A great cover letter should introduce you and set you apart from the competition. It should show your eagerness to work for a specific organizaton and give the employer a compelling reason to hire you. It should cover the following points:
describe how your job talents will benefit the company
Before you begin, here are a few tips:. Do your preliminary research. Refer to the Company Profile you have prepared.. You want to know general information about the company to whom you are writing your cover letter. Find out the desired qualifications and skills. Search to find the key values the company stands for and the key words used to describe their mission and goals. Use these in your cover letter.
Sizzle and buzz your cover letter as well as your resume. The idea is to make your cover letter pop out so it’s a keeper also. These sizzle and buzz words will help keep your descritpions strong instead of weak. Avoid using weak verbs such as "endeavored, tried, hoped and attempted." Instead subsitute any of the sizzle and buzz words. It's much better to use words like, "assisted, oversaw, stocked, and initiated." Use the Sizzle & Buzz cover letter aid (on the right menu) to help you create the right wording for your cover letter.
10-12 Point Font, with the exception of your header
Use Times New Roman or Arial for your font--match resume
Keep one inch margins
Organize your body paragraphs to emphazise your strongest and mostrelevant qualitfications. Only include the two or three strongest qualitfications from your resume
Make it easy for readers to scan your letter by beginning each paragraph with a topic sentence
Let’s get started by exploring some cover letters. Pay attention to the sizzle & buzz words, the organization of each letter, & specific and detailed descriptions of skills and qualifications. When you are through exploring, followup by taking the cover letter quiz. Record your final score for your facilitator.
Next Step
View the Instructional Videos. Use them, the cover letter aids, and the good and poor example cover letters Sto help you write the perfect cover letter.
