Job Cover Letters

 

Your job cover letter a.k.a. application cover letter or simply an application letter, in particular, is an important marketing tool that highlights your most attractive qualifications to a potential employee. If it is well written, will lead the employer to your resume or CV. Because of that it is also called an introduction letter.

A cover letter is an integral part of your job application. It should refer to your present and future plans, showing your prospective employers what you want to do now and what you will do for them in the future.

Because CVs and resumes refer mainly to the past time with exception of your present job and employers are interested mostly in the future of they companies, often cover letters are more important or convincing to them then the accompanying resume or CV.

Before writing your job cover letter, analyze your reader by considering his/her requirements and needs. By putting yourself in the reader's situation, you will better understand his or hers needs.

After this analysis, you can write a job cover letter demonstrating how your background, training, work experience and abilities can meet those needs.

Plan your job cover letter accordingly. Place the most important items first, supported by facts. Such an approach will help you persuade the reader that you are a good match for the position and that he or she should interview you. Remember that you are responsible for explicitly communicating your value to the employer.

Do not expect employers who typically receive hundreds of job cover letters for each job to wade through poorly written letters to figure out what you can do for them.

Experienced letter writers follow these basic principles:

• Most job cover letters consist 3 paragraphs:

  • Brief self-introduction including a description of your career objective.

  • A short description of your education, skills and other relevant information.

  • A closing paragraph indicating your contact address and contact numbers. Ensure that you include your e-mail and fax contacts.

• Take the time to research each employer's organization and personalize each letter. Indicating that you know something about the company shows that you are interested in the employer. However, when you use CV / resume distribution service, address your cover letter to the HR Consultant.

• Highlight one or two of your most significant accomplishments or abilities to show that you are an above average candidate. Selecting only one or two special attributes will help your chances of being remembered.

• Use a polite, formal style that strikes a balance between confidence in you and respect for the employer.

• Be clear, objective and persuasive rather then simply describing your background.

• Be positive in tone, content and expectations.

• Do not add details about yourself or your past experience that may call attention to your weaknesses or rise questions about your confidence or ability to do the job.

• Use active voice with power words and action verbs in your writing to hold the reader's interest and convey a sense of energy.

• Group similar items together in a paragraph, then organize paragraphs so that they relate to each other logically. Avoid writing that lumps together unrelated information without a strong topic sentence to tie the information together. Remember, it is your responsibility to organize the information for the reader.

• Always back up general statements with facts or examples. Documentation creates credibility, reduces uncertainty and abstraction for the reader.

• Avoid jargon and cliches. It is tempting to use ready-made phrases such as "self-starter", "proven leadership skills", "excellent interpersonal skills", etc., but using today's buzzwords can suggest parroted formulas rather then original thought.

Check other comments on cover letters writing.

The free cover letter, job cover letters examples and templates can be handy too.

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Other Job Cover Letters Info

Now to finalize your job search, if your CV or resume is ready, you may email them through our job search engine to job recruiters.

In addition, on international job search, international cover letter, international CV / resume and international job interview pages, you will find very useful tips for many different countries.

Good luck with your job cover letters!