Resume
cover letter tips
The aim of an effective Cover Letter
A good cover letter is a most important part of the entire job search
process. A cover letter is far more flexible than your resume and
as such can target specifically the employer’s requirements.
There is not
the same set of expectations around a cover letter so you have the
freedom and flexibility not necessarily available to you while writing
a resume.
Having said
that, a good cover letter does have a specific format and there
are guidelines that you must observe.
Before you begin
to type your cover letter I advise that place yourself in the readers
shoe’s. Be clear in your objective and what benefit to the
reader is going to be.
In addition
to this be clear about your own objectives, the purpose of your
letter to be very frank is to get an opportunity to meet and state
your case.
Be very aware
that the person who will read your resume and cover letter is certain
to be a very busy person who has a limited amount of time at their
disposal to complete this recruitment process. As a result your
cover letter must capture the readers attention to ensure that it
and your resume get read. In the event that your letter is poor
in quality or content, you will be lucky for the reader to scan
it and then dispose of it.
Don’t
use extremely formal language; write your cover letter in your own
words almost as though you were speaking to the reader. This works
to your advantage in that it allows your personality to shine through.
The
cover letter must not be too long, if it is the reader will lose
interest before they even begin. Don’t use long sentences
or paragraphs as they are very distracting and demonstrate poor
use of language.
When you have
created an effective cover letter, end it on a positive note requesting
a meeting with the reader and whatever you do, do not forget to
sign the letter. Forgetting to sign makes you look careless or indiscriminate
as though you were performing a bulk mail job search, neither of
which will earn you any credit with a prospective employer. |