Eight Tips to Writing an Effective Cover Letter

Everyone knows how important a resume is, but do you realize the power of the cover letter?  Even with a strong resume, including a cover letter will maximize your opportunity at selling yourself for that job position you want.  The cover letter handles an important role: shows your desire to work for the employer as well as why you are the perfect candidate for the job.  So if you want that edge over the rest of the competition who do not have cover letters, here are eight tips to get you on the right track.

1. Detective work comes first.

Your cover letter needs to be specifically addressed to the company you are applying for.  Therefore, you need to do a little research into the company: who should you address, what problems is the company facing, what does their business history look like, what are their future plans, and what do they look for in their employees?

2. Get Personal.

Your detective work results in your cover letter's ability to be personalized.  You should not address to "Sir, Madam, or to Whom it May Concern."  This is a business you are now informed about.  Find out who the hiring manager is and address him or her in your cover letter.

3. The opening paragraph makes or breaks you.

The point of the first paragraph is to describe how you heard about the job and why you are interested.  But it needs to be done briefly, concisely, and with power behind your words.  Don't get cliché or cutesy, as we are sometimes trained at school to do in opening paragraphs.  Be professional and be serious about why you are writing this.

4. This is your interview on paper.

After the first paragraph, your cover letter needs to expand upon the skills and experiences you mentioned that make you right for the job.  This is your moment to tell everything about yourself that you want the potential employer to know--information relevant to the job position and incidents in your employment history when you shined.  You don't even have to wait for him or her to ask you first.  This is all you.  You have the opportunity to show yourself capable in your own words.

5. Don't end timidly.

At the end of your cover letter, express your thanks for your reader's time.  But don't end there.  You need to show your initiative by letting the hiring manager know when you will contact them next.  This isn't about you waiting by the phone for them.  This is about when you will contact them.  If you end your letter in boldness like this, it will show your potential employer how serious you are about this particular job.  Don't forget to include your phone number and email just in case they want to get in touch with you first.

6. Don't get carried away.

The point of your cover letter and resume is to try to get an interview.  This is not the time to mention the salary and job title you want.

7. Proof-reading is a must!

It's such a simple step and so important, and yet people still neglect it.  But you must do it if you are serious about getting that job because just a few errors in your cover letter, and you have already lost the hiring manager's attention.  Errors say, "unprofessional and lazy."

8. Don't let email spoil your format.

Having the right format for your cover letter is an absolute must.  So when sending a cover letter via email, make sure it is saved as a standard document file (universally-compatible).  Get rid of underlines, boldface, and italics.  Get rid of bullets, asterisks, dashes, and any other symbol or mark that could become language mash-up on the other side of the email.  Better yet, just copy/paste your cover letter into the body of the email in case your attachment gets corrupted.  The point is that you must preserve your cover letter's format when journeying through the treacherous email world.

Your cover letter is essential to selling yourself.  The resume is extremely important and should take up most of your time writing, but the cover letter shouldn't be neglected.  Time and effort are well-worth spending on making your cover letter the best it can be.  It just could be the difference between getting the job and watching someone else--who took their cover letter seriously--getting the job instead.