Your Cover Letter is very important for getting your prospective employer's attention. It is in through your cover letter that the person or company gets a sense of who you are, what your goals are and what you can offer them. The cover letter is used as a means of introducing your resume, and therefore you must make yourself look appealing enough so that your resume gets the attention it deserves.

While your cover letter is as unique as your resume, outlining your individual assets, here are some guidelines to remember when writing your cover letter:

• Address your cover letter to the specific person who has the authority to hire you. Do not simply say "To whom it may concern," "Dear Sir," or anything else impersonal. Although newspaper ads often do not include this information, If at all possible, contact the business to find out the person's name and exact title.

• Use a traditional business letter format and professional tone. (Click here to see a Sample Cover Letter which outlines the business letter format.)

• Learn about the position you are applying for. With the knowledge of the position in mind, you should focus your cover letter to selling yourself for that particular job.

• Highlight your most valuable assets for a particular job by placing them at the beginning of your middle paragraphs.

• Limit your cover letter to just one page.

• Illustrate what it is that you can contribute to the company, not what the company can do for you.

• Mail the letter so that it is received on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday because these are generally the least busiest days, and your letter will receive more attention.

• Write a new cover letter for each job. This will allow you to tailor your letter for each specific job.

• Make sure that all of the information that you provide is honest. Don't think that they won't check on your transcripts and references. There can be severe penalties for lying about academic and professional information.

• Be self-confident, but do not brag about yourself.

Click here to see a Sample Cover Letter

Return to top of page.