There are various kinds of cover letters but you only need to use same guidelines in writing each article. The base of your cover letter will depend on how you put into writing your purpose, your motivation, your exuberance, your experience and your skills. Technically, it should present your personality and professionalism.
For you to understand what makes a cover letter great, you should know the dos and don'ts in a cover letter. The first thing you need to get familiar with is to how you should address your cover letter. A great cover letter is addressed to the person who is in charge with the application process. Otherwise, your cover letter and resume will have a hard time reaching the personnel department. So, do some research to know precisely who is giving the hiring decision; in addition, check that the name, title and company information is spelled correctly.
You should also personalize your cover letter. Today, generic cover letters are as boring as watching foreign movies without translations. Write your cover letter in a conversational style but keep the formality and professionalism. Your letter should sound like you and it should not sound like a history book. To do this, be natural when creating your cover letter. At first try you may feel nervous and awkward about it as you try to deflect grammar and spelling errors. Do not mind the mistakes first. You can check and proofread them after.
When writing your cover letter, make sure that your interest is displayed. You can do it by expressing your knowledge about the company or the industry. Apparently, there is where you also need to do research. Even So, do not go overboard that it might appear you copied all the information of the company. As a guide, the two things you need to remember are: who are they and what they do.
To build a bigger impact, utilize different terms and phrases that are significant to the hiring manager or employer. For instance, if the company needs specific skills and experience for a certain job position, use those requirements and match them to your skills and experience. If you must, bold them to make them stand out even more.
Technically, a cover letter should not have bulleted lists; though some people use bulleted lists to make the cover letter much easier to read, it is still recommended that this list is integrated only in your resume. Hence, your letter should be in paragraphs form. It should comprise at least three paragraphs. The first paragraph should briefly state what position you are applying for, how you learned about the vacancy, and how qualified are you and what are your general qualifications.
Meanwhile, the body of your cover letter broadens on how qualified you are. Tell the pertinent skills and experience you have and talk about them as short and detailed as possible. If you can, demonstrate how your skills and experience make you qualified for the job. The last paragraph of your cover letter should contain your request for an interview. Be specific and direct about it.
Landon Long is the founder of InterviewMastermind.com. You can download his FREE "Resume Rebel" Video Course to learn how to write a resume and stand out in a slow economy.
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