address and alternate contact numbers. While resumes are generally written in the third person, cover letters are written in the first person and are more personalized.
Your cover letter will be more effective if you can include something directly related to the employer’s business. So, for example, you can include in your letter that you have experience in their industry or an interest in their industry or you can reference their advertisements, reputation and any press releases you’ve seen regarding the company.
A cover letter is an important piece of the job search process and supports the resume in marketing your skills. Take the time to craft a cover letter which adequately conveys your interest in the company, your career objectives, related experience, education, your unique selling proposition and request for a meeting and it will help to increase the number of phone calls you receive from your efforts.
Cover letters generally have a beginning, middle and an end. Your first paragraph should be your opening statement and reason for the letter. The reason may be in response to an employment advertisement or in anticipation of a future opening. The first paragraph should include your job or career objective in title form.
The middle of your letter should include your value proposition. Your value proposition is the reason or all of the reasons that you believe the employer should consider hiring you. You should briefly describe your strengths, your background and your accomplishments. This can be done in bullet form to add more impact.
The last paragraph of your cover letter should summarize your career aspirations, the value you can bring to the organization and request a follow up meeting. You may also want to state that you will be in contact with the employer yourself to arrange for a face to face discussion so that you’ll have more control over the process.
You need to make sure that all of your contact information is included in your cover letter including your name, address, phone number, email address and alternate contact numbers. While resumes are generally written in the third person, cover letters are written in the first person and are more personalized.
Your cover letter will be more effective if you can include something directly related to the employer’s business. So, for example, you can include in your letter that you have experience in their industry or an interest in their industry or you can reference their advertisements, reputation and any press releases you’ve seen regarding the company.
A cover letter is an important piece of the job search process and supports the resume in marketing your skills. Take the time to craft a cover letter which adequately conveys your interest in the company, your career objectives, related experience, education, your unique selling proposition and request for a meeting and it will help to increase the number of phone calls you receive from your efforts.
posted by Admin at 2:20 PM
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