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Cover Letter
You may be surprised to find out the number of job applicants who actually send in a resume without a cover letter. Although a cover letter is not essential, it is an extremely important part of letting a potential employer know exactly why you are applying for the job.
If you have never created a cover letter before, or if you noticed that your cover letters don't get much attention, you may need a few helpful tips to clean up that cover letter and get you in the door for a job interview.
Keep It Simple
The best piece of advice to keep in mind is that a potential employer will be looking over several other resumes for the position. This means that you need to say everything in three to four main paragraphs. These paragraphs should also be succinct and compact, stating your qualifications, successes, and interest in the job without rambling.
Don't Send a Generic Letter
You know when you get junk mail in your mailbox, whether it is print or email, and so will a potential employer. Although it is less time consuming to write out one form letter and send it off to several different employers, they will know that you aren't speaking directly to them or directly about the job vacancy they have available.
This should mean addressing a particular individual, specifically mentioning their job, where you noticed the advertisement, and also making specific references to how you would be qualified to handle that job. This will let them know that you are serious about working for their company.
Always Provide Contact Information
The best place to include contact information is at the end of the cover letter, in a short, easy to find paragraph. This should come as in invitation, such as "please feel free to contact me to discuss the position further," or "if you would be interested in setting up an interview contact me at..." These phrases will let the employer or human resources department know you are ready and available.
Reference Accomplishments
Although your resume is a place to list accomplishments and previous job experience, if you have specific accomplishments or job skills that will definitely add to the success of their company, make note of this in your cover letter. This lets the employer know that you have taken the time to read the job description and recognize how you could help make their company more successful or could contribute something to the company.
Remember to only add job skills or accomplishments that would directly relate to the job. Saying things like, "although I don't have any experience in this field," would only take away from a potential employer continuing to read through to your resume. Only highlight your accomplishments!
Worry About the Fine Print
This means that you should definitely stay away from using small or hard to read fonts! Although we should not judge a book by its cover, when it comes to skimming resumes, anything that might cause a human resources manager or supervisor to set your resume and cover letter down are not good.
You don't know who will be viewing the resume. Small print may be difficult for them to read and extra large print may seem offensive. Stay away from fonts smaller than 10 or large than 14. Also, stick with the most common fonts, such as Arial, Times New Roman or Courier New. These are most common because they are easy to read.
