The health care industry is fast growing all over the world. As there are more and more ways to fight infections, heal people, and make people feel better about themselves, there are more and more job openings for scientists, pharmacists, nurses, medical technologists, and doctors. There are also thousands of people applying for jobs in this burgeoning industry, so you may find it difficult to stomach the competition if you emerge naïve from school and expect to find employers dying to hire you.

To penetrate through the crowd of job applicants, you will need to be competitive: you have to have the highest grades, the best resume and work experience, and great recommendation letters. You also need a great cover letter to show what the rest of these documents don't: the fact that you have personality, you can handle the stress of the health care profession, and you are resourceful. Moreover, a great cover letter can sometimes make up for average grades, a thinner-than-usual resume, and flat recommendations.

Why is a cover letter so powerful? Your resume will list only your qualifications, but it cannot show you how confident you are after earning all these qualifications. Your transcript of records will show how well you did on your examinations, but it cannot tell your prospective employers how well you applied all the things you learned in real life situations. Your recommendation letters can say that your professors or former employers were pleased about you, but they cannot say if you can meet the goals, mission, and vision of your new employers.

Your cover letter should therefore show personality, your ability to be resourceful, and your goals aligned with those of your prospective employers. Your medical cover letter is your chance to show that behind all those achievements is a living, breathing human being who is not only about books and the academe, but who can get out and work and be a productive member of society. Take advantage of this power by creating a great medical cover letter.

Show that you can lend a personal touch to what you do, and be resourceful while doing so. Do a lot of research on the health care institution to which you are applying, and make sure that its goals are aligned with yours. Are you working on a study that matches the research work done at the health care institution? Mention this study, and show that you can contribute a lot to the institution, thanks to your expertise. Your medical cover letter is, in essence, a love letter to the health care institution: show that you are compatible, and that you can benefit a lot from each other.

Unlike a gushy, mushy love letter, however, a good medical cover letter should be terse and to the point. Avoid using language that might make prospective employers roll their eyes or reach for their dictionaries. Your prospective employers have little time to digest poetry or hear about your adventures in your laboratory. They want to see if you are fit to work for them, so get straight to the point.

Ask for an interview, then provide all your pertinent, valid contact information. Add one last personal touch by signing your name. Wait, and then do follow up calls if you do not hear from your prospective employers.

Writing a cover letter can be difficult if you do not know your goals and achievements. If you know yourself, however, and if you can successfully convey your passion and enthusiasm for the health care industry, then you can land the job you want. Just be your professional, tactful self, and that cover letter may soon spell your success in this career.