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Cover Letters - An Important Introduction
Your
resume can present your skills, education and
experience to a possible employer, but your
cover letter must encourage the perspective
employer enough to consider you from hundreds
of candidates competing for a particular job
opening.
Your
cover letter must be a presentation of your
qualifications and abilities and must be presented
in a professional yet personalized format that
says you are serious about getting hired. It
is your first chance to make a good impression
and makes the hiring manager want to continue
to read your enclosed resume.
Do
You Really Need a Cover Letter?
You
bet that you do! It is the first chance you
have to market yourself to a perspective employer.
It is the most important way to introduce yourself
and give a brief highlight of why you think
you are right for the position.
Think
about this, you would never show up at a perspective
employer's door uninvited, therefore your resume
should never just show up on the hiring manager's
desk without some kind of introduction. Your
cover letter is that introduction. Through it,
you introduce yourself, sell your qualifications
and show them that you are a strong candidate
for the position. You don't put too much information
into it, just enough to make them interested
in learning more about you and what you can
offer the company in terms of your abilities
and experience.
Cover
letters should be created with care. Don't rush
it, take your time to think through what needs
to be mentioned in it and write a draft on paper.
Go over it afterwards and edit it for spelling
and grammar. You don't want to send a cover
letter that is full of errors. Here are some
steps to help you create your own cover letter.
Creating
a cover letter
1.
Get personal
The cover letter should be directed to a specific
individual whenever possible. Because many companies
recruit for many positions at the same time
you should also indicate the position title
you are applying for.
2.
Why do you want this job?
The cover letter should also say "why" you are
interested in the position. Be clear and get
to the point. Cover letters should be specific
but concise. The letter should not be more then
one page. Perspective employer's are not looking
for your life history in a cover letter, just
a brief introduction and overview of your qualifications.
Include a few reasons why you think your skills
are a good fit for the job and briefly mention
the highlights of your career. State your intentions
and qualifications. Hiring managers do not want
to read a list of skills that have nothing to
do with the position you are applying for. They
want to see that you have the skills needed
to do the job well.
3.
Talk about your strengths
Hiring managers want to know why you think you
are right for the position. Tell them in a big
way by listing some of your major career accomplishments.
The point here is to make the best impression
that says how much value you can bring to the
job. Some examples may include: Examples:
·
Increased sales by 93 percent in first quarter.
· Renegotiated leases or loans at a reduced
interest rate that resulted in a yearly savings
of $50,000.
· Implemented new processes that resulted
in savings of 100 man-hours.
4.
No Negative Information
Never include any negative information or remarks
of any kind. Especially about your current or
past employers or coworkers. This will turn
off the reader and your resume will never get
read.
5.
Salary and/or Relocation Information
Include this information only if the perspective
employer requests it and do not include it on
your resume. If requested, the cover letter
is the place where you should include it or
create a separate sheet listing your salary
history. Salary is usually negotiated once you
become a clear choice for the position. Never
ask how much the position pays. The interviewer
may ask you what starting salary you are looking
for, but rarely will tell you how much the position
pays until you become a clear choice for the
job.
6.
Take charge
Make sure that you mention in the cover letter
that you are available for a personal interview.
Include all your contact information so that
the perspective employer has several ways to
reach you, E.g. email, phone, cell etc.
A
professionally written, error-free cover letter
can open the door to your dream job or to a
new career and will increase your chances of
getting the interview.
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