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You've heard it a dozen times - “Make sure you send yourresume with a cover letter.” But how do you write a greatcover letter? Is it even important? Do you really have tolearn
how to write a cover letter
?Well, yes, it is important. Your cover letter stands in foryou. If it introduces you well, it separates your resume fromthe ones in the rejection pile on the other side of the desk.What your cover letter says about you will determine whatyour interviewers think about you before they meet you, farmore than your resume will. Your resume lists what youare; your cover letter tells them who you are.It does more than that, though. A cover letter helps yourprospective employer tell whether you can communicatewell, if you can write clearly, and if you understand the job
and company you are applying to work for. It can also givea good interviewer an insight into how intelligent andcreative you. Look at the cover letter as a way to show off your savviness. Knowing how to write a cover letter wellcan make the difference between your resume being justanother one on the pile, and actually getting the job.
There are three basic sorts of cover letters:
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The response to a job posting
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An email cover letter, which should only be aresponse to a job posting.
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A cold-call letter, which is the hardest to write.
Response To A Job Posting
The response to a job posting is exactly what it sounds like:a notification to an employer that you are interested in aparticular job they have a vacancy for. Email cover lettersare generally similar, except they are responses to postingsthat require or request applicants respond electronically.
Email Cover Letter
Email cover letters are unique in two ways: first, they are
much more informal, and second, they are going to sell thehiring agent on whether or not to bother with your resume.Make sure they have a catchy and interesting header, andthat they sound professional – no email shorthand, no poorgrammar or spelling.
The Cold-Call Letter
A cold-call letter is quite different; it's written when you areinterested in working for a company that may or may nothave a position in your area. It is not necessarily the bestway to contact a company to get a job, but it may be astart. This letter is sent not to a job poster, but to thegeneral vice president or manager in charge of hiring. If you know the head of the department you want to work for,you might try copying him or her with your letter andresume too.
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