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[C1154]Cover Letter For Writing

by Michelle Dumas, Mic

One of the most common mistakes which many people make when writing cover letters is to neglect the entire purpose of a cover letter. While some may go overboard with the amount and details of information they include in the letter, others, in an attempt to be informal, take an entirely-too-casual approach. It cannot be too strongly stressed that writing a cover letter is not the same as writing to a friend or a family member. Please resist the urge to be chatty, humorous, or overly personal.

The purpose of a cover letter is to provide your prospective employer with a brief view of the person who is seeking the job and the benefits and value you would bring to the company as an employee. It is meant to spark his interest in reviewing your resume and requesting an interview. The cover letter is your way of introducing yourself, making a good first impression, and outlining how you are the perfect "solution" to the employer's needs.

A good cover letter will help the prospective employer decide that he wants to know more about you, and what you can offer to his company. If you keep this in mind, you will be well on your way to writing a cover letter that does its job.

As your cover letter is the employer's first introduction to you, preparing it correctly is essential. It is a good idea to write an initial draft of the letter then "sleep on it" and review it the next day. In addition to taking care that the letter is written in the proper form for a business letter, you want to pay special attention to your spelling and grammar. One misspelled word can make the difference between capturing the employer's interest and landing your letter and resume in the "toss" pile rather than the "to interview" pile.

The information you provide in your cover letter should be clear, brief, direct, and to the point. As it is meant to be an overview of what you can bring to the company, you should focus on the most relevant facts while leaving the details for your resume. For example, if you have earned a college degree or have had prior experience that is relevant to the job, you can state these qualifications in your cover letter, but reserve dates and other specifics for your resume.

Your cover letter should inform the employer that you are interested in the job, and that you will be an asset to his company. It should let him know that you have the qualifications or experience that he is looking for in a new employee. It is your chance to make a positive impression, and to convince him that he wants to know more about you.

If you are looking for a job, chances are, you have a lot of target companies to apply to. Before you head off and drop off your application details to any of these companies, you will have to make single draft from which all your other cover letters for these companies will be anchored.

The draft is very flexible. You may liken it to a template, but the difference is that it is a template suited just for you, your experiences, your abilities and your personality. Make yourself stand out as well as possible.

Now what will your single draft contain? This will contain a paragraph with an introduction of yourself, some of your skills and your desire to be interviewed in the P.S. line of the letter. Also, make brief note that you will be including your resume with your cover letter and where you can be easily reached.

DAY 2: Select your targets and categorize them

Who are your targets? They are the companies you are going to apply in. More specifically, you will have to do your homework and know the key person you need to address your cover letter to. This is a big plus for your cover letter. The companies assign few people to sift through applications, and this simple courtesy that you acknowledge their individual names for your cover letter will speak volumes about you in a good way. Also, if you are presented with various job opportunities, it will help you to flag them accordingly. Categorize them into high priority, medium priority and low priority. Give all of them your best but provide more consistent follow ups with those in your high priority and medium priority category.

These targets needs to be researched well. Take the time to know each of your targets properly, and if possible, the pet peeves of the people who will be tasked to review your application. If you have friends working in your target companies, take the opportunity to ask as much as you can so that you will be able to adjust your cover letter accordingly. The more information you have, the better.

DAY 3: Customize the single draft to fit your target's needs

The single draft that you previously did in day one is now going to be put to good use. If you distinctly recall your targets and how you classified them in Day 2, start constructing individual cover letters for each of them. Use your single draft as your base for making your cover letter. Then, modify your draft and customize it accordingly with each of your targets.

Give your draft certain add-ons that will make it more viable for each of your targets. In a way, you will have to do some research on each of your targets to be able to do this effectively. The single draft you made contains the general things that companies will require of you. But the thing which will land you the job are the modifications you will put that will make that draft suited to the needs of each specific target. Adjust accordingly and if you are feeling more creative, feel free to deviate from your initial sample and do something completely different if the company calls for it.

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Both Michelle Dumas & Mario Churchill 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.

Michelle Dumas has sinced written about articles on various topics from Interview Questions, Cover Letter and Cover Letter. As one of the leading authorities on , Michelle Dumas is the founder of Distinctive Career Services LLC. Since 1. Michelle Dumas's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.

Mario Churchill has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, Anger Control and Credit Cards. Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on. Mario Churchill's top article generates over 246000 views. to your Favourites.