The first impression you get to make when applying for a job is more than likely going to be your cover letter on your resume. While a solid, well executed resume is going to be essential to getting that job, that first impression your cover letter delivers will be key. HR personnel are geared to filter through resumes in any way possible, so making sure you write a cover letter well keeps yours from getting kicked out right off the bat.
To write an effective cover letter is a balance of appreciation, hope and promise. You’ll want to express appreciation for the opportunity to apply for the job. In today’s job market, you want to let people know that you do appreciate opportunities.
Next, you’ll want to express the hope you’ll be interviewed and hired. Not only that, but you want to express the hope that you’ll have a positive impact on the company. Being a team player and up-building the company before you’re even hired is going to leave the reader with a positive impression and impact them with your desire to be a part of the company.
Last, when you write a cover letter you want to express how your skill set would be a benefit to the company. You want to leave them with the impression that your skills are exactly what they’re looking for and then some.
This will leave them with the impression you’ve got a lot of promise to help boost the company’s bottom line.
To close, recap with a couple of sentences reinforcing the hope and promise statements, then close with one last statement of appreciation. This leaves the reader with an overall positive impression of you. You’ll have set up your resume and your desire to work for the company. HR personnel are used to seeing a bunch of bland cover letters, so having one positively impact them will be a big help to your job search.
Letterhead paper shown above
