In the sluggish economy Americans now face, with the job market shrinking a little every day, competition is fiercer than ever to find and secure high-paying, skilled jobs in various fields. As popular as a resume can be for helping you land that coveted interview and a shot at success, no less important is the cover letter that goes with it. A very good reason for this? Employers want to see a display of your communication skills, whether or not you can get your thoughts across well in writing, and in turn put those same skills to proper use in a position with their company. A resume, while professional enough, lacks a certain “heart.” The resume is almost automatic, robotic in its presentation, and written without any real flair, passion, or charisma that so many employers want to see. How can you really express yourself from the inside out on a resume, aside from presenting your skills, your education, and a brief overview of your experience?
The cover letter, or cover letter, when included with a resume, puts you at the top of the applicants’ “slush pile” and, when written correctly, shows your personality to the employer. If that sounds silly, think for a moment about your attitude when you read about a job offer. Are you excited about it, because you perfectly fit the requirements? Or are you less enthusiastic about it and think ‘What the heck, I’ll apply’? First of all, don’t apply for the job if it doesn’t fit your needs. This letter is going to illustrate your FEELINGS, so make sure you are really excited about this particular job and think it meets your expectations 100%.
Write the opening
Start with your basic formal and polite greeting. Identify yourself, where you live, the reason why you write and what you are looking for. Some examples:
“Dear Mr Temple:
My name is Paul Ryan, from Cleveland, Ohio. I have been an engineer for about 10 years, but was recently laid off after a series of cutbacks initiated by senior management. I read about a job opening at Plain Dealer last Friday, and after reviewing the necessary requirements, skills sought, and location for the job, this particular position would be a perfect fit for me.”
“To the management of Empress Maids:
Hello! My name is Carol Wilde, recently arrived in your city from Los Angeles. My reason for writing to you today is in response to an ad seen at my local library, requesting the need for someone to help with administrative duties with the Empress Maids Housekeeping. Having been a housekeeper for several years, in addition to possessing administrative and secretarial skills, it seemed like a great idea to apply and offer my resume.”
Notice that the pronoun “ME” not used much. He wants the employer to see him as confident, not arrogant. Nothing turns an employer off more than saying, “I can do this, I can do that. I feel qualified. I’m the man (or woman) for the job.” Also, it’s a good idea not to overdo it with long words or unnecessary verbiage. Ask any screenwriter: It’s very difficult to convey tone and mood with words alone. Both examples show candidates who seem motivated, enthusiastic, and friendly. Since this is the first part of your letter, it is the ‘establishing shot’, so to speak.
A little bit about me
Once again, try not to go on and on about yourself. Remember, it is a “small”. Just talk about your experiences for a few sentences and any highlights that you think are important or interesting enough to deserve a mention because it can impact the employer’s decision in the long run. Remember that you have a resume that also tells about your experience, so don’t get carried away and talk too much about a particular job or position. Let’s see what Paul and Carol write next:
Paul: “Hanover Incorporated has been my primary place of employment for the past ten years, ever since I graduated with honors from Pitt University in 1997. I was very fortunate to have stumbled upon this position after meeting with my career counselor, Brenda Baxter, in my senior year.” year, and she was very helpful in opening the door for me. Since then, my duties have ranged from field work to blueprints and technical applications. My concentration in recent years has been in the field of digital design and CAD, which is one of the main requirements you are looking for for the engineering candidacy at Temple Inc. My work was also instrumental in the design and construction of a plant that is currently located in Toledo, Ohio, and now provides electricity to nearly 500,000 people.
Gentle, Paul. This is excellent. We already know a little more about Paul’s experience, his upbringing, and some significant events. Note also that we can tell that Paul is able to work well with others, and he is obviously quick to give credit where credit is due. Paul would be effective in a supervisory role at some point, no question about that. Mr. Temple would certainly consider Paul a good fit so far!
Carol: “My housekeeping experience spans about 20 years, actually during the time my twin sons have lived in the family home. Since they are now off to law school, I felt it was a good time to re-enter law school. My office and administrative skills come from my years before marriage, when I worked part time between college degrees as a data entry supervisor, responsible for maintaining databases, producing reports, and handling numerous job requests from my co-workers. work such as light computer repair, spell checking, and phone calls My experiences in a busy office environment, combined with several years of housekeeping knowledge and good housekeeping skills, make me a good candidate for the office manager position. Empress Maids”.
Very well done Carol. In a few sentences, she tells us that she is a wonderful mother who has provided for her family, has exceptional managerial and managerial skills, and is very confident in what she can do. We can tell that she’s obviously done a great job raising her kids, if they’re in law school, and she’s well educated herself. From here, we can see that she is competent, versatile, and determined. These are some amazing qualities that employers really want to see stand out from the rest.
In conclusion
It is important to thank the employer for their time and mention the resume if you wish. You really don’t need to say anything else. DO NOT try “I really hope you hire me.” or “I really need this job.” or even “You’ll be so glad you chose me.” That just defeats the message he was trying to get across to the employer in the first place.
Paul: “In closing, thank you very much for your time and consideration of the attached resume. Have a great week and I look forward to hearing from you.”
To be honest,
paul ryan
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Carol: “I hope my resume meets your approval. Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to a possible interview with you in the future.”
Respectfully,
carol wild
That is all. Short and sweet. Your cover letter should perfectly match your resume. When the employer has had a chance to see a bit of his writing and communication skills, and a glimpse of his personality, he can be sure that he will find it a pleasure to meet him face to face. You can also guarantee that your resume gets a lot more than just a review – provided your resume is just as engaging, of course!