Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Cover Letters -- An Introduction ...

The past several days we have outlined how a targeted resume should look. Now we’ll break down the basic elements of a good cover letter.

What is the purpose of a cover letter?
1.            To get your resume read
2.            To get you an interview
3.            To get you a job
4.            It sells your resume – therefore it sells you!

Seven basic things to know about cover letters …
1.            Print the cover letter on white bond paper
2.            A  cover letter should be only one page in length
3.            The cover letter heading should be identical to your resume heading. (Headings include your name and contact information.)
4.            The cover letter salutation should be “Dear Mr. Jones”. (If you do not know the marital status of a female, use “Ms.” NOT “Dear Sir”.)
5.            This is a business letter. Keep it formal.
6.            The Cover Letter should consist of the following three paragraphs:
               A.  The Introduction Paragraph
               B.  The Job Matching Paragraph
               C.  The “Closing” Paragraph
7.            Close the cover letter with:

               Sincerely yours,

               Dana Kehr (Signature)

               Mr. Dana Kehr
 

What are the three biggest mistakes made in writing cover letters?
1.            Addressing the cover letter to “Dear Personnel Director” or to “Dear Sir”
2.            Telling the employer what the company can do for you instead of what you can do for the company
3.            Leaving the ball in the employer’s court … asking them to call you instead of telling them you will call them

Tomorrow, we’ll look at some sample cover letters you may want to use as a pattern.

Good Hunting!

J  Dana

2 comments:

leslie said...

When you compose a business letter, there are some simple rules you can follow to assure that your letter makes a positive impression. Because if you do not know how to write a well-constructed, and professional message, you cannot get the response you want.
sample letter

Bose said...

Short and simple info on Cover Letters, am a epic failure!@bose