Give Recruiters a Reason to Read Your Cover Letter

Next time you’re preparing to fire off a resume and your  cover letter template… don’t.

Instead, take 15 minutes to find out who’s on the receiving end of your inquiry. Find out his or her career and background before you write your sales letter… and personalize your pitch.

In these times of instant information and profiles aplenty online, it’s important – and easy – to know your audience, and tailor your letter, your tone and even your best attributes based on who is the recipient and what they value.

“Know who you’re pitching to. Know what they do, their history,” said Jan Yager, Ph.D., a career coach and co-author of Career Opportunities in the Publishing Industry and other books. “Everything you do has to be targeted. You have such a short period of time” to make an impression…

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor from

via Give Recruiters a Reason to Read Your Cover Letter | The Savvy Intern by YouTern.

5 Cover Letter Techniques That Work 

So, how do you create cover letter that is not tossed?

1. Break a leg with your opening act: Don’t begin cover letters with an ordinary and boring statement. You really want to “have them at hello.” (Sorry. Couldn’t help it.) Really, captivate with the very first sentence.

2. Make a personal connection: You can tell a personal story that further positions you as the best candidate. You can provide statistical insight, reinforcing your industry knowledge. You may opt to walk your employer through your process.

3. Become a tease: Foreshadow what will be listed on the resume; what they will discover when they read your resume–but don’t repeat. Piqué interest! Save some fresh content for your cover letter.

4. Mesmerize them and get’em to say, YES: There is a physiological connection that goes on when you get a person to think or say yes. So, when you craft your cover letter try to envision the reader nodding their head in agreement with your statements.

5. Ask for the interview: In sales, they always direct you to ask for the sale. Well, ask for the interview. Just ask for it!

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor from

via 5 Cover Letter Techniques That Work | CAREEREALISM.

All cover letters should:

• Explain why you are sending a resume.
• Don’t send a resume without a cover letter.
• Don’t make the reader guess what you are asking for; be specific: Do you want a summer internship opportunity, or a permanent position at graduation; are you inquiring about future employment possibilities?
• Tell specifically how you learned about the position or the organization — a flyer posted in your department, a web site, a family friend who works at the organization. It is appropriate to mention the name of someone who suggested that you write.
• Convince the reader to look at your resume.
• The cover letter will be seen first.
• Therefore, it must be very well written and targeted to that employer.
• Call attention to elements of your background — education, leadership, experience — that are relevant to a position you are seeking. Be as specific as possible, using examples.
• Reflect your attitude, personality, motivation, enthusiasm, and communication skills.
• Provide or refer to any information specifically requested in a job advertisement that might not be covered in your resume, such as availability date, or reference to an attached writing sample.
• Indicate what you will do to follow-up.
  • In a letter of application — applying for an advertised opening — applicants often say something like “I look forward to hearing from you.” However, if you have further contact info (e.g. phone number) and if the employer hasn’t said “no phone calls,” it’s better to take the initiative to follow-up, saying something like, “I will contact you in the next two weeks to see if you require any additional information regarding my qualifications.”
  • In a letter of inquiry — asking about the possibility of an opening — don’t assume the employer will contact you. You should say something like, “I will contact you in two weeks to learn more about upcoming employment opportunities with (name of organization).”  Then mark your calendar to make the call.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor from

via Cover letters: types and samples | Career Services | Virginia Tech.

