Friday 21 September 2012

The Right Way to Write Your Cover Letter

By Rina Wells


When you decide to write a cover letter, you should follow a few guidelines that will help you write an impressive piece. There are things that you want to completely avoid when you are writing the letter. Then there are things that you want to make sure you include.

"To Whom It May Concern" is not a known title in any organization. If you want to avoid your letter being treated with the contempt reserved for spam and junk mail, address it properly to the hiring manager or whoever is handling job applications. Find out who that is.

Do not send the same cover letter to many different prospective employers. Make each letter unique to the company you are sending it to. This means that you must find out what the company does, and also update yourself on anything new happening over there. Your letter must demonstrate that you are appropriately well informed.

A handwritten cover letter is a must-not. You should never do that; you should instead make sure that your cover letter is neatly typed. You should also avoid fancy paper if you are printing it and instead use plain white paper. If you are considering using bullet points in your letter, you will want to scratch that idea. You should instead use short, straight to the point paragraphs. This gives your letter a more professional look, which is exactly what you are going for.

Do not use bullet points or a numbering system in your cover letter, despite how necessary it might seem. It gives off a cold aura while you are aiming for warm professionalism. You should instead invest in short, but informative paragraphs.

You should not have a long-winded cover letter. Your letter is supposed to be short and to the point so limit to one page at the most. That way, whoever is going through it can read it fast and glean all the information in the shortest time possible. Make sure there are no typing or spelling errors on your cover letter. As earlier pointed out, this letter is your representation of you and you want it to be striking and memorable, in a positive way. So take the time to proof read before printing it out or sending it, which is a decision you will not regret. There are many dos but there are also many dos that you should not forget about. Do not forget to advertise yourself and convince the hiring manager that you will be a huge asset to them. Do not be afraid to put your best foot forward and wait for the e offers to flow in.



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