Cover letter writing is
almost as important a skill for a job seeker to learn as resume
writing. The cover letter accompanies the resume at all times
as the primary support document. Whether you use traditional
mail, email, faxing, or another type of electronic submission,
this should always be sent with the resume. There are, of
course, other tools youll use when job seeking. Your cover
letter and resume come first of course, followed by follow-up
letters, thank-you letters for after the interview, reference
sheets, salary histories, and job acceptance letters. If you
have good cover letter writing skills, and good resume writing
skills, the other written tools should be a snap to compose.
Your goal in this is to get the attention
of the hiring manager, just as it is with resume writing.
The method and format are a little different however. Your
resume will cover all, or most of your professional career,
and will be from one to two pages. Your cover letter will
be a very brief page serving as an introduction to the resume.
Cover letter writing style must be direct, to the point, and
able to grab the attention of the reader quickly, with a goal
of making the reader want to read the attached resume.
Many people, when engaged in this type
of writing, have a tendency to say too much. Good cover letter
writing is short and punchy, and will take two or three key
points from the resume and emphasize them. The old adage tell
them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then
tell them what you told them holds true in both resume writing
and cover letter writing.
As an example, lets assume that you are
a materials handling manager for a defense contractor, seeking
another position. In your line of work the buzz words are
MRP, lean manufacturing, ISO 9000, and cost savings. Your
writing efforts should reflect these buzz words to show your
value to your current employer and any future employers. Your
resume will go into more detail about how you accomplished
these goals. The cover letter will simply point out to the
hiring manager that you accomplished them. An example of this
would be two bulleted paragraphs in the body of the letter
that say.
Experienced in quality assurance and quality
control, MRP, ISO 9000, QS 9000, and Lean Manufacturing.
Demonstrated results in saving significant
money for employers through cost savings, inventory level
reductions, and on-time supplier delivery.
The hiring manager, according to many
surveys, devotes only about fifteen seconds to each resume
and cover letter he or she reviews. With that in mind your
writing skills need to be top notch to get this person to
look at your resume. Your resume writing skills need to be
just as good to get the reader to want to grant you an interview.
In turn, your interviewing skills need to be excellent to
get the hiring manager to offer you the position. This long,
and hopefully positive chain of events begins with good cover
letter writing skills and ends with job satisfaction and a
nice paycheck.
Are you guilty of sabotaging your own
job search along with the opportunity to earn more money?
Heather Eagar, a former professional resume writer and creator
of ResumeLines.com, provides reviews of the top resume writing
services that put you in charge of your career so you can
get the job you deserve. Sign-up for your free Job Search
Tips E-Course. http://www.resumelines.com
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