The cover letter is an often overlooked part of the resume
package when actually it is a valuable piece of advertising
for the job seeker. People tend to see a cover letter as a
generic greeting, a summary of the job that they are applying
for, and an invitation for the hiring manager to contact
them. Hiring managers, a lot of times, look at the cover
letter and if nothing catches their jaded eye, they put the
whole resume in another pile and is never seen again.
With a little research on the job seeker's part, your cover
letter will get you noticed and in this job market that can
make all the difference. Thanks to the Internet it is easier
than ever to look into a company who you think you would like
to work for. Find their website, if they have one, and read
over their information. Companies just don't create and
maintain a website for fun, they publish facts and news about
their company, where they are headed, and where they came from.
Read the articles that are published about them to see what
others think of their product or service and the potential they
have for growing their business and making a profit.
You can use resources at a library for companies that don't
have a website or research business newspapers.
Now you have the information you need to write a fantastic
cover letter. It doesn't take repeating all of the information
you found, just a couple of highlights. This will show the
hiring manager that you really are interested in their
company and aren't just blindly sending out resumes. In turn,
they may pay a little extra attention and look over your resume.
Even better would be to take some of their information and
quickly note how your experience blends into and enhances their
services. Now you are marketing yourself effectively.
Another area to make note of when writing your cover letter
is to take into account where the job advertisement was found,
is there a name to address the letter to or do you have a
referral from a current employee. Also use it a chance to
explain a "red flag", your experience that is most useful and
who you are. That is a lot of information in something you
want to keep to no more than one page so be prepared for some
rewrites.
Who knows, you might find that this company is an even better
fit for you than you thought, or that something about the
culture or mission statements doesn't sit well with you and
think that maybe you wouldn't be happy there after all. That
is a valuable insight because now you won't waste time and effort
of having to quit and find another job and a reason for your
short employment time.
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Authored by Traci Pederson of Jill of Trades
Copyright 2004 mailto:traci@...
http://www.jilloftrades.com
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