Write Winning Cover Letters
Written
by Wendy
S. Enelow and Louise
Kursmark
Source: Cover Letter Magic
A great
cover letter can make a difference in whether you get noticed
or passed over for a job. It is a great tool that:
Positions
you above the competition.
Sells your qualifications and your successes.
Demonstrates your knowledge, experience, and expertise.
Creates excitement, enthusiasm, and action (an interview).
Ten cover-letter strategies
1. Make
it easy for someone to understand "who" you are. Are
you a sales representative, nurse, college professor, chemical
engineer, restaurant manager, customer service agent or architect?
Be sure
to clearly communicate that information at the beginning of
your cover letter. Don't make someone read three paragraphs
to find this critical information. No one is going to take the
time and energy to figure it out.
2. Use a
unique and professional format when writing and typing your
cover letters. Make your letters visually attractive and distinctive.
Tap into your inner self to see how creative and professional
you can be in writing the text and designing the presentation.
3. Emphasize
your most relevant qualifications. Use your cover letters to
highlight your skills, experiences, qualifications, honors and
credentials that are directly relevant to the company's needs
and type of position and/or career path you are pursuing.
4. Shine
a spotlight on your most relevant achievements. Be certain to
highlight your career successes, results and accomplishments
that will be most meaningful to the intended audience of each
specific letter.
5. Include
information that you know about the company or the position
for which you are applying. If you know any particulars about
the company to which you are writing (for example, core issues,
challenges, market opportunities, services or management changes),
be sure to address those items in your cover letter. Relate
specifically how your experience can meet the company's needs
and provide solutions to its challenges.
6. Explain
why you want to work for this company in particular. Do you
want to work for the company because of its reputation, financial
standing, products, services, location or market potential?
Everyone likes a good "pat on the back" for a job
well done. Company management is no different. Tell them what
they're doing right that caught your attention.
7. Be sure
your cover letters are neat, clean and well presented. Remember,
cover letters are business documents, not advertising materials.
They should be attractive and relatively conservative, not "over-designed."
8. Double-check,
triple-check, and then have someone else check your letter to
be sure that it is error-free. Remember, people don't meet you;
they meet a piece of paper. And that piece of paper — your
cover letter — reflects the quality and caliber of the
work you will do on their behalf. Even the smallest of errors
is unacceptable.
9. Keep
your cover letters short. Cover letters are not essays. We recommend
a one-page letter in nearly all circumstances.
10. Always
remind yourself why you are writing each cover letter, and be
sure to ask for the interview. Remember, securing an interview
is your primary objective for each letter you write.
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