Perfecting Your Cover Letters

COVER LETTER WRITING
Writing great cover letters can be the key to getting that perfect job. With a bad economy and high unemployment, it's more crucial than ever to have your cover letter stand out to get that job interview.

The cover letter is the first thing a prospective employer will look at when sifting through hundreds of resumes. This is the first impression they are going to get from you, so this is your chance to outshine the rest of the applicants.

The only way you can get the job is to not get thrown into the reject pile. The resumes with the best cover letters will move on to the next step. A cover letter should present your personal qualifications in an interesting way and ask for an interview. A great cover letter will get you that interview.

It is very important to rewrite each cover letter to fit each job you apply for. You need to research exactly what each company is looking for and make sure to highlight those areas of your skills that are relevant to those needs in all your cover letters.

As an example, when applying to one company, the job skills required someone with strong computer and bookkeeping skills. Another job asked that the applicant be skilled in publishing the company newsletter. If you can do the required skills for the job, let the employer know in your cover letters, of training and success stories that will help you land that interview.

A great opening paragraph is essential in capturing the employer's interested. It should include a reference to the specific position you are after and a brief statement on why you are a good fit for the job.

Write your letters in a very straightforward way. Do not write complex sentences or fancy words. Using big words makes you sound "stuck-up" which is not a good impression. Do use industry specific words. This makes you sound knowledgeable.

Once you have written your cover letter, allow adequate time for revision. Proofread your letter carefully; using a confusing format or poor grammar will reflect poorly on you. You want to use the same fonts on both your resume and cover letter.

Varied fonts will be fussy looking and hard to follow. Make sure you print your resume and cover letters on nice professional looking paper (not a bright paper). Your goal is a polished and professional writing piece. You want to impress your future employer!