Do you want to write the best cover letter you can? Here is a cover letter tip you need to know then!

Free Resume Cover Letter Articles : Do you want to write the best cover letter you can? Here is a cover letter tip you need to know then! by M Porteous

So you want to write the best cover letter you can to impress your potential employer? Good! Cover letters are an essential part of job seeking and a sub-par letter can doom your efforts to failure. While there are many cover letter tips the main tip you need to know is this:

Do not do a general cover letter!
Cover letters are supposed to be an introduction and promotion of yourself for a specific job with a specific company. To make a cover letter you just slap onto every job application you send out will send a signal to the reader that you do not care enough about this job to write a personalized letter for them and you have not taken the time to learn anything about their company! Your resume is your general letter to companies and though it is a good idea to tweak them as well the cover letter should be different every time.

This does not mean you have to rewrite your cover letter from scratch every time of course. You will usually have a great portion that will not change from job to job and can be cut and pasted into your letter but your introduction in particular has got to be written and targeted towards that particular position. Keeping this in mind lets look at how you should structure your letter.

Introduction
As has been said this should be targeted towards the exact job you are going for. You must introduce yourself and explain who you are and why you are writing along with where you heard about the job offer. Be respectful and confident and vibrant enough the reader will want to read more.

Body
This is where you need to show off your skills and abilities however most people tend to just copy parts of their resume into this section which is not a good idea. IT is better if you use this part of focus on experiences and skills you have that relate to the position you are applying for. Target the specific criteria the company is looking for from their advertisement and give short examples of how your past experience will help you meet these demands and excel beyond them. It is okay to boast of your accomplishments as you are trying to sell yourself as not only the best candidate for the job but one that will contribute much more than what has been asked. Exceed their expectations if you can!

Conclusion
Keep your closing statement short and offer a proactive approach to getting this job such as telling them you will contact them shortly to follow up. You want to end sounding as enthusiastic and confident as you started and again if there is anything specific about this position you can include at the end then do so.

Will this get you to write the best cover letter you can? Well if not I hope you are much closer to it than before with these cover letter tips. Stay focused and good luck!

About the Author
Do you really want to write the BEST cover letter you can?
What about your resume is that up to scratch?
How about interview technique, have you mastered that yet? Getting a job is a long process and each day you do not have that new job is a setback. If you want to master all aspects of job hunting click here to find out more!

Source: Free resume cover letter articles, job resume cover letter samples, templates information at goarticles.com

Looking For A Resume And Cover Letter Sample

Free Resume Cover Letter Articles : Looking For A Resume And Cover Letter Sample by Mario Churchill

voteThere is a lot riding on having that perfect resume and that perfect cover letter. It could mean the difference that perfect job or a mediocre job that you aren't really that happy at. It's no wonder that the pressure of writing a good resume and cover letter is a little intimating to job hunters everywhere. Millions of job hunters turn to books promising to provide them with the tools to write that perfect resume. People spend hundreds of dollars on computer software that is guaranteed to produce a resume and cover letter that will get them hired to the job of their choice. For those who don't' want to spend money there is a whole network of free samples and articles right at their fingertips every time they log into the internet. Some people actually become obsessed with finding the perfect sample of what their resume and cover letter should be like.
While these job hunters are headed in the right direction, something that needs to be kept in mind is it's a strong and personalized cover letter that will get them that interview. As great as these samples might sound, people should not be tempted to pass them off as their own cover letters. Each cover letter needs to be customized to the position and the company they are applying for.

A resume can be a little easier to write than a cover letter. Essentially a resume is a history of your work experience. It's not uncommon to have only one resume on file instead of multiple ones, because let's face it there is only so many ways you can list your experience. You can use the same resume to apply to company ABC and company XYZ. A good resume simply shows employers that you have the skills and experience that meet their criteria. The key to a good resume is to let your abilities and skills shine through.

However it's not advisable to use the exact same cover letter for both companies because as we all know, no two jobs are alike. In fact no two companies are alike. Each company comes with its own sets of needs and you cover letter needs to state how you meet their specific needs. Why you might be a perfect match for one company might not hold true to another. Because of this it's unadvisable to use a sample cover letter that you might find online.

That's not to say using these examples you find as a guideline or even "tweaking" the samples to make it fit YOUR skills, YOUR personality, and show that YOU understand what the company is looking for is a bad idea. In fact these types of resumes and cover letters are very specific and could help demonstrate that you fully understand the company's needs. Even more importantly they could help you get across the point that you are a perfect match for them.

