Job Cover letters are every bit as important as your resume or CV.
Please don't think that the cover letter you send with your resume or CV for the job application is just an extra bit of paper or something that you're supposed to do. It's far more important than that.
When you send your package of information in response to a job advert, whether its by email or traditional mail, the only thing that matters is that you get your letter read and the reader immediately knows that she has to interview YOU.
Now you may not be an expert writer, but that doesn't mean that you can't create a brilliant cover letter, all you need is a little help and understanding of what job cover letters are there for. You can use a professional CV or resume writer who will usually provide you with a cover letter as well, or you can use a point and click product like Jimmy Sweeney's 'Amazing Cover Letter Creator' which you use yourself to produce crafted job cover letters that really do get results.
Whichever way you choose to write your job letters, just remember that the package of information you submit MUST be good enough to get you to an interview. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.
Here are just some of the things you must get right:
- You can easily lose the reader with your first sentence if it follows the same line as most other people. A typical opening sentence like this: "I wish to apply for the job you advertised on your company website" is unlikely to grab the attention of a hiring manager who has already read the same line a dozen times.
You must go straight in with a compelling first sentence that summarizes what you can bring to the job and why you should be considered.
- Readers of your job cover letters want to see specific statements that relate to the job advert and your understanding of it. So, when you write your cover letter, you must to stress your relevant background experience and highlight your achievements in four or five bullet points which can be easily scanned to capture the interviewer's interest quickly.
- Your bullet points should address the specific requirements of the job advert and identify the experience and skills you possess to leave the interviewer in no doubt that you can do the job. Look out for the 'killer criterion' and address that first and forcefully.
- People will avoid reading something that doesn't look easy to read, so both layout and content matter. Your letter must be easy to read ; I would suggest Arial as a good font choice and use minimum 11 or 12-point size. Check everything is both present and clear.
- In my opinion, the package of information - job cover letters, CV and / or resume is actually used to reject you and cut down the number of applicants to be considered. Why do I say that? Because feedback from my HR clients tells me so. The interviewer will throw out any applications that have typos and spelling mistakes, because that says the applicant just couldn't be bothered to get it right and do they want to interview such a person? NO.
And please, include your contact details, otherwise they can't get you in for an interview and it will all be wasted
Getting Cover Letters Help
Because Job Cover Letters that get you interviews are the MOST essential part of your job search and application process, you need to realize that your letter is not just something to send with your Resume - it is your
SALES letter!
Understand this: If you are writing to anybody for a job, whether the job has been advertised or not, your cover letter is MORE important than your CV or Resume; so if you want a successful career move you cannot afford to get this wrong.
There are two ways you can approach writing letters: you can do it yourself and hope for the best, or you can enlist some professional help.
The small cost involved for professional help is a great investment, because it means you instantly multiply the number of opportunities to land your dream job FASTER than you thought possible!
You can choose which type of professional help you prefer and learn HOW to create exceptionally powerful cover letters - a skill you retain for life, or you can go for the faster "fill in the blanks" approach for an amazingly powerful instant letter.
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