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Once you've written a polished resume that's sure to
impress potential employers, you should focus on
your cover letter. Too many people underestimate the
importance of this vital component to their resume.
Be sure to take full advantage of the opportunity
the cover letter presents to really sell yourself to
potential employers.
Four Tips on Getting
Your Cover Letter Noticed
(1) Be specific and
demonstrate knowledge.
Employers read many resumes and cover letters,
especially for prime positions. Yours should
specifically address the position you hope to land
an interview for, and explain how your skills and
experience qualify you for that job. Don't send
"mass mail," all-purpose types of resumes and cover
letters - these will probably end up in the recycle
bin.
(2) Address the letter
to the person who will be reading it.
Avoid "Dear Sir or Madam" or "To Whom it May
Concern" whenever possible. Even better, show that
you are familiar with the company. Reference a
recent merger, new product line, or other noteworthy
event as evidence that you know about the company,
follow its success, and would be a valuable part of
their team.
(3) Play up the
positives; downplay the negatives.
Let's say you are a recent college graduate without
a lot of job experience. Describe how your
activities and experiences in school helped prepare
you for your career. Or, suppose you have time gaps
in your employment. I encourage clients to not call
great attention to this; if you focus on it and make
it into an issue, it will become an issue for them.
However, if you feel you do need to explain the time
gap up front, use your cover letter to describe why
there are gaps, and put a positive spin on it if
possible (i.e., "Between March 2006 and August 2006
I traveled abroad and studied Spanish...").
(4) Neatness and
professionalism counts.
Proper punctuation, grammar, and spelling are
important in a professional cover letter. Print your
resume and cover letter on matching, plain
stationery or parchment paper if you have it. Sure
you may have a fondness for cats, but a potential
employer may find your cute feline letterhead "a bit
too casual" for the workplace! I suggest hiring a
professional resume writer to help you with your
cover letter. There is a reason they are the experts
in their field - they know what they're doing. A
professional resume writer will know how to present
you in the best light for the position you are
seeking. (For recommended resume writers, feel free
to visit my blog in the About the Author section
below.)
Don't miss out on the opportunity the cover letter
provides you with to stand out from the crowd of
other applicants. A resume is useless to an employer
if he or she can't figure out what type of job
you're looking for. A dynamic cover letter will
explain what you seek, highlight why you are perfect
for the job, and bring personality and voice to your
resume.
Copyright 2006 Hallie Crawford, Authentically
Speaking. All rights reserved.
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