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How to Write A Good Cover Letter
Ok,
you may not win any awards for the cover letter that
you enclose to your resume, but you may increase your
odds it actually getting read, if you follow a few simple
steps.
1.
Keep it brief. Your resume is the document that conveys
your qualifications, therefore your cover letter need
not go on and on about how wonderful you are.
2.
Remember it serves a purpose. It is announcing you –
and your enclosed information, your resume.
3.
Tell them what you’re doing: I’m applying
for the position of… Enclosed is my resume for
the position of …
4.
Clearly state what position you’re applying for.
Don’t assume the Human Resources person will automatically
know what job you want or that they only have one opening.
5.
Highlight a few of your strong suits. Although brevity
is the key here, you don’t want to merely say,
“Here’s my resume. Bub Bye.”
6.
Don’t be redundant with contact information. All
that pertinent information should be on your resume.
7.
Don’t staple your cover letter to your resume.
Often photocopies need to be made and it just frustrates
the person making the copies to have to remove your
staples. Use a paperclip if you feel the need to attach
it; else just send it on top of your resume.
8.
Typos. That’s an obvious one. It’s hard to
proof your own work. Find one other person to give both
your cover letter and resume a glance over. You’re
dead in the water if your cover letter has misspellings,
poor grammar or typos.
Below
is a same letter you can use as a guide:
---
Date
Human
Resources, COMPANY NAME HERE
RE: NAME OF VACANT POSITION
Enclosed
please find my resume’. I am very much interested
in working with you as your POSITION TITLE. As you will
see from my enclosed resume’ I am qualified in
a variety of areas. (Or I am uniquely qualified for
this position because of my vast experience in …).
My college degrees are in Business Administration with
a minor in Management. I have spent the last two decades
performing INSERT SIMILAR RESPONSIBILITIES.
I
am anxious to discuss this opportunity with you further.
Respectfully,
Your
Name
---
You
as can see, the above cover letter is short and to the
point. It serves a purpose of prefacing your resume.
Don’t waste your time going on and on and on. It
will not get read. As it stands, you have a 50/50 chance
that anyone will even read your cover letter. Are you
willing to take 50% odds that it will be read, only
to have a lousy cover letter that will essentially hinder
your resume from consideration? Follow the above simple
steps and you’ll make a great first impression.
Of course, it’s up to you to have knowledge, skills
and abilities to back it; but at least you’re starting
off right!
1howto.com
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