Cover Letter

How to Write one that Complements your Resume for Maximum Benefits

Is a cover letter necessary at all?

This is one question I have been asked numerous times by job candidates. And my answer has always been...a big "Yes", if you are not physically meeting a person and introducing yourself.

Why do you think I am so obsessive about a resume covering letter accompanying your job application and resume?

Give me a moment to explain

Why Cover Letter is a Must Have?

What would you do first if you have to make a request to a stranger?

If I were you as a sign of courtesy I would introduce myself to him and greet him before getting onto the topic of requesting a favor. I am sure you would agree this would be the way to go.

Now that we are convinced let's look at the job application in a similar light. To draw the comparison with your job application you asking for a favor from the gentleman and that favor is a request for his time for an interview. Therefore it is apt that you introduce yourself before requesting him to allocate some time from his busy schedule to you.

How Detailed Should a Cover Letter Be?

Your covering letter does its job best when kept short, crisp and precise. The idea here is to provide a quick introduction to you, the purpose of application and some other related high level details. Therefore it is ideal to write a cover letter that is no more than 3-4 paragraphs long. Anything more will essentially waste the recipient's time and chances are your application might be removed from the prospect list right there. Please understand that the potential employer has limited time and in that he has to go through hundreds of applications.

What Should the Cover Letter Contain?

The content of the covering letter has always been a great topic of interest for applicants. To demystify things let me tell you that there is no rocket science behind this. All you have to do is analyze the situation and assess what information would be needed to get you the most desired result.

To simplify your job here is a listing of stuff you must include in your covering letter

  • Briefly introduce yourself
  • Provide clear information on the position you are applying for
  • Provide information regarding the source from where you came to know about the opportunity of interest
  • Why you are perfectly suited for taking up the job position

Tips for Writing a Cover Letter that makes an Impact

Here are some quick tips to help you create a fighting fit covering letter for the next job application you process.

No Verbosity Please!

Keep your sentences and paragraphs short and crisp. Nobody has the time to go through a covering letter that looks like more of an autobiography.

Write to Sell

Sometimes applicants tend to be a little more modest with the covering letter. Let me tell you the fact that you are sending this small piece of document conveys the message that you are trying to get something out of the recipient. Now that it is so evident why not put the tacit request into words and reap better results.

Proof Read Your Content

Double proof read your content before sending it across. This is very important if you don't want your application to be weeded out within seconds. Think of it, spelling and punctuation mistakes paint a not so great picture of you and will somewhere come into play later if at all you make it to that stage.


You Can Create Your Own Professional Resume

If you would like more information about "How to Write a Professional Resume", the following book is a great resource:

It will show you exactly how to make an exceptional resume -
professionally and quickly.

You'll also find some outstanding articles in the book which will help you with your cover letter and the interviewing process, too.

Since this book is sold as an e-book, you can print off as many copies of the worksheets and forms as you need to help you through the easy-to-follow steps.

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