Free Cover Letter Templates for Microsoft Office

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Cover Letters-Links

1. Résumés, applications and cover letters: Bureau of Labor Statistics – Olivia Crosby wrote this article while working in the Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, BLS.Drew Liming is an economist in that office.
2. Cover Letters Not Getting Read? Introducing the 5-Point Power Note: Compare and contrast the style of this 5-point power note to a typical cover letter (see cover-letter samples). It’s about one-third or even one-quarter the size of most cover letters (perfect for a short email, in which the reader doesn’t have to scroll excessively to read the entire note). This article elaborates.
3. Cover Letters That Wowed: Hiring Decision-Makers Describe Winning Cover Letters: We asked hiring decision-makers to tell us about job-seeker cover letters they’ve received that really made them sit up and take notice.
4. Hiring Decision-Makers Cite Top Cover-Letter Mistakes that Disqualify Job-Seekers:: We asked hiring decision-makers what mistakes job-seekers make in cover letters that are so serious that the employers would eliminate these candidates, even if they seemed qualified.
5. Cover Letter Wish List: Hiring Decision-Makers Reveal What They Want to See in Cover Letters: We asked hiring decision-makers what they look for in a cover letter.
6. Cover Letter Reboot: A Crowdsourced Update of Traditional Cover-Letter Advice for Today’s Job Search: We asked hiring decision-makers what they look for in a cover letter.
7. Customizable Opening Paragraphs for Job Seeker Cover Letters: This article offers dynamic cover letter opening paragraphs, including more than 100 customizable opening paragraphs — with accompanying sample paragraphs showing each opener in action.
8. Surefire Cover Letter Technique: Incorporating Stories: Learn about stories job-seekers can tell in cover letters, including how to write them, and free examples of each type. Excerpted from the book, Tell Me About Yourself: Storytelling to Get a Job and Propel Your Career.
9. How to Write The Ideal Cover Letter: The ideal cover letter is focused, professional, and well-written. While the hiring decision-maker is reading your cover letter, he or she is deciding if it makes sense to continue on to your resume. If you cannot make your cover letter great, the employer has no reason to believe you will do great work for the organization either. This article explains.
10. Cover Letters That Count: When trying to land a first job or internship, a strong, succinct cover letter is one of the best tools you can use to get noticed. And unlike other first impressions, the cover letter puts the opportunity to succeed largely in your hands. To avoid wince-worthy moments and create a terrific first impression, read this article for winning cover-letter suggestions.
11. Optimizing Your Cold Contact Prospecting Cover Letter: A cold-contact letter will generate the fewest leads, so paying special attention to the content and adding a couple unique elements will increase your return rate. This article explains.
12. Seven Elements of a Highly Effective Cover Letter: It is the well-written cover letter — not the resume — that can single-handedly land you more job interviews. The cover letter is your one chance to really market yourself to an employer using proven marketing strategies rarely found in the typical well-written cover letter. This article explains.
13. Special Cover Letter Formats Can Grab Employers’ Attention: Use special formats to make your letter more reader-friendly and enticing. These formats also call attention to your qualifications and enable you to tailor them very sharply to the requirements of the position you’re applying for. This article describes four such formats.
14. Tips for a Dynamic Email Cover Letter: Just as certain secrets can help you write a dynamic cover letter, there are also key strategies for sending email cover letters. This article describes those strategies.
15. Cover Letters Count: You — as writer and job-seeker — must give employers what counts: a letter that complements your resume, serves as your first writing sample, and focuses the reader on what you have to offer, what you bring to the position, and why you are a suitable candidate. This article describes elaborates.
16. Four Cover Letters for Four Job Search Strategies: Cover letters should be customized according to each of the four basic job-search strategies. Learn the strategies in this article.
17. Cover Letter Checklist: Think your cover letter is ready to be seen by employers? To be sure, use this checklist to guarantee that you’ve written the most dynamic (and powerful) cover letter possible.
18. Cover Letters to Recruiters Require Special Handling: It pays to attend to differences between conventional cover letters and recruiter cover letters in such areas as content, length, format, and how the letter is sent to the recruiter. This article explains.
19. Powerful New Grad Resumes and Cover Letters Ten Things They Have in Common: OK, you’re graduating from college soon. Time to give your resume and cover letter a checkup to ensure they are as powerful as they can be. Powerful new grad resumes and cover letters have several things in common, so you can kill a number of birds with one stone with this checkup.
20. Career Changers Most Powerful Resume and Cover Letter Tool: Transferable Skills: The most effective technique career changers can use in their resumes and cover letters is transferable skills. This article tells how.
21. Resume, Cover Letter, and Interview Strategies for Older Workers: Special techniques for mature job-seekers to apply to resumes, cover letters, and interviewing.
22. Cover Letter Success is All About Specifics: A cover letter needs to be specific in every way. Otherwise, it’s a fairly pointless document. This article tells how to get specific in your cover letter.
23. Cover Letter Do’s and Don’ts: This article offers keys to writing successful (and dynamic) cover letters. Follow these simple rules and you should achieve success in this important phase of job-hunting.
24. Cover Letter Quiz: Test your cover-letter knowledge by responding to the questions in this quiz to the best of your ability.
25. Action Verbs for Cover Letters, Resumes: Remember to use these action verbs in this list in writing your resume and cover letters to increase the strength of your writing and make potential employers take notice of your accomplishments and skills!
26. Basics of a Dynamic Cover Letter: Why is a cover letter so important? A resume is useless to an employer if he or she doesn’t know what kind of work you want to do. A cover letter tells the employer the type of position you’re seeking — and exactly how you are qualified for that position. This article offers all the basics.
27. Cover Letter Components Worksheet: You have perhaps a maximum of 20 seconds to wow the reader of your cover letter, so maximize its impact by making it dynamic. This worksheet provides a “formula” for cover letters; however, it is critical that each cover letter be unique and specific to you and to the employer — not one that any applicant could have written to any employer.
28. Cover Letter Formula: You have perhaps a maximum of 20 seconds to wow the reader of your cover letter, so maximize its impact by making it dynamic. This article explains.
29. Cover Letter FAQs and the Competitive Edge in the Job Market: The answers to the 10 commonly asked questions about cover letters in this article can help you write a letter that is a key part of a hard-to-resist sales package.
30. Cover Letter Tutorial: This tutorial condenses and highlights some of the most important points in the books, Dynamic Cover Letters and Dynamic Cover Letters for New Graduates, and is a comprehensive guide, with more than 100 pages of information and examples.
31. Do Not Make These Ten Cover Letter Mistakes: A bad cover letter can nip your chances in the bud. This article describes 10 mistakes that contribute to bad cover letters. To ensure that your cover letter is effective, avoid these mistakes.
32. Emphasizing Your Transferable and Marketable Skills in Your Cover Letter: How college students can portray skills from typical college jobs as relevant to professional jobs.
33. Transferable Skills Worksheet for Resumes and Cover Letters: Use this worksheet to capture skills you’ve attained from any aspect of your life that are transferable and applicable to the job you want next.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor from

