A cover letter serves two purpose...first it presents you as professional person who knows how to create a proper business letter. Second as with most business communications, a cover letter introduces the subject at hand and seeks to motivate the reader to inspect the attachments (in this case, your resume).
That said, while there are a host of opinions about its content, I tend to go with the a one page, five short paragraph approach as follows:
#1 Paragraph: this known as the attention getter paragraph or the hook. It should be created to immediately interest the reader so that he or she will proceed down the page.
#2: This paragraph indicates why you are writing...i.e.: What you want (like a particular job).
#3: This paragraph explains why your background and education are exactly what is needed to fill the given position.
#4: This paragraph provides proof that what you stated in #3 above is accurate and reasonable. Comments about school, a degree or a particularly appropriate business experience are examples.
#5: This final paragraph should indicate your interest in exploring what appears to be an exceptional job opportunity and that you will be contacting the company in10 days to assure receipt and resolve any questions that might have arisen.
Be aware that the last paragraph is not just there for show. In other words, if you said you will call in 10 days then don't fail to do just that and...it's not all that difficult. Call and ask for the person who is getting the resumes for the xyz job and then tell them that you are calling just to assure that your paperwork has been received. Once you receive a yes answer, then you can ask if there are any questions that you can answer. What is all this about? It's about getting your name out there and its about being accountiable right from the get-go. Note: Whenever you speak to a person at a hiring company be sure to follow up with a short note or e-mail thanking them and restating your interest in their organization and position.
This alone will establish your specialness, setting you apart from all your competition.
No comments:
Post a Comment