Cover Archives - Page 3 of 3

Skillful Cover Letter Samples

A cover letter is so imperative in every job application. It ought to establish your passion and interest in a certain position. A lot of hiring managers do not pay attention to a resume with no cover letter.

An effective cover shows optimism to make the HR manager interested in your resume. It should be straightforward and direct. Make sure also that the content is directly related to the job opening. A cover letter must be unique and not merely an extraction or review of your resume.

The following are two samples of cover letters.

Sample 1:

Dear (name of hiring manager),

This letter intends to convey my interest to your advertisement posted on your website searching an advertising manager to direct ABC advertising department. I am informed of the quality service you provide your clients and I share the same values. The opportunity in this job is very engaging and I am confident that I possess the necessary education, capabilities, and experience that will make me a fitting aspirant for this job.

My accompanying résumé shows a confirmed past performance in advertising sales in the tourist sector in 16 various US States including Hawaii and Florida. I also have a ten-year experience performing in an identical position as well as the awards I obtained for excellence in sales and advertising.

I am proficient in directing a team or performing as a team player. I have lots of initiative, enthusiastic to learn new things and possess excellent communication skills. My technical expertise consists of PowerPoint, Excel, Adobe and Word proficiency.

You can always keep in touch with me through my mobile phone (number) and email (address). I look forward to meeting with you to confer how I could greatly contribute to the success of your company.

Sincerely Yours,

Your name

Sample 2: Email Cover Letter

Subject Line: Competent for Communications Manager Position

Email Message:

Dear (name of Hiring Manager),

Your communications department has posted an open position for which my experience and education makes me eligible. In my job as Assistant Communications Manager for Senator Joseph McGhee, I wrote press releases as well as drafted and revised legislation, and was in charge for organizational communications.

While my job as Communications Manager for ABC Company, I wrote and sent monthly newsletter to subscribers via email and created articles for the company website. I also have a wide-ranging experience as a freelance writer on employment and labor matters and this would be an excellent match for this job. You can look at my articles at (URLs).

Also, my resume and some supplementary samples of my writings are attached. Please give a word if I can offer you with any additional details on my qualifications and track record.

Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to an opportunity to discuss with you or somebody in your company to see where my competence would be of the highest advantage to your organization.

Your name

Address

Email

URL

Contact Numbers

These samples are given for your guidance and reference only. Use them only to guide you in writing a unique and impressive cover letter.

How to Conclude a Resume Cover Letter

A resume cover letter is an important part of one’s job application. It is the responsibility of the job applicant to carefully craft a resume and cover letter that conveys a positive message to the hiring manager concerning the qualification, experience and skills of the job applicant.

One of the main reasons for writing a cover letter is that it should compel the hiring manager to call the job applicant for an interview and move things forward. In a way, it is a brief “sales letter” wherein the job applicant describes his eligibility for the job available.

In this article we focus on how to conclude a resume cover letter? Here are a few examples to consider:

Possible last paragraph sentences:

* I look forward to the opportunity for an interview soon.

* I look forward to speaking with you about this job opportunity.

* I look forward to an interview and hope to hear from you at your earliest convenience.

* I am available for a personal interview at your convenience.

* I hope to schedule a personal interview at a mutually convenient time.

* You may kindly contact me on my phone number 900-000-0000 or email me at emailaddress (at) emailprovider.com

* Kindly review the enclosed resume and consider my application for the job.

* It would be an honor to work for your company.

* I will contact you next week to know the status of my application.

* Thank you for your time and consideration.

* Thank you for your consideration.

Sample closing words just before signature:

* Regards, Best Regards, Yours Faithfully, Yours Truly, Sincerely, Yours Sincerely.

Signature related tips:

* Below the closing words type job applicant’s name and leave sufficient space for a signature above it.

* While sending the cover letter via regular mail sign with a blue ink pen, if sending via fax sign with a black ink pen and when emailing it type your full name.

Enclosures:

* One can add “Enclosure or Enclosures” to the cover letter, usually it is the resume. For example: Enclosure: Resume

* Other enclosures could include: Copy of work experience certificate, copy of reference letters etc.

The above mentioned cover letter format points are a must read for every job applicant.

How to Write an Application Cover Letter

If you are considering going looking for a job, one of the most daunting tasks you will be facing on your job-search endeavor is probably the task of writing an application cover letter.

