The Good Cover Letter Gets Your Resume Read

The Good Cover Letter Gets Your Resume Read by Melissa Brewer

A dazzling cover will get your resume read - plain and simple. What do I mean by dazzling? I'm not talking about a clean, professional format - although that is definitely a component of a good cover letter. I'm also talking about a confident, intelligent cover letter that hooks your reader, shows your professionalism, and stops your reader dead in their tracks to finish it.

Your cover letter should be properly formatted and the first paragraph should explain the advertisement that you are responding to. Immediately following this information, you should begin to tell the employer who you are and why you are qualified to apply for the job. However, be careful with the language you use in your cover letter - starting every sentence with "I" is a huge turn-off for those who make the hiring decision. A cover letter should be focused on "you" - with "you" being the business you are offering yourself to. Discuss your qualifications, your goals, and your professional attributes and how they apply to the company you want to join as a valuable team member.

The second paragraph is where you should prepare to shine. Show the employer why they need you because you're a super-whiz ready to do anything to get the job done. You love the job so much you dream of it in your sleep. You've read a hundred articles of the company since you were 12. Describe your strengths, passions, and collective experience in your career. You can describe why you entered the field and your major accomplishments at each place you have worked, any awards you have received, your favorite project, or all of the above. Try to keep your sentence concise but make sure you truly convey your passion. If you do any pro bono work or volunteer work in your field, mention this - in addition to any other related side-projects that are not listed on your resume. Don't re-state your resume or go over the information that is in your resume in your cover letter. Your cover letter sells your resume - so highlight certain areas of your resume but do so in the context of your career goals and how your qualifications and passion benefit the company.

In your final paragraph, tell the employer what your interview availability is, and when you would like to meet with her. DO NOT ask the employer to call you at their convenience. Confident professionals are eager to be called, and confident that they WILL be - you don't want them to call you back whenever they feel like it. Give them a date you will follow up if you haven't heard from them - and then do follow up.

It's important to remember that a cover letter is just the first page of your story that's intended get the employer to read your resume. You've got to write the bang-up resume. You've got to ace the interview. Practice writing, speaking, and thinking with confidence throughout your job search process, and you'll not just get the job you need, but the career you want.

About the Author
Melissa Brewer is the author of the Little White Ebook of Homeshoring Jobs, the complete guide to work from home call center employment available at LittleWhiteEbook.com. She has worked as a freelance writer for the past 9 years and currently resides in Washington, DC, three miles from the Obama White House.

Source: Resume cover letter articles at goarticles.com

Graphic Designer's Resume - What Should a Cover Letter Contain?

Graphic Designer's Resume - What Should a Cover Letter Contain? by Juan C. Rivera

A cover letter is designed to express your interest in a certain job. It is used to express your feeling toward the position and highlights a few necessary skills needed for the job. A cover letter does not list all you skills, this is done in your resume. However, a cover letter invites the reader to look at your resume with close attention and may also contain a "call to action" soliciting an interview.

In a world so full of competition, a cover letter helps set you apart from the rest. There are many way to write a cover letter. But keep in mind that it isn't a science, if you can master ADOBE programs, you can successfully write a good cover letter.

Cover letters have many layouts but essentially have the same information and distribution. Note that letters have a left aligned distribution.

* Heading: This is where you put your information. Name, Address and phone number and the date. This goes on the top left hand side. * Addressee: This is where the information of the person or department that will receive your cover letter and resume. * Greeting: The norm is "Dear", but you may write some other greeting. Always remember that it must be in a respectful manner. Also write the person's full name. If it's directed to departments write: Hiring Manager.

After the greeting come the paragraphs that state you desire and qualifications. This part consists of 2 to 4 paragraphs. I recommend a three paragraph system, one paragraph for a specific purpose.

· Paragraph one: Why you are writing and which position you are applying for? Employers also like to know how you heard about the position, to see which medium was the most successful. Write a bit about the company and why you are interested in this position or organization. This demonstrate to you future employer that you know about them and that you are sincerely interested in working with them.

· Paragraph two: This paragraph is designed to explain why you are qualified for the job. In the job description there is usually a list of tasks that the person applying for the position must do. Highlight experiences that demonstrate your capacity in fulfilling those tasks. If the paragraph seems too long, divide it into two. Please consider the following in order to make this second paragraph effective.

* The first sentence should be a good opener. A quick introduction directed at the skills and qualifications needed for the job. * The body of the paragraph should provide evidence to back up what you've just claimed. Describe specific jobs, projects and accomplishments associated with those experiences. * The final sentence is a summary of what you've discussed above. Mention the position title and company name to bring the reader back to the specific job in question.

· Final Paragraph: It should be a short paragraph, from 2 to 4 sentences. Use a call to action such as "Please schedule a date and time convenient to you for me to come show you my extensive portfolio..." or something else that invites you for an interview. Finish the letter with thanks to the reader for his/her time and consideration.

Finish the body of you cover letter with a good bye. Then with your signature and below your name in print.

Remember that a cover letter is to invite a person to read your resume and invite you for an interview. The cover letter should be well written and error free. Have people read it in order to spot any syntax error. All the cover letters in the world won't help you land a job if your resume is bad. So brush up your resume; write a good cover letter and good luck on your job hunting.

Source: Resume Cover Letter articles at goarticles.com

Resume Cover Letter Example

Resume Cover Letter Example by Gen Wright

In hiring applicants for a vacant position in the organization, employers look for substance in the application documents, and these include a complete and impressive resume attached to a well written and well thought off cover letter. Resume cover letters can make or break your application as it highlights all your best assets and skills and make you part of the shortlist and worth calling in for an interview.

It is considered proper business etiquette to attach a cover letter to your resume even if the employer or organization accepting applicants for a certain position does not require or need one.
Resume cover letter examples are everywhere online. There are cover letter samples for sales and marketing, internship, teacher, student, accounting, education, nursing, IT, legal, business, technical, engineering, paralegal, entry work, social work, administrative assistants; regardless of the position you are applying for, any resume cover letter example would show you that it is comprised of four major sections. These are the header, introduction, body of the letter and the closing. The header contains the date the cover letter was written and the information on the recipient, including his or her contact information and complete address, and the salutation, "Dear Sir.". The introduction briefly states how the applicant found out about the specific job opening and the specific position he is applying for. You can start with, "I am ____, an engineering graduate from the University of ____," or "I have seen through our bulletin boards in campus that your company is in need of mechanical engineers, I would like to apply for the position of____." The body of the letter contains the skills, the experiences and educational background of the applicant. The purpose of this section is to impress and make a good first impression on the employer or reader of the cover letter. "I have recently graduated with the degree in ____," or "I am recently the general manager for ____." Then the last section is the closing. Here you tell the reader your next steps in the application process - if you will be calling them back or if you will just be waiting for their call. You can say, "I will be waiting for your kind response," or "I will contact you within this week to follow up on the status of my application." This section also contains the signature line and information about yourself including complete name, complete address and contact information - you may opt to include your email address.

Here are some tips on how to write a good cover letter. In any resume cover letter sample that you will find, you will notice that there are no typing errors, as these can give a bad impression that you did not prepare well enough. You should do a background research on the company prior to writing the cover letter so you can incorporate your knowledge of the organization, which is a good plus for you as compared to an applicant who has no idea as to what company he is applying to. And most importantly, be yourself, make sure that you sound like you in the letter.

Source: Resume Cover Letter articles at goarticles.com