Resume cover letters are extremely important, though many jobseekers don't fully realize it. A well-written cover letter may mean the difference between a serious perusal of someone's resume, and a glance before it enters the circular file.
Apart from just plain forgetting to write them, one of the most common cover letter mistakes is to use them to duplicate everything you already wrote in the resume. However, you need a cover letter that expands on and complements your resume.
Put yourself in someone else's place and imagine that you have to sort through a bunch of different resumes. All of them are printed on decent white paper. They all boast of each applicant's skills and objectives.
Many of them have letters, some of which are quite long. That's got to be overwhelming! So, stand out from the crowd. The cover letter needs to get attention from the reader and give them plenty of good reasons for them to turn the page.
But how do you begin? Look for examples of resume cover letters posted on the internet. There are examples that cover several different jobs in dozens of different formats. You can find them all by using your favorite search engine.
Of course, if someone well-known to the company or interviewer has referred you and given you permission to use their name in your cover letter, do so! You'll be using the power of networking referrals, which can go a long way in making sure that your resume gets serious consideration.
Next thing you need to do is study the job description. Write references to it and describe how your skills make you suited for the job. The easy thing to do would be to repeat everything that's on your resume, but this is a golden opportunity to take everything a step further. Talk specifically about how your skills suit you for the job and how you'll benefit the company.
"What's in it for me?" Imagine that this is the very question that the interviewer is asking. On some level, that's probably exactly what the interviewer is thinking when he or she reads resume cover letters.
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