Your application cover letter is, after all, the first thing about you that an employer sees; and depending on how you present yourself on the cover letter, the employer could decide to call you for an interview straight away (without even looking at your curriculum vitae) or decide to put your whole document into the ‘trash bin’ straight away, without even looking at the rest of your presentation, having decided that from the look of your application cover, ‘there is simply no business they can do with you.’

Before even starting to consider how to write an application cover letter then, it is important to consider what the aim for writing such a letter is, and keep that aim in mind all through as you go about writing the application letter. The people who write ineffective application cover letters, the types of application cover letters that end up in the trash bin straight away, tend to be those who approach the whole task assuming that it is a ‘formality’ to get done away with as soon as possible – and proceed with the rest of the job searching endeavor.

The truth of the matter, however, is that writing an application cover letter is not just a formality. Writing an application cover letter is in fact, as mentioned earlier, one of the things that could end up making or breaking your job search endeavor.

So the first step in writing an application cover letter should be deciding – and keeping in mind – why it is that you are writing it, which by default should be to attract the employer enough to look through the rest of your job-search document (resume, CV and so on), and get them to invite you for an interview at the end of it all.

The second step in writing an application cover letter is choosing a format for it. Ideally, you should opt for a format that presents you in the best light, in view of the job you are considering applying for. If you are applying for a job where formality and conformity are the basic desired attributes, the basic format application letter format might be ideal for you, whereas if you are applying for a position where independence and creativity are the most desirable attributes, the more detailed essay-like application letter formats are more ideal.

An ideal introductory line for your application cover letter is where you start with a reference to the advertisement or whatever it is that is making you seek employment in question (if its due to a newspaper or online advert) for instance, and the date when the same appeared.

You need to go on, briefly though, showing why you are the ideal candidate for the job – according to the specifications the employer stated – keeping in mind that our application letter will probably be in competition with tons of other similar documents.

You application letter must not go on just repeating the information in the resume or CV, even for the essay-like application cover letter formats, but rather to add some value to that CV information.

At the end of it all, remember to make a reference on your cover letter to the documents it is supposed to cover (attached CV or credentials) so that there is continuity in the whole document.

In case you are using online application medium, like where you are applying through e-mail, and unless explicitly stated otherwise, it is best to have your application letter as the email’s main body, with the rest of the documents in the series send as attachments to it.

Resume Cover Letter – How Being Selfish Kills Your Job Search

It’s wonderfully human…we all have our self-indulgent, downright selfish little moments. Relaxing in a steamy bubble bath, candles glowing, sipping wine, jazz playing, nothing in the world but you and happiness. Or kicking back, feet up in front of your favorite movie, freely popping a 2lb. box of Sees Candy in your mouth, grinning, with the phones shut off (I kind of like that one!).

It’s no crime, right? We work our butts off. And after slaving away all week, we certainly deserve our sweet, selfish little moments.

But when you’re creating your resume cover letter, it’s best to reach deep inside yourself and turn off this selfish mode. Completely.

When drafting your resume cover letter, one of the biggest mistakes you want to avoid is focusing too much on yourself. How far you want to move up in the company and the salary you’re after isn’t what the employer cares about. I think it’s safe to say, employers care most about one thing: exactly how you can benefit their company.

So here’s a great idea: before writing your resume cover letter, do some research on the company you want to work for. Yeah I know, it’s extra work, but believe me, it’s worth it. Find out what the latest happenings are. What particular challenges they might be facing. An exciting product they might have just developed. With our technological blessing we all know as the Internet, we can find information on just about any company these days.

The best way to find information is to take a trip to the company’s website. If you don’t have their web address, do a Google search–something is sure to pop up. When you find the website, read every single page, from start to finish. Read over the “About Us” section, recent press releases, their company philosophy, and the products/services they’re currently offering.

Now don’t grit your teeth if you can’t find the company’s website. There are other sites you can check out that specialize in helping you find information about a specific company. Two of these sites are Vault.com and WetFeet.com.

Mention something interesting you’ve learned about their company in your resume cover letter. Doing this will show that you have a genuine interest in their organization, and a strong drive to work for them. Why? Because you took valuable time and effort to learn about their company.

Here’s a paragraph from a resume cover letter that concentrates on the company’s needs (this person applied for a position as a copywriter with a marketing firm):

I’ve heard that you’re looking for a copywriter with great research skills and the ability to create persuasive sales copy. I have over 5 years experience

doing this, and would love to share a few ideas I have for your new ‘Healthy Diets’ ad campaign.

Focusing on what a company wants and showing them what you can bring to the table can add tons of value to your resume cover letter. It also helps you to greatly stand out as one of their worthy applicants.

