How To Write An Excellent Cover Letter

A cover letter decides the outcome of your resume. Often a poorly written cover letter could be the cause for your prospective employer not even looking at your resume. In the same vein, a well-written cover letter could land you at the interview table. Therefore, cover letter should essentially garner interest in the reader to look further into your resume and schedule a meeting at the earliest.

It is simple to write a winning cover letter by adhering to few simple steps:

- The main purpose of your cover letter is to indicate information enclosed in your resume. It should highlight your key qualifications, which could prove interesting and useful to your employer. A concise cover letter speaks volumes of your capabilities.

- Although brief cover letters are essential, it should not be overtly brief. You should provide few details about yourself and your work experience.

- Clearly mention the position you are applying for in the cover letter. Do not be under the impression that there is only a single category of vacancy and the person concerned is aware of the job you want to apply.

- Write an enthusiastic cover letter. This indicates that you foster a genuine interest to work in the company. Demonstrate your knowledge of the company and show how your credentials could prove useful to the company.

- You need not go into details of your contact information in your cover letter. These details are among the first and most important details in your resume. Therefore, your cover letter need not be repetitive.

- Always address your cover letter to a specific person in the company. Research into the company in question and thereafter address it to the proper person. This ensures that your cover letter and resume will surely receive at least an audience.

- Be very careful not to make any typing or grammatical mistakes in your cover letter. This leaves a very bad impression of your capabilities. Normally, you may not be able to locate any mistakes in your letter. Therefore, it is better to ask somebody else to check through the cover letter.

- Attach your cover letter to your resume with a paperclip or just place it on top of your resume. Stapling makes it difficult to make photocopies of your resume.

A cover letter is very similar to a sales letter. Therefore, give yourself adequate publicity without overdoing it too. Try to use simple language and use the active voice to present your details in a more eloquent manner. Depict a thorough professional approach in your cover letter as it essentially seeks for an interview or meeting with the employer. Therefore, do not shy or be very passive in your approach.

What is a Cover Letter?

A cover letter is an introductory letter. You normally attach this letter while mailing your curriculum vitae or résumé to prospective employers. You can also write a cover letter for presentation of scientific articles at seminars. Your cover letter is often the prologue of your résumé. Hence, it decides the outcome of your résumé with the employer or company in consideration.

Your résumé is normally a general document and remains the same while mailing to different companies. However, a cover letter highlights and details specific parts of your resume as suitable to the company you are considering applying for a job. Your cover letter and your resume combine to decide the outcome of your application.

A cover letter kindles the interest of employer to look through your resume in detail. Hence, you should research into the company in question before writing respective cover letter. This helps you pinpoint your suitability to the company.

A cover letter should ideally follow a specific format. A better presentation of the cover letter is to write in paragraphs than through bulleted points. Besides, it should be specific and mention important points. At the same time, you should not rush through. The important components of a cover letter are introduction, body, and closing.

The introduction paragraph of your cover letter should be crypt with just two or three sentences. This paragraph specifies the job you are applying for and how you gathered information about the job-from any personal contacts or through newspaper advertisements. You should address your prospective employer by name.

The body of your cover letter spreads over two or three paragraphs. Here you detail your qualifications with additional reference to your attached resume. Additionally, pick out relevant and special points from your qualifications, which could prove very suitable to the company. Therefore, you stand a better chance of being very productive to the company.

However, you should enumerate your skills and experience as useful to the company. You can detail your qualifications, work experience, and other relevant skills in this part of your cover letter. Rather, you should not impose yourself on the employer.

The closing paragraph of your cover letter should be equally impressive. This paragraph should request for an appropriate response like an interview call or any other positive approach. You can specify the place and your telephone number so that your prospective employer can reach you easily.

Nevertheless, you should not be too assertive or pushy to force your employer to consider you for an interview. This sends wrong signals to the employer. Always close this paragraph of your cover letter by thanking your prospective employer for giving you time and consideration.