The Importance of a Well Organized
Cover Letter
Since many individuals submit résumés online or by email these days, it is common to side-step the use of a formal cover letter when approaching potential employers for consideration of a position. Canterbury Résumé recommends that you attach a formal cover letter document with a letterhead that mirrors your résumé.
Take advantage of the forum that a cover letter provides that is different than a résumé. For example, in a résumé cover letter, you can discuss issues such as your present career goals, gaps in employment, and your willingness to relocate.
A résumé is designed to present information about your work experience and other qualifications in a facts-only format, and a cover letter will assist in painting you in the light in which you seek to be received by a potential employer. Résumé cover letters can easily be designed to be more general for multiple mailings. Many job seekers will develop a master cover letter and alter it slightly for each employment submission, just as they do for résumés. Include research you have done about the company for which you are applying to show that you are really interested in what they do.
Elements of a cover letter
When writing a cover letter, use a business letter format that includes your contact information in the letterhead; the date; and name, company, and address to which the letter is addressed. All of this information is typically listed above the salutation line.
In the salutation line, use the first name of the person you are addressing if you know them. Otherwise, use the sir name preceded by the appropriate title, such as President, Dr., Mr., or Ms. If you do not have the name of a contact person, address the letter to “Dear Sir or Madam”. In each case, end the salutation with a colon instead of a comma.
The body of your résumé cover letter should generally consist of three or four paragraphs and should be limited to one page. Remember that potential employers get a lot of résumés each day, so make their job easier by keeping your letter short and including only the most important information.
As a cover letter serves as a transmission document for your résumé and other materials such as copies of your college transcripts or samples of your work, the first paragraph of your cover letter should serve to explain your purpose for writing and to identify what information you have either enclosed in a parcel you have mailed to them or attached to an email. Gear the first paragraph to what you have to offer the company as opposed to what they have to offer you.
The middle one or two paragraphs will back up your first paragraph by giving more information about your qualifications, including your education and relevant work experience. A common error in cover letters is regurgitating your resume word for word. Write it as though you were speaking it to them in a job interview. You can emphasize your work experience that best highlights the qualifications they are looking for, even if that experience is not your most recent.
Use your résumé cover letter to emphasize your strong work qualities such as working well in a team environment, hard working, and detail-oriented. Do what you can to make the contents of your cover letter unique so that it will stand out from the other applicants in the stack. However, make sure to stay very respectful, professional, and within the formal forum of a cover letter.
The last paragraph should be the action paragraph. Reiterate what you can do for them. Request that they call you to arrange an interview scheduled at their convenience, and thank them for their consideration. Close the letter with “Sincerely,” or another adverb such as “Respectfully,” skip some lines, and type your name If you are submitting this in hard copy you want to sign it in ink.
The cover letter advantage
Use a cover letter to include information in your job application that you wouldn’t be able to include in a résumé or the application they provide. It is a way to indicate the amount of time and attention you have spent on your application as well as your interest in the company to which you are applying. Canterbury Resume Services can assist you in preparing a tightly written cover letter that will emphasize why you are the best applicant for the job.
© 2011 by Emily Sanderson. All rights reserved.
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