Do You Need Help Writing A Winning Cover Letter?

Home
>
Careers, Jobs & Employment
>
Do You Need Help Writing A Winning Cover Letter?

Do You Need Help Writing A Winning Cover Letter?

Your cover letter is critical to your success. It sets the tone. It is read before your resume and includes vital information about you that every potential employer needs. If you don't have a cover letter, or if you have one that is poorly written, you're setting yourself up for failure. Knowing the crucial elements of a cover letter is imperative to getting in doors and moving your candidacy forward.

Your cover letter must function as a roadmap leading the reader from start to finish. It must be created with one thought in mind ? to get you noticed. It must invite, it must compel, it must drive the reader to a very specific conclusion: 'This candidate is qualified; in fact, not only qualified, but the best fit for the position.'

Your resume will then be read. If your resume is as powerful as your cover letter, an interview will be scheduled. So how should a winning cover letter be constructed?

There are a number of ways to actually begin the letter. You could pose a question, you could make an extraordinary statement to grab the reader's attention, or you can quote someone famous. Whatever you do, make sure it is appropriate to the advertised position and to the skills you possess. Along with this opening, you want to note the specific job to which you are responding.

Your letter then needs to state your worth, your applicable accomplishments and their relationship to the responsibilities of the position. This can be a couple of paragraphs, but keep in mind that less is more as long as significant content has been included. It's critical that your cover letter be at most one page.

The final paragraph is your call to action. It is where you state your follow-up plan. This is where you create continuity to ensure your success.

Make sure you do not include any salary information in your cover letter. It will either disqualify you or lock you in to compensation that does not match your worth. If the job ad requests your salary information, you can always state that it is negotiable. While not being specific, doing this will keep you in the running.

Regardless of your field of endeavor or level of experience, you can write an attention-grabbing cover letter which, in conjunction with a powerful resume, will grant you access to the right opportunities and lead you to a successful job search conclusion.

David Richter is a recognized authority in career coaching and job search support. He has spent many years in recruitment, staffing, outplacement, counseling psychology and career management spanning most industries and professions. David founded TopDog Group in response to the needs of job candidates to have a higher quality of career coaching and support available on the Internet. David understands the mechanisms for success. He has formulated specific strategies anyone can use to secure interviews and receive offers. His extensive knowledge and experience sets David apart in this field, allowing him to offer a wealth of information and a vast array of tools, resources and strategies not found anywhere else. He has shown countless job seekers how to differentiate themselves and leverage their potential to the highest possible level, making a real difference in their careers. David holds both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology. David's website address is: http://www.procareercoach.com

In The News:

Health care careers still best bet for job security
Herald Times Reporter
Holte's career change was a sound one. Health care jobs have remained strongest throughout the recession and the recovery, said Denis Winters, chief labor economist with the state Department of Workforce Development. State and federal labor data shows ...
Demand for health care workers persistsWausau Daily Herald

all 11 news articles »

Government of Canada Creates 36 000 Summer Jobs for Students
MarketWatch (press release)
The funding will enable the students to gain the skills and experience they need to be successful, both now and in their future careers. "The Saskatchewan Abilities Council is grateful for the support from Canada Summer Jobs," said Karen Moore, ...

and more »

ABC Action News
Jobs: Time to jump off the career ladder, become a 'supertemp?'
ABC Action News
As with many others who work as an independents, he began his career as an interim when he was made redundant. A recent survey by the IIM showed that 22% of prospective interims cite the end of employment as a trigger for making the move, ...

and more »

Newsday
Paterno's Penn State pension to top $13 million
Chicago Tribune
Paterno's pension payments come on top of a more than $5.5 million package his estate is receiving from the public university under his employment contract, including a $3 million "career bonus" due to him at retirement. As head coach for 46 of his 61 ...
Former PSU coach Joe Paterno's pension valued at $13.4 millionPittsburgh Post Gazette

all 247 news articles »

All Made Up: Cosmetology and Beauty Schools in the US Industry Market Research ...
PR Web (press release)
The minimal time it takes for training and then launching a business lured prospective students looking for a career change. “In addition to benefiting from a wide range of employment opportunities, cosmetology and beauty training also offers the ...

and more »

Jobs fair event a success
Greenock Telegraph
CAREERS ADVICE: Grant Cameron, on the bike, is joined by Debbie Welsh, the council's Getting Ready for Work training officer and his friend Ross Newman. A GROUNDBREAKING jobs, training and education fair has been hailed a huge success by organisers and ...

Jobs for the disabled through careers center
China Daily
BEIJING - Zhang Zheng is grateful for the employment guidance of the Beijing Career Service Center for the Disabled. The 28-year-old IT technician, who suffers paralysis in both legs, recalls being turned down for many jobs on the grounds of his ...

Bleacher Report
UFC 146: Why a Dan Hardy Loss Will Spell the End of His UFC Career
Bleacher Report
His current four-fight losing streak would have cost most fighters their jobs with the promotion. However, because two of those losses were against the current and interim champions in the division—Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit, ...

and more »

Outlook better for college graduates
The Rolla Daily News
Many of those students returned to live with their parents after school and took retail jobs to begin paying off their loans. Many of them were also much more aggressive about looking for work earlier in their college careers. The University of Chicago ...

RealVail
Obama administration conservation projects generate more than 20000 summer jobs
RealVail
“These first experiences building trails, clearing out hazardous fuels, or cleaning up rivers not only equip young people with skills for a new career, but can also awaken a love for the outdoors that lasts a lifetime,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar ...

and more »

Google News