There are many avenues for you to pursue while looking for a resume and cover letter. As was mentioned before, you can always hire someone to help you write your resume and cover letter. Or even better they will write your resume and cover letter for you. This is a costly service though and not one that I would recommend. You don't really know these people, you only spend a small amount of time with them so why trust them with the most important tools you need for a job.

An easier less expensive route is to check out your local book store. There is usually a whole section dedicated to books geared toward people looking for help writing that perfect resume. While these books will offer samples, they also arm you with the knowledge you need to write a good resume and cover letter yourself. To me this is the greatest advantage with a how to book, it educates you. You can't put on price on that sort of education.

Lastly, the easiest way to look for resume and cover letter samples is your computer. Walk into any computer software shop and you will find a variety of programs that will help you with your resume. It's almost like having a professional resume maker but without the expensive cost. These programs guide you step by step through the process. If you really don't want spend the money on software, don't worry. There are plenty of sites dedicated to helping you write that perfect resume. Most of the time they will cost you either a small subscription fee or nothing at all. The only downside to this is that sometimes they don't go into as much detail as say a book would. They are not always as organized as a book would be either.

As long as you are looking for resume and cover letters samples to assist you in your job search, which can only benefit you. However looking for them to copy and pass off on your own could mean sudden death in the job hunt.

About the Author
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on Looking for a Resume and Cover Letter Sample checkout his recommended web.

Source: Free resume cover letter articles, job cover letter samples, cover letter templates information at goarticles.com

Writing a resume - Don't forget its role in the process of finding a new job

Job Resume Writing Articles : Writing a resume - Don't forget its role in the process of finding a new job by Mark Walton

Too many would be job applicants get overly worried about the quality of their resume. Although I'm not advocating a sloppy document, in my experience, too many people spend a disproportionate time on it.

Most would-be candidates I speak to will spend 10% of their time looking for jobs, 10% preparing for the interview and 80% making their resume look perfect.

Worst still, once they've perfected the resume, they keep it static, regardless of the role they've applied for (but that's another story).

At the risk of sounding like I'm talking to a dog, I'll spell this out as simply as I can.

A resume won't get you a job.

Don't confuse yourself. Nobody got a job just by applying. Ok, I'll admit maybe one or two have, but for 99.999% of roles, it simply moved them one step along the process.

Recruitment is a numbers game.

Simply put, the more applications you make, the more interviews you will get. The more interviews you get, the more job offers you will receive.

You could strike it lucky and submit one application, get interviewed and offered the job. This is rare and not to be relied upon. The more applications you put out there, the better your chances of being interviewed.

It sounds so obvious, doesn't it? Yet most job seekers would rather rely on the immaculate resume that does all the work for them. One application, a killer resume and the job is theirs before they even turn up for the interview. Meeting the employer is just a formality.

Despite the numbers aspect, I would like to add that if you have a choice between 100 standard applications for jobs or 50 tailored applications, I would say your chances of getting an interview would be greater with the 50.

Me? I'd go for 100 tailored applications. Cover the numbers and the quality. Unfortunately, we live in an age where we want something for nothing. We all want to be millionaires and work only a few hours per week. In reality, fortune favours the hard worker.

So how would I recommend the division of labour? Well as the recruitment process is a funnel i.e. wider at the top than the bottom, you need to spend most time looking for jobs. You'll need to find more jobs to apply for than potential interviews. And in turn you'll need plenty of potential interviews to generate the job offers.

I wouldn't like to be prescriptive about percentages, but if you spent 50% of your time job-searching and then 30% of your time tailoring your resume, that would leave you 20% to spend preparing for interviews.

This is some way away from my prediction of a typical job seeker at the beginning. Yet the numbers make sense. Armed with this knowledge, the question is, what will you do with it?

My father used to laugh at my shyness with girls. He once told me that if I asked 100 girls out, at least a few were bound to say yes. A simple numbers game.

I agreed with his logic but, do you know what, I never followed his advice. The question is, will you be as stubborn as I was?

About the Author
Mark Walton is the author of 21 Ways to Build the Perfect Resume, a self-help guide for people looking for a new job. If you want to improve your chances of getting a job offer then go to: http://www.jobhuntingresults.com/Resumes.htm to see how you can ensure you'll get short-listed for an interview.

Source: Job resume writing information at goarticles.com