And when you’re ultimately hired for the position you want, feel free to celebrate with your own creatively selfish little moment. You deserve it!

Sample Cover Letter For High School Students

Many teenagers who pass high school look for part time or full time jobs for earning pocket money. A job can be an experience building stepping stone if you already know what type of career you would like to make in future. Nowadays there is huge number of jobs available for high school student. You just need to prepare an effective cover letter if you want to secure a decent job.

In this article I would like to provide a sample of a high school cover letter which would help high school students, particularly juniors and seniors who want to enter the workforce.

Your Name

Your Address

Your City, State, Zip Code

Your Phone #

Your Email

Date

Employer Name

Company

Address

City, State, Zip Code

Dear Mr. /Ms. Last Name,

I am responding to the employment opportunity listed on your website. Please accept this letter and accompanying resume as evidence of my interest in applying for this job. I feel my qualifications and my skills would prove to be an asset for your organization.

I have recently passed high school from a well known school. Now, I am looking for an honored job that will add experience to my building career. Here are some of my key strengths that I would bring to the position. I am:

1. A self-starter.

2. Disciplined.

3. An excellent communicator.

4. Very willing and eager to learn new things.

5. Exceptional at customer service.

6. Great team worker.

Accepting challenges is the foundation of my life experiences and something I do with confidence. You will find me a totally committed individual with pride in being direct, spontaneous and communicative. I can maintain records, perform numerical calculations with accuracy and I need little direction to complete assigned tasks. These are the qualities that make an excellent candidate for this post.

I was responsible for handling and organizing various important activities in my school. I have even participated in numerous cultural activities. I have working knowledge of MS Word, PowerPoint, MS Excel and Internet.

I would appreciate your consideration of my credentials. If you do think there is a shared interest, I would greet the chance to meet with you to hear more about your company, the requirements of the position, and how my skills would be a good fit.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Your Signature

Your Typed Name

I hope my article will help you in preparing a high-quality and eye-catching high school student cover letter.

6 Important Questions to Ask Yourself When Writing a Cover Letter

Many job seekers tend to consider the cover letter inferior to the resume, thus committing one of the worst mistakes in job-hunting. Perhaps this is because some people do not mind how a gift is wrapped but what is inside the package. But you know what they say about first impressions, right? Irrespective of what you believe, your prospect of landing an interview or a job ends where this letter ends.

However, attaching this document will not by itself convince the reader to look at the resume you have attached if the former does not adhere to certain essentials. Writing a good cover letter demands that you ask yourself the following questions:

1. Does it sound like a sales letter?

Suppose you are writing a sales pitch for a product, how would you frame it? What information would it contain? Now consider yourself the product you are selling to a prospective employer. Does your message carry the essence and import necessary for such a letter? Remember your ability to persuade a prospective employer to invite you for an interview lies in this document. Think about its content and style critically before writing it.

2. Will the reader be attracted to your letter?

Writing a cover letter involves packaging a precious object. The receiver may reject or accept your present depending on the appearance of the package. Judging from its appearance, can the reader of your text give it priority over the rest? One method of ensuring your document is attractive is to organize it logically. Moreover, use the inbuilt capabilities of your word processor to make the margins and spaces adequate enough for easy navigation and readability.

3. Are the language and content persuasive enough?

The language of a cover letter is crucial in determining whether your document will be read or ignored. Writing it is not merely about using the acceptable form of English, but how you express yourself and the content you are offering since this will influence the decision of the reader to shortlist you for an interview. Borrow a leaf from a love letter, if you know how to write one.

4. Have you focused on the skills that your prospective employer is looking for?

Every advertisement for a vacancy indicates the type of skills expected from the successful candidate and your success depends on matching your content to this requirement. Knowing how to write a cover letter entails informing the employer how exactly you fit into the picture. What academic, training, skills and experiences do you have that match the description of the successful candidate? Your resume may contain many skills, but in this text you only list what is relevant to the job you are applying for.

5. What value will you bring to the organization, if employed?

A cover entails a careful balancing act because you are expected to blow your own trumpet but also inform the reader what value you will bring to the firm. The focus here shifts to the organization instead of the individual, but within the same letter. Considering you are one of the many that will apply for a particular vacancy, pay close attention to this section when writing a cover letter.

