Steps For Creating an Impressive Cover Letter

A cover letter should answer the employer's question of 'why should I hire this person?'. Make a list of all the reasons an employer should consider you for a job including your qualifications, any certificates or degrees you hold, personality traits, and experience. What can you offer the company you wish to be hired by? How would the employer benefit by hiring you over another person? Sell yourself. Write down as many things as you can think of that will boost your hiring potential.

Begin your cover letter in a Word processing program. Start with your contact information. Put your name, address, telephone number, and email address so the employer can contact you for an interview. Skip a couple spaces and type the company's address, name of contact person first, address second, and telephone and email address last. Skip two more spaces and begin your salutation with 'Dear______'. Put the name of the employer in the blank space. Skip two more spaces.

The first main paragraph of the cover letter should tell the employer why you are writing the letter. Tell the employer what position you would like to be considered for and what you know about their company. Be sure to do a little research online and through word of mouth about the employer and his company first so that you can relate yourself to the company and show that you know a little about the business. This will impress the employer and help them gain a bond with you as a prospective employee.

The second paragraph of the cover letter should tell the employer something about you. What are your credentials for the job? Why should he hire you over someone else...do you have better qualifications than another person? Are you motivated, great at multitasking, or pleasant to work with? Can you be a team leader? Tell the employer anything about you that you feel will help you land the job, but keep it simple. A cover letter is merely meant to get the employer interested in looking over your resume and meeting you, not to write a book about yourself.

The final paragraph of the cover letter should encourage the employer to look at your resume by letting him know that you've enclosed a resume (for further evaluation of who you are as a prospective employee...be sure to include it in the envelope with the cover letter). Let him know that you are very interested in an interview and that he may contact you at either your phone number or email address (write them again here so he doesn't have to take time to look all over the cover letter for it). Thank the employer for his time...this is very important as employers are very busy with other matters in the company.

Skip 2 more spaces and end your cover letter with 'Sincerely,' about 4 spaces, and your typed name. Use spell check and carefully re-read your cover letter for any errors. Print a copy on plain white paper...no need to get fancy. Under the word 'Sincerely,' and in between your typed name, be sure to sign your full name as you would any other signature. This gives your cover letter a personal touch.