Cover Letter Award Winning Tips

Ok, you may not win any awards for the cover letter that you
enclose to your resume, but you may increase your odds it
actually getting read, if you follow a few simple steps. 

1. Keep it brief. Your resume is the document that conveys your
qualifications, therefore your cover letter need not go on and
on about how wonderful you are. 

2. Remember it serves a purpose. It is announcing you - and your
enclosed information, your resume. 

3. Tell them what you're doing: I'm applying for the position
of... Enclosed is my resume for the position of ... 

4. Clearly state what position you're applying for. Don't assume
the Human Resources person will automatically know what job you
want or that they only have one opening. 

5. Highlight a few of your strong suits. Although brevity is the
key here, you don't want to merely say, "Here's my resume. Bub
Bye." 

6. Don't be redundant with contact information. All that
pertinent information should be on your resume. 

7. Don't staple your cover letter to your resume. Often
photocopies need to be made and it just frustrates the person
making the copies to have to remove your staples. Use a
paperclip if you feel the need to attach it; else just send it
on top of your resume. 

8. Typos. That's an obvious one. It's hard to proof your own
work. Find one other person to give both your cover letter and
resume a glance over. You're dead in the water if your cover
letter has misspellings, poor grammar or typos. 

Below is a same letter you can use as a guide: --- 

Date 

Human Resources, COMPANY NAME HERE RE: NAME OF VACANT POSITION 

 Enclosed please find my resume'. I am very much interested in
working with you as your POSITION TITLE. As you will see from my
enclosed resume' I am qualified in a variety of areas. (Or I am
uniquely qualified for this position because of my vast
experience in ...). My college degrees are in Business
Administration with a minor in Management. I have spent the last
two decades performing INSERT SIMILAR RESPONSIBILITIES. 

I am anxious to discuss this opportunity with you further. 

Respectfully, 

 Your Name --- 

You as can see, the above cover letter is short and to the
point. It serves a purpose of prefacing your resume. Don't waste
your time going on and on and on. It will not get read. As it
stands, you have a 50/50 chance that anyone will even read your
cover letter. Are you willing to take 50% odds that it will be
read, only to have a lousy cover letter that will essentially
hinder your resume from consideration? Follow the above simple
steps and you'll make a great first impression. Of course, it's
up to you to have knowledge, skills and abilities to back it;
but at least you're starting off right!