Writing an Effective Cover Letter

A cover letter is as important as a resume. If you are asked to complete an online application, which is the norm of these days, chances are you need to submit a cover letter together with your resume. We discussed how to prepare a good resume before. Today, we are going to share some suggestions on how to write an effective cover letter.

1. Be concise and specific. From the first paragraph (two or three sentences), you need to inform the readers of who you are, what your biggest strength or your qualification(s) is, for which position you are applying, and from which source you heard about this opening.

2. In responding to what the company is seeking, use one or two paragraphs to highlight your significant achievements, relevant work experience, and leadership skills. It does not have to be long, but measurable results are preferred.

3. Show your great interest to the job and the company with a brief closing statement, such as thanking a recruiter for his/her attention, requesting for an interview, and asking what next step(s) of the screening process is.

4. No matter how long a candidate’s resume or curriculum vitae is, a cover letter must be a one-page, 3-4 paragraphs document.

5. It must be a perfect statement because it creates the first impression.

6. Keep a copy of every cover letter you sent because you may want to check what you have said about yourself in the future.

Do these suggestions seem useful to you? What are your suggestions?

References:

Picture was copied from http://www.cpsu.org.au/campaigns/news/10147.html

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