Meghan Ivarsson, Author at The Voice of Job Seekers

When crafting a cover letter one has to be perfect and to the point as what is reflected in your cover letter should get you the job you are applying for. Ensure the cover letter is clear, grammatically correct, concise and error free. Here are cover letters writing tips that will make you stand out from the crowd.

1) Attach a cover letter with each resume sent out

It’s always good to send a cover letter even if not requested by the employer. Your cover letter may make the difference between obtaining a job interview and having your resume ignored.

2) Target your cover letter

Check out the job posting and list the criteria the employer is looking for and make a comparison with the skills and experience you have. From there you are able to address your skills and qualifications that match the job description.

3) Provide quality evidence of your qualities

Pick out the top most qualities the employer is seeking in their job specification that you most likely posses and include in the resume.

4) Write a custom cover letter

Writing a custom cover letter at times can be time-consuming but in the end, the cover letter will show the hiring manager at a glance why you are the best person for the job as skills and experiences are included.

5) Start from a cover template

Use a cover letter template s a starting point which will help you create your own personalized cover letter a cover templates helps you take little details and fix them in your own personal letter.

6) Don’t rehash your resume

The cover letter should go hand-in-hand with your resume, therefore expand your resume the highlights of your background in relation to the job you are applying for should match.

7) Write simple and clearly

Make the first paragraph clear enough to sell you to the job. Write short and targeted letters that the employer can read and get what type of personality you have. Each letter should be one page or less and short paragraphs maintained. Finish the last paragraph with a call to action, request the hirers to contact you for an interview.

8) Relevant and brief

Ensure your cover letter draws the recruiter’s eye to relevant experience on attached resume and give him or her a positive picture of you. A brief and a straight to the point cover letter is an advantage as it will not take the managers much time knowing the type of person you are in just few words.

9) Personalize your letter

Write your cover letter and address it to the individual in charge of hiring. The individual is able to go through your cover letter and by reading it he/she will know what you really are targeting.

10) Use email for cover letters

Include cover letters in the mail and keep the message short. Send as attachment when the employer has requested for one. As sometimes cover letters are the ones preferred by the hirer.

11) Spell check and proofread

Ask someone to read your correspondence before sending it out. The other person can take note of important mistakes and correct you. It’s not always easy to note our own mistakes.

12) Sign the letter

Provide a signature at the bottom of your cover letter. This shows a strong signal for authenticity. The cover letter is the only paper needed to be signed.

13) Review cover letter samples

Take time to review cover letter samples that will enable you get ideas for formatting and content. Check to ensure that your letter explains how your skills relate to the criteria listed in the job posting. Reviewing other peoples cover letters will give you a guide on how to better your cover letter.

What challenges you writing cover letters? Let us know in the comment section.

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About Meghan Ivarsson

Meghan is a recent graduate and a freelance writer for Scholar Advisor, an educational portal that contains useful tips on essay format and styles, essay samples and writing guides. She regularly contributes article on education and career advice. Meghan lives and studies in the USA.

Just Graduated and Looking For a Job! Now What?

Getting a job after graduating college is not very hard, but there is a high chance that most students have never applied for a job. Therefore, this simple process becomes a new experience that can lead to frustration before or after he or she graduated. This article covers a few ways you can get a job whether you are an experienced or new job seeker.

Career Days

Many universities have these because they benefit both sides. They benefit the students because there is the chance of jobs, and benefit the companies because they get fresh talent whilst you are still cheap to hire. The whole process is a little bit doubled-edged because you are faced with competing for jobs with large numbers of your own peers. Still they are worth a look if you get the chance.

Research the company want to work for

This is a frighteningly powerful tip because it involves taking a large risk. The more research you do then the higher the chance that you are going to get an interview, but also the more you lose if you do not get the job. Research into current workers, current employment policies, and current openings. You may find out that they hire people who are known by the other staff, so get to know the other staff on social media. You may find out that they get a lot of applications that are incorrectly filled or discover that they do not read resumes. The more you research then the more information you will have to increase your chances of getting the job.

The guidance counselor

If you are still in college then you should try the guidance counselor, but you should know a few things first. Some counselors are good at their job and some are bad, so you may wish to take their ideas and comments with a pinch of salt. Secondly, if a counselor does not know much about the industry he or she may sway you into trying to work in a different area that he or she is more familiar with. Thirdly, the counselors are not often very good with helping you figure out what you want to do, but are not bad at telling you what to do when you figure it out. If you go in for career and education advice with a few ideas then the counselor may be able to point you in the right direction.

Break tradition

People always tell you to keep your resume short and sweet, but only one resume is going to be picked for the job. You have to ask yourself if it matters that much. Go the opposite way and make a booklet about you and how perfect you are for that company. Put your face and top achievements on the front, have a chapter for your experience, another for your qualifications, etc.

Be persistent

Firstly, we must define persistent and nagging. Persistent is applying to the same company for a job every time they open a new job up. It means re-writing your resume every time you apply and changing the layout and content into a new piece of literature that promotes you and your skills. Persistence means applying even if they say to not apply if you have done in the past. Nagging however is asking if you have the job after applying. It is asking if you have the job after an interview. If you are waiting for acceptance then assume you are rejected and keep trying other places, then reapply the next time they have an opening.