6. Have you proofread your cover letter?

Among the most vexing and demoralizing aspects of this crucial document are spelling and grammatical mistakes. It speaks volume about your level of carelessness if you submit a one-page letter full of typos and glaring spelling errors. To many prospective employers, this is an unforgivable mistake. Do whatever is possible, including asking for help from a more language-proficient person, to make sure your letter is error-free.

Whenever you sit to craft a cover letter, remember you are engaging in business communication with a product to sell to a customer. In this case, you are the seller; the prospective buyer is the reader. Your skills and competencies are the product, while your letter is the advertisement. Learn how to write a convincing and presentable letter if you want the reader to look at your resume and shortlist you for an interview.

Does Your Cover Letter Let You Down?

Getting that competitive advantage in a crowded job market can be a challenge. One of the best tools you have outside of your Resume is a compelling Cover Letter that has fresh, engaging content that clearly outlines why you are the best fit for the role.

This is the perfect opportunity to present to the Recruiter or Hiring Manager a number of compelling reasons why you should move to the next stage of the process, an interview.

Ensure you have read and understood the role requirements and what is needed to succeed and put forward why you, meet and exceed those key requirements.

Nothing captures the attention of a Recruiter or Hiring Manager more than a well-tailored document highlighting why you, as a potential employee meet those requirements. Also, provide some specific examples in the document.

While this may take some time to complete, the investment can be worth it, regardless if you undertake the document yourself, or get a professional service provider to undertake the work for you.

Don’t leave a Recruiter or Hiring Manager to read between the lines in your Resume, put forward why you meet the requirements and what you will bring to the role – be clear on the value you will add to the business.

A couple of key things to consider:

Spelling and Grammar: check your spelling and grammar (get a trusted friend to review your document or use a resume service provider such as Resumes to you).

Content: ensure your content is fresh, exciting and not a simple copy and past of your resume content.

Format: format your document in a standard professional layout. Your cover letter is a first impression and you want to make the right impact. If it’s badly formatted, it could negatively impact your chances.

Personalise your cover letter: If you know the recruiters name, address the letter to them. Add the name and address of the company and add the position name as the reference. (personalising your cover letter will have a positive impact).

Double check: Before you hit send, make sure you have attached the correct documents, especially when sending. Sending an application for a job addressed to the wrong company or recruiter could kill your chances. It looks unprofessional, sloppy, and demonstrates lack of care or attention to detail.

Fixing an issue: If you send an application and suddenly realise that you have sent an incorrect document, don’t forget about it… contact the recruiter and inform them that you have sent the wrong document and arrange to send the correct items – you’ll be surprised how this can work for you.

There are other things to consider, based on your needs when developing a cover letter.

One of the best investments you can make is to have your cover letter reviewed and, if needed, professionally rewritten to improve your chances in a competitive and crowded market.

If you have errors or your document is poorly written, that could cost you dearly during your application process, so checking these few items could make all the difference.

Win More Job Interviews by Using Stronger Keywords In Your Next Resume Cover Letter

It’s widely accepted by recruitment professionals that increasingly higher competition among today’s job seekers is making it harder for many applicants to successfully obtain interviews for positions in the organizations they wish to join.

In order to overcome this situation, the successful job seeker is learning more and more to use power words to help stand out from crowd in this increasingly competitive job market. Even a few years ago, you probably would not have heard of the term keywords in the context of cover letters for resumes.

But, given the increased use of technology in screening the thousands of applicants applying for positions in Fortune 500 organizations, they have started to impact individuals and related industries in a big way.

But keywords, those hot words that are associated with special industries or job positions, are an important way that a job seeker can differentiate him or herself from the competition of other job seekers. They are important because they can mean far more than the more two or three words convey by themselves.

Jay Block, an executive career coach in West Palm Beach, Fla., commented that if the ad says candidates need to have a bachelor’s degree, “bachelor’s degree” had better show up somewhere in your resume.

He also commented that job hunters need to look at ads for similar jobs from other companies. It’s important to recognize that each specific industry has its own inside “speak” or jargon, and knowing what specific words are important in the range of ads about certain job positions will help you spot the pattern of words that employers are continually using. Once you spot the pattern, a good tactic is to start using them yourself in you own resume cover letters and correspondence relating to getting an interview for a new position.

It’s important to understand that some keywords are the real ones that you need to take notice off. Although many keywords are industry specific, Mr. Block says, certain phrases are common among all organizations. These words continue to have favor today and they include “communication skills,” “problem-solving,” “team work,” “leadership,” “resource optimization,” and “image and reputation management.” The reason is that they relate to universal skills that are in hot demand by today’s employers.

