Here some vital tips so you can avoid making obvious mistakes when writing your resume cover letters.
Unfortunately, if you don’t avoid these points, your future employer may decide to pass over your resume and go to the next one.
Use these points as a simple check list.
1. Always enclose your resume or any other documents that your resume refers to. This is pretty obvious but is sometimes overlooked.
2. Avoid making typos - this is important because it means to employer that you might have a sloppy attitude to your work if you don’t run a spell checker through the letter.
3. Don’t forget to change the name of the company that you are sending your resume to. So you need to delete and replace the previous company’s name that you applied to.
4. Don’t apply for one position in your cover letter and then another position in your resume. This will really confuse the employer. Of course, if you have an agreement with the employer about this, then fine - you should proceed.
5. Avoid trying to impress the potential employer about how much you know their company when you have only have a sketchy idea of what the company really does.
6. Keep your cover letter short and to the point - avoid rambling on. They will appreciate you for remembering this.
7. Use a positive tone in your letter - don’t knock other companies or make negative comments. It’s a good idea to run the letter past someone else to get some feedback.
8. The cover letter is like a sales letter that gives the employer a reason to go through your resume. Be positive.
Personalize each letter for the employer and show a genuine interest in the position.
It’s important to understand that the employer is trying to workout what you can do for the company. Every part of the letter should support the purpose for which you are writing. The experience that you provide should relate to the position that you are going for.
9. You should avoid drawing attention to any shortcomings that you have. Really emphasize your strengths and focus on your skills, experience and ability.
10. Don’t misrepresent yourself or claim skills and experience that you don’t have. If they find out, they could dismiss you immediately. If you have achieved something, then fine, go and announce it but do so without misrepresenting the facts.
So there they are - use these tips to be successful and get that important job interview.
Good Luck
A great way to speed up the process of writing resume cover letters is visiting a specialist web site and using resources as suggested here.
It’s no secret that job seekers today need more than ever to use the best techniques to win their dream job in such a highly competitive marketplace.
As the world is speeding up with new technologies, the job market is undergoing major changes.
It is becoming harder for job seekers to stand out from the crowd and this impacts on the job seeker who, more than ever, cannot afford to apply for positions without using the best tools available.
So why is a cover letter for your résumé that important?
The primary reason is that hiring personnel simply do not have a lot of time to go through your résumé to work out if it is appropriate for the position that is open.
Applying for a job is akin to what advertisers have found out long ago - You need to give customers a good reason to call you.
Simply, the conversation going though an employer’s mind is “why should I employ this person for the role”.
It’s a fact that the average Fortune 500 company gets about 2,000 résumés a day.
The job seeker only gets about 5 seconds to make an impression in the recruiter’s eye before a decision is reached about whether the candidate gets to be interviewed.
So the résumé cover letter acts like an advertisement for the job applicant. It states the reason why the employer should call the applicant for an interview.
The other reality of today’s employment environment is that often an applicant’s résumé has to pass through some type of automated word scanning technology that is trying to decide if the application matches the set criteria that is required for the position.
In short, the résumé has to contain the right amount of keywords that are relevant for the employer.
As well, employers are looking at résumé cover letters to get a good idea if the candidate has strong communication skills. This factor is worked out well before the person is even interviewed. Great communication skills are always in demand and will quickly separate candidates apart.
So the requirement to write a strong and compelling résumé cover letter has never been more important.
The letter summarizes for the employer why the candidate should be interviewed.
In reality, a great cover letter for your résumé is one of the few tools left for any candidate to differentiate him or herself from the pack. It’s a myth that qualifications alone are enough to get the applicant through the door to be interviewed.
So to summarize, a strong cover letter should give the employer some major reasons to call you - instead of reasons to cast your résumé aside.
To improve the possibility of being successful for the role, write a simple, effective and direct letter to the employer that gives the best reasons why you are best qualified for the role.
For applicants who need to quickly and easily create an effective cover letter for their resume, I recommend visting this site.
I was doing some research recently on résumé cover letters and came across this very interesting interview with a leading business Professor at Stetson University who commented that the job of your résumé cover letter is of vital importance.
Here’s an example of what not to do…..
Chicago - Writing a cover letter like this immediately sinks your chance of success:
To Whom It May Concern:
I saw your ad, and I’d like to apply for the job.
I’ve got lots of experience, and I’m well educated, too. The money seems low for someone of my high qualifications, but I’m sure we can work something out.
Attached is my (impressive) résumé. Give it a look and then give me a call!
Your Friend and Future Colleague,
Freddy M. Jay
One of the big problems in the example above is that the applicant seems to have a big opinion of himself but really offers nothing about his qualifications or experience to the reader whose job it is to decide whether to interview him in the first place.
The person in the letter certainly has a good ego but is not really showing confidence. These types of letters actually have the reverse effect of helping him to get the job. So, basically this is pretty much worthless and has resulted in a waste of time for everyone involved in reading it.
So, what should he have done.
Here are some of the ingredients of a good résumé cover letter. It is always addressed to a specific person, explains why you’re writing, tells the reader why you’re qualified for the job, directs the reader to your attached résumé and states that you will follow up on the letter.
You should never forget to thank the person for reading your letter.
“The point of a résumé cover letter is to get the hiring manager person to turn page and look at your résumé,” says Randall Hansen, a professor of business at Stetson University in Deland, Fla. “Hopefully, that will get you an interview. Keep the cover letter to about two-thirds of a page. Some cover letters are two pages long, giving mini-autobiography that no one will read.”
There is not just one approach only for writing your résumé cover letter. You must personalize each letter and adapt it to the job offered. Sending out the same résumé cover letter to everyone will not result in success.
If you’d like to get your cover letter done in super quick time and formatted properly, this site has some helpful information.
One of the questions that gets raised is whether it is important to write a good looking cover letter for résumés when applying for a new position.
Well I just came across any interesting comment from Laura Smith-Proulx who is a professional resume writer. She commented that good cover letters for résumés are vitally important for a successful job hunt. Here are the key points that you should take away.
She said the answer lies for their importance in the fact that a job seeker must use every tool available to get in front of a potential employer. “As I’ve noted in the past, the job market of today is much more aggressive than most people can recall, and the challenge of winning an interview is that much greater.
Consider for a moment what happens when you do NOT use a résumé cover letter: the hiring manager must spend precious minutes figuring out what position you are applying to, whether you are planning to relocate, and precisely why you are qualified.
Do you believe that, when employers are swamped with hundreds and even thousands of résumé, they will be able to identify these components in the average of 10 seconds spent on each résumé? Think again!
It’s no secret that employers are eager to gain a quick picture of your communications skills, long before you are called in for an interview. Writing a concise, compelling cover letter to focus the reader on your qualifications can only aid you in gaining attention for your job search”.
A cover letter gives employers MORE reasons to call you, not less! Increase your chances of success by including an effective letter that “covers” your interest in the company—and gives you a great platform to describe your fitness for the job at hand.
A unique resume authority, Laura Smith-Proulx is the Executive Director of An Expert Resume
If you’d like to get your résumé cover letter done in super quick time and formatted properly, have a look at the following link for more information.
This site specialises in providing effective cover letter for résumé tips and guidance. This will help you write winning cover letters for your résumé so that you successfully proceed to the important next step - the interview.
I’ve been a Manager for large and small Corporations over the last 20 years and have reviewed thousands of cover letters for resumes and applications.
If you would like some help putting a great cover letter for your résumé together, click here and visit this site.
Robert de Paola
