Great Tips On Crafting Cover Letters

While working as a recruiter, I learned some effective secrets about cover letters that I will be sharing here. Here is tip number one: Your cover letters are often more important than your resume. Most people assume this document is only for announcing interest in a position and to present a resume. This can be a fatal mistake for your job search.

Your resume is for providing your personal details such as your education, accomplishments, and employment history while your cover letters must make a connection with the employer. This is your opportunity for you to express your personality, as well as to provide a summary of why you want the employer and position and what you can do for them. Following these steps will help you to take full advantage of this all important letter.

Even if done via email, the first contact with the potential employer should be written in a traditional letter format; a greeting, an introductory paragraph followed by one or two more short paragraphs. The greeting you choose to use in your cover letter would be a huge factor in regardless of whether your letter is even read. A greeting addressed to a specific person is much more attention getting than the usual generic one.

Your introductory paragraph should express your not only your interest in the position, but should state exactly why you are the one for the job. To backup those claims, you write a summary of your experiences and your skills preferably in the next one or two paragraphs.

Your closing should tell your reader what they have to do next, which is to read your resume and be sure to ask for an interview. The vocabulary you use in cover letters should reveal your dedication and commitment to your profession. It's also wise to sum up work experiences, what you've attained from those experiences and a summary of your education; include awards and achievements that relate to this field. Including any travel that you've done for previous positions is also beneficial.

The last sentence of your cover letters should presume that you already have the interview and reiterate the name of the position, for example “I look forward to meeting with you soon regarding the accounts manager position.” Include all your contact information at the end of your letter. Read more about resumes and cover letters.