“Business development” might be one of the most important of all, he says.

“I’ve interviewed many, many companies that will tell me, ‘Everybody from the floor sweeper to the national sales manager had better be involved in business development in some way,’ ” says Mr. Block.

Keywords are something that have been used by most people though their working lives – even if they don’t realize it at the time. They can be defined as simply the hot buzz words of a particular trade or profession. They clearly communicate something specific about the particular job function, qualification or specialist experience.

Some examples of these include increased market penetration for marketing personnel, shared vision for human resources personnel, customer development for sales staff and systems engineering for Computer IT Specialists.

As the market place has become increasingly competitive for job seekers , you will need to catch your potential employer’s attention by writing action driven statements that explain what value you can provide your prospective employer. Strong keywords are nouns that allow you to get the message across more successfully than most other means. They allow you to showcase your qualifications, capabilities and what you can offer the employer. Moreover, they are very hard to pass over so they tend not to be ignored.

It’s a well known fact in recruiting circles that keywords are a really effective way of enhancing your resume cover letters, broadcast letters and other styles of correspondence that you use to win job interviews. Strong keywords make a dramatic improvement to your presentation that should showcase achievements, qualifications and experiences that support your successes throughout your working career.

You might substitute, for example, revenue growth for bottom line improvement or efficiency and improvement for cost reduction and avoidance.

The potential list of keywords that can be used to create a professional image is very large and the more that you think of them, the easier it will be to incorporate them into your resume cover letters, resumes, thank you letters and other job search activities.

So, after you have worked thorough a listing of your “professional keywords”, you need to closely marry them to your background and simply drop the weaker terms. The most important part of the process is to make sure that these keywords are relevant to your profession. Use of in-appropriate keywords, or overuse of them, could also weaken your resume cover letter so it is important not to go overboard.

If you start researching the most powerful keywords for your profession, you will get the added advantage of educating yourself about the skills, qualifications and experience that is demanded by today’s employers in your particular field.

So, if you need to move away from your core area of experience and branch into a different job field one day, you will be well served by researching the right keywords to help you familiarize yourself with this new area and what is required by the candidate for the particular position.

Changing Your Career – How To Write An Effective Cover Letter

There are certain procedures to follow when searching for cover letter samples expressing one’s wish to change career. Career change cover letter samples should show exactly how the introductory letter should begin and what it should include.

At the top corner of most career change cover letter samples will have the potential employee’s address. In most cases, the name should be written on the first line, followed by the address beneath it. Include the city state and the zip code in the address and then add the current phone number. If there is an e-mail address, it can be written under the phone number and then follow it with the date.

It is common for career change cover letters to have the address and pertinent information of the probable employer. If one knows the name and designation of the person to whom the cover letter should be addressed, it is recommended to include it in the letter. Follow it with the company address, ensuring that it is situated at the left portion of the page.

The addresses of career change cover letters have the same style as any normal business letter. For the salutation, if the name of the addressee is known, write it down. However, if otherwise, “Dear Sir or Madam” can be used.

In the first paragraph of the letter, give an introduction and brief opening sentence. For example:

“This letter is to articulate my interest in (the job title) with your organization listed on (insert name) website.” (Put in significant details, position applying for and the newspaper or website where the job was seen.)

The next step is to express how suitable the applicant is for the job mentioned. Experience and relevance to the position applying for should be brought up clearly. One may write something like:

“I feel with my understanding in (specify the field) and my accomplishments in (name previous occupation) make me an ideal applicant for this position.”

The main component of a career change cover letter is its ability to list previous experiences. This gives additional advantage to the candidate. Being able to enumerate an applicant’s achievements in his previous job and the skills he was able to practice can increase the applicant’s attractiveness as an employee.

Write down key characteristics that are concerned with the job being targeted and then qualify straight away how previous experiences or trainings deal with each one. Create a bright picture in few words. Do not turn the letter into an essay. This letter should serve as an overview of the topic in positive terms. For instance:

“My experience in (jot down an experience) has helped me gain proficiency in many areas of the position mentioned. I consider (list down strengths) as my strengths.” (Then, provide examples of instances where these skills have been used successfully).

These qualities can be written in point format. Write only those strengths that will be advantageous to the job applied for.

Style every cover letter to suit the specific job and the organization one is applying for. Get some background information on the organization involved and mention in the cover letter any relevant information collected where applicable.

After citing the key characteristics, conclude. Write down contact information about the applicant to make it easy for the potential employer to get in touch with the applicant.