Cover Letter - A Secret Weapon In Your Job Search

Cover Letter - A Secret Weapon In Your Job Search

Cover Letter Format

A well crafted cover letter is proof positive that you can organize your thoughts, respond thoughtfully and appropriately to a posting, and communicate well in written form. But like the five paragraph essay, it takes practice and most people don't write cover letters at all, and if they do, they are usually very generic and borderline boring in nature. Write a good cover letter and you set yourself in a category apart from the average job seeker.

A suggested and proven format:

Date

Job Seeker Name
Job Seeker Address


Their name (find out who you are directing the letter to, if at all possible.)
Business name
Address
City, State, Pin

Dear (their name),

State your reason:

Why are your writing? A cover letter doesn't always have to accompany a resume. If it doesn't, it can be called a letter of intent. Make sure you are clear about your intent, but be conversational. Break the ice with a reference to a mutual friend, how you heard about the posting, a mutual association, or perhaps a comment on their company's mission statement. Do your homework, and think about what will resonate and cause them to continue reading.

State your case:

If you were a lawyer, arguing for your reasons for winning the case, ie. the job, how would you present your arguments?

You can format the second section in one of three ways.

Paragraph style - continue your letter in a narrative format, stating what experience and qualifications you have that meet their stated requirements.

Table Style - In a tabled format (two wide - with gridlines hidden), state their requirement, and then in the field immediately to the right explain or list how you meet that requirement.

Combination Style - This is a combination of both styles. You might find that your paragraph allows you to deliver your story better, while supporting or adding to elements in the table format.

Be compelling. Be relevant. This is your chance to separate yourself from the herd. Think about what they want to hear. Again, do your homework.

State your intention:

This is where you let them know that you are interested in the next step in the process. An interview is usually the obvious choice, although asking for a "conversation" might be more appropriate if you are pursuing a job in the underground and a job posting is not published. Asking for an interview if they are not actively hiring could be counterproductive, whereas a conversation would be less assuming, but still move you forward.

If you have a way to contact them, state that if you don't hear from them in an allotted amount of time, that you will contact them at a certain time. Then calendar it and do it!

Close it with

Sincerely,

Your name

The more you practice, the better you become.


Inspired and extracted from, https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140626160937-17442977-how-a-cover-letter-can-be-the-secret-weapon-in-your-job-search