via Quintessential Careers Content Index: Cover Letters.

1. Cover Letter Sample Addressing Current Unemployment: This covering letter is designed for an individual who is unemployed and looking to get back into work.
2. Cover Letter Sample for an Experienced Professional:This cover letter is designed for professionals who already have a few years worth of experience under their bel
3. Cover Letter Sample for Part-Time Work:This cover letter sample is designed for an individual who are looking to secure a temporary job.
4. Cover Letter Sample – New Grad: A good cover letter explains why you, over all the other candidates, are worth taking the time to find out more about. This is ideal for graduates who have yet to gain any significant work experience.
5. Finance Administrative Assistant Cover Letter Template: Looking for a job as an Administrative Assistant in the financial sector? Check out this free cover letter template.
6. Career Change Cover Letter Template: Get inspired by this sample cover letter. This job seeker uses volunteer experience to highlight her commitment and enthusiasm for her new field of interest.
7. Cover Letter Sample for Office Coordinator: Are you looking for a position as an office coordinator? Read this sample cover letter for an office coordinator position.
8. Purchasing Assistant Cover Letter Sample: Are you looking for a position as a procurement assistant? Read this sample cover letter for a purchasing assistant position.
9. Accounting Manager Cover Letter Example: Searching for a management position in accounting? Use this accounting manager cover letter example to guide you.
10. Teacher Cover Letter: Create an A+ cover letter for your next teaching position. Be inspired by this free cover letter template for teachers.
11. Mid-Career Cover Letter Sample: Use this type of cover letter when you’re applying for a job mid-career.
12. Career Change Cover Letter Sample: Use a cover letter like this when making a career change!
13. Administrative/ Clerical Cover Letter Sample: Here’s an example of how an administrative professional can sell his or her skills to an employer.
14. Finance Cover Letter Sample: This sample cover letter for a finance job seeker conveys the candidate’s qualifications and achievements.
15. Suggested Cover Letter Format: Here is an outline of a typical cover letter.
16. Rejection Follow-up Letter: Was your ego bruised when you were notified that you didn’t get the job? Get yourself back in the game by sending a post-rejection follow-up letter.
17. Sales Cover Letter Example: Here’s an example of a cover letter for a sales position.
18. Recent Grad Cover Letters: Here’s an example of a cover letter for recent grads.
19. Healthcare Cover Letter: Here’s an example of a cover letter for a healthcare position.
20. Administrative Assistant Cover Letter: Here’s an example of a cover letter for an administrative assistant.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor from

Cover Letter Samples articles, Resumes & Letters resources | Monster.ca.

1,001+ FREE Cover Letter Examples for Consultants, Career Changers, and Job Hunters. The FIRST and BEST cover letter samples on the Internet.™

via www.Cover-Letters.com – 1,001 FREE Cover Letters For Consultants, Career Changers, Job Hunters.