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Free Cover
Letter Advice
Direct From The Employer
Is the best type of cover letter...the free cover letter?
When I
started my active job hunting process, I was unsure when (and if) a
cover letter was needed.
I now realize that the cover letter is an important part of the job
hunting process.
I am always on the lookout for free tips on writing a
cover letter.
I've received a lot of free cover letter advice over the years.
So I
decided to compile a list of common questions you may have.
Why is a
cover letter necessary?
- A cover letter lets the employer know exactly
what kind of job you want
to do.
- And it provides a brief explanation of how your
specific
qualifications, job skills and experience are a match for that job
opportunity.
What are some
of the common mistakes people will make?
- Forget to use the name of the person they are
sending the cover letter
to.
- For instance, address the cover letter to
"Dear Mr. Smith," rather
than "To Whom It May Concern,".
- Telling the employer what the company can do
for you instead of what
you can do for the company is a mistake.
- Employers are in business to
make a profit. They want to know what you can do for their bottom line,
not what they can do to fulfill your career dreams.
Can I just
mass-produce the same letter to all the companies for
which I'm interested in?
- Generally speaking, this is not a good idea.
- The personal touch behind
the cover letter is what sets it apart and lets you stand out.
What's the
most important thing to include in the body of the letter?
- You want to stand out to the employer reading
it.
- What makes you
uniquely qualified to do the job more than anyone else.
- Put yourself in
the employers’ shoes. If you were reading it...would you hire this
person?.
How long
should the letter be?
- In a nutshell...one page.
- "Experts" will say on rare occasions to use
more, but put yourself in the employers shoes again.
- If you have many
candidates to consider, do you want to spend extra time reading page
after page of someone's life story.
- You should be able to put together
a well crafted cover letter in one page.
Are thank-you
letters necessary?
- All the research I have done concerning resumes
and cover letters
suggest you should write a thank you note.
- Thank the employer for their time and
considering you for the position.
- This also gives you another shot at
highlighting your unique
qualifications.
- You probably won’t get a job based entirely
on a thank you note. But
what it might do, is separate you from someone equally qualified that
did not write a thank you note.
In addition to the free cover letter section here, don't forget to check out the other cover
letter topics, such as: application cover letter, cover letter help, fax
cover letter and resume
cover letter advice areas.
You may also want to visit what other job seekers say about writing a
cover letter in career
information site.
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