Cover Letters - An Important Introduction
Your resume can present your skills, education and experience to
a possible employer, but your cover letter must encourage the
perspective employer enough to consider you from hundreds of
candidates competing for a particular job opening.
Your cover letter must be a presentation of your qualifications
and abilities and must be presented in a professional yet
personalized format that says you are serious about getting
hired. It is your first chance to make a good impression and
makes the hiring manager want to continue to read your enclosed
resume.
Do You Really Need a Cover Letter?
You bet that you do! It is the first chance you have to market
yourself to a perspective employer. It is the most important way
to introduce yourself and give a brief highlight of why you
think you are right for the position.
Think about this, you would never show up at a perspective
employer's door uninvited, therefore your resume should never
just show up on the hiring manager's desk without some kind of
introduction. Your cover letter is that introduction. Through
it, you introduce yourself, sell your qualifications and show
them that you are a strong candidate for the position. You don't
put too much information into it, just enough to make them
interested in learning more about you and what you can offer the
company in terms of your abilities and experience.
Cover letters should be created with care. Don't rush it, take
your time to think through what needs to be mentioned in it and
write a draft on paper. Go over it afterwards and edit it for
spelling and grammar. You don't want to send a cover letter that
is full of errors. Here are some steps to help you create your
own cover letter.
Creating a cover letter
1. Get personal The cover letter should be directed to a
specific individual whenever possible. Because many companies
recruit for many positions at the same time you should also
indicate the position title you are applying for.
2. Why do you want this job? The cover letter should also say
"why" you are interested in the position. Be clear and get to
the point. Cover letters should be specific but concise. The
letter should not be more then one page. Perspective employer's
are not looking for your life history in a cover letter, just a
brief introduction and overview of your qualifications. Include
a few reasons why you think your skills are a good fit for the
job and briefly mention the highlights of your career. State
your intentions and qualifications. Hiring managers do not want
to read a list of skills that have nothing to do with the
position you are applying for. They want to see that you have
the skills needed to do the job well.
3. Talk about your strengths Hiring managers want to know why
you think you are right for the position. Tell them in a big way
by listing some of your major career accomplishments. The point
here is to make the best impression that says how much value you
can bring to the job. Some examples may include: Examples: