Resumes
    eResumes
    Cover Letters
   Interviewing

Cover Letters ..:

Preparation | Format | Sample Ad | Sample Cover Letter

Too often, people assume that if they apply for a position for which they are qualified, they will automatically get an interview and stand a good chance of landing the job. Unfortunately, the process does not work that way. The responses from many suitable candidates often end up at the bottom of the waste paper basket because they either failed to relate to the position or failed to catch the interviewer's interest.

Good cover letters have a chance of being read. They:

• Address an employer's key requirements
• Demonstrate professional courtesy (e.g. you have taken the time to customize the approach)
• Provide a prospective employer with a sample of your writing skills (especially since many resumes are known to be prepared by a professional resume service)
• Provide a functional grouping of your skills that may not be evident in your resume

Any effective work search tool does the following 3 things, and letters are no exception:

• Identifies potential reader's needs or requirements
• Identifies relevant qualifications and accomplishments
• Makes explicit the match between the two

Thus the successful cover letter - the one that gets you an interview - piques the advertiser's interest and convinces him/her that you have the skills and qualifications to meet their needs.

Successful cover letters aren't rattled off in a few minutes or copied from a "how to" book, they are composed after careful analysis of the position - point by point.

[ Top ]