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[W1065]Writing A Job Cover Letter

by Clara, Cla

When applying for a job, twodocuments are most commonly requested: a cover letter and the curriculum vitae.Other documents may be requested, but these two are always at the top of thelist.

It is a common misconception bymost job hunters that cover letters do not hold as much importance toemployers? eyes as the curriculum vitae does. The reason for this may be rootedto the fact that comprehensive technical, personal and educational backgroundabout an applicant can be found in the curriculum vitae. That could be thereason why people spend more time building up their curriculum vitae, or resume,and delegate only a piece of their time to writing a good cover letter.

However, that line of thinkinghas its flaws. The people at the human resource department actually look at aperson's cover letter when determining which applications would be short listedfor an appointment and a job interview. When a person's cover letter is deemedunsatisfactory, it is most likely sent to the paper shredder and yourapplication is lost, your chances of employment at the said company gone todust.

Hence, there is the need to comeup with a spectacular cover letter to grace your resume. How can you make the cover letter that will bring you thejob that you are looking for? Here are some tips.

The Cover Letter Should Be Effective at Attention-Grabbing

Cover letters should get thereviewer's attention. That's the number 1 rule when writing a cover letter. Donot be too generic and rely on sample application letters that you can find onthe World Wide Web. You can use these samples as a template or a reference, butyou should take the time to edit them or even revamp them to make them morerelevant to the job position you are applying for, and to eliminate possiblegrammatical and spelling errors. This will enhance the image of professionalismthat you are conveying to the potential employer.

The Cover Letter Should Be Specific about Your Interest in the Company

This means that when you arewriting a cover letter, the letter should convey your intention: to apply forwork. State the position that you are applying for, and a brief yet definitive backgroundas to why the company should consider you for the job. Do not waste valuable spaceoutlining how you qualify; a brief educational background or job experiencewill do. You should also display passable knowledge about the companybackground to show that you have been so interested that you have conducted researchinto the firm.

Follow Proper Structure

Here is the classic structurethat people should follow when writing their cover letters:

First paragraph contains your introduction. This is where you announce your intent to try and apply for a position in the firm.
The second paragraph serves as a support for the first. Here, you put in your past qualifications for the position.
The final paragraph should convey your interest for the position. This is where you explain and display your interest in the company.

The cover letter that accompanies your resume is almost as important, if not more important, than the resume itself. This is because it is the first impression that the employer gets about you. It has to be carefully written so that the employer has a good idea of why you want to work for them. But there are some mistakes that you need to avoid when writing your cover letter so that it can be as effective as possible. If your cover letter contains mistakes, then the employer may never turn the page to your resume.

First, it is important to look at a few basics before covering the most common mistakes so that you can avoid those mistakes. You need to make sure that your cover letter is written on letter paper because it is of a higher stock and you need to ensure that you type your cover letter rather than handwrite it. You may be wondering who actually writes a cover letter by hand, but it does happen.

Below are the rest of the common mistakes when writing a cover letter:

- The failure to address the letter to a specific person is the first mistake. It is important to find out who is doing the hiring within the company so that you can address the letter to that person. If multiple people do the hiring and you have no idea who will be reviewing your resume, you may wish to address it to the HR manager or the job title of the individuals who do the hiring.

- Many people make the mistake of not creating a new cover letter for each job they are applying for. What happens is a different employer gets the same letter, which means the career goal is going to be unrelated to one or two of those jobs that you are applying for.

- The presentation needs to be strong. Weak presentations do not keep the reader's attention.

- Make sure you stay away from clich's and anecdotes that you feel are amusing. An employer will not find these things amusing at all.

- Make sure you don't ramble in your cover letter. You want to get to the point and do it quickly rather than go on and on. A cover letter is not to tell your life story.

- Grammatical errors and typos are a huge turn off to employers. They want to see that you can pay close attention to detail. Letting grammatical errors and typos pass through to the employer does not show attention to detail.

- Make sure you sign your cover letter with your hand. This is the professional way to do it.

- Once you have your cover letter and your resume finished, make sure you don't stuff them into a small envelope. It is important that you enclose them in a larger envelope so that they are not folded.

Make sure you don't make these mistakes because these are the mistakes that will keep your resume from being the one that an employer chooses. You have to remember that your cover letter and your resume are representations of you. If they represent you well, the employer will want to speak to you to see if you really are the candidate for the job. They can tell when they meet you if you match everything you told them on paper. If they think that you are not what they saw in your cover letter and resume, then they may pass you up. So make sure you are honest, professional, and that you are everything that you say you are.

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Both Clara & A Nutt are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Clara has sinced written about articles on various topics from Diamonds, Cover Letter and Engagement Rings. Clara Ghomes is an expert author who carries interest in variety of topics like SEO, copywriting. Currently, she is working on t. Clara's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.

A Nutt has sinced written about articles on various topics from . Online English school offering English classes with qualified native teachers. Also offers free web 2.0 tools such as