When it comes to job hunting, competition is fierce and you need to set yourself apart early. You must be wondering how it is possible to make a terrific impression with only a piece of paper and some information. How you present that information is going to determine if you get that awaited for interview. Here are some keys to writing both dynamic and powerful resume cover letters. For the purpose of this article, we will use a generic job of "Office Furniture Purchaser" to illustrate the main ideas.

* Don't use up your first paragraph with a boring introduction. Make sure that you grab their attention. Give them the reasons you are qualified right off the bat.

E.g.: Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to apply for your advertised position as office furniture. am eager to discuss my career highlights from the past 15 years in the office furniture industry with you.

* Don't use old stand-bys like "Attached please find my resume..." Your prospective employer can SEE your resume; they don't need you to tell them it is there. Abstain from using such statements that provide no real value. If you need to refer to your resume in your cover letter, use statements like this:

E.g.: My resume will quickly illustrate that I am a qualified and skilled office furniture purchaser with a proven track record in budget saving techniques.

There, you just told them that you have experience, and you know how to save them money, AND you have a resume.

* Make sure that your resume cover letter is written in an easy-to-understand manner. If you are educated, they will know that you can use big words in the interview.

E.g.: It would be great if I could join your team, and establish my record breaking office furniture purchasing experience with your company.

* Make sure that prospective employers are aware of what you are looking for, and mention words used in the ad in your resume as things you can do. It may look blatant, but it positively affects the way in which the prospective employer has been seeing you. For example, if the ad says, "seeking detail oriented and efficient time manager for Senior Office Furniture Buyer", you want to say...

E.g.: My skills include a flawless attention to detail, commitment to meeting deadlines, and multi-tasking experience as a Senior Officer in a National Furniture Division.

Simple tips like these will go much farther than a wordy uneventful resume. Good luck!