5 Tips For Writing Strong Cover Letters

The all-important first impression that your resume documents make on an employer depend just as much on how the cover letter represents you as how well the resume represents you. 

It's true that not all employers read cover letters, but most do, and you should always prepare a cover letter as though it will be read word for word by people who in positions to hire you.

Here are five tried and true tips to keep in mind when you're writing cover letters:

1.  Address it to the reader. You can call the company directly to get a name, job title and company address. If you can't come up with a name, or you're being told on the phone to "just send it to HR", you can address it to "Dear Hiring Professional".

2.  Tell the reader what they want to know, not what you want to tell them. Put yourself in their shoes. It doesn't matter to them that you feel you've outgrown your current job and need a new challenge, that you've always wanted to work for an insurance company, or that you want to move to San Diego. What will matter are things like: What background/skills/experience do you have that makes you a good candidate for an insurance company? How are you ready to hit the ground running in their organization? Why should they encourage your candidacy if you live in Maine and their business is in San Diego?

3. If you live in Maine but the job is in San Diego, find a way to include a San Diego address on your resume. If you're planning to move to be near family or friends, ask one of them if you can use their address temporarily as your local address. And—before sending that resume and cover letter—think through the interview part. The employer wants to know that you can be there when they want you to for an interview. Are you prepared to do that?

4. Include information in the letter that shows you know something about the company. Learn as much about them as you can from on-line research before contacting them. Look for places where your experience somehow connects with something significant about their company. Find a way to subtly weave that information into your cover letter.

5. Proofread, proofread, proofread! A good rule of thumb is to keep reading and making changes until you've read through the document two or three times without finding anything that needs to be changed. Then ask someone else to read it to see if they find any errors.

Take advantage of the opportunity to capture the reader's attention and hold it. You want to be THE candidate they're interested in!

Do your resume and cover letters  make you stand out to employers as someone they want to meet? Are they getting you interviews? If not, visit my website—cnyresumes.com—for more information. I'd love to help!

The High Cost of a Resume That's Not Getting You Interviews

Consider this: If your resume isn't *working* for you, you have to ask yourself what the cost of that is to you. 

If you'd make $500 a week at a job, a three month loss of income represents $6000 loss to you. 

If $500 spent on a new resume, this week, gets you interviews and a new job within a week or two -- you could GAIN most of that $6000 instead of losing it!

A well-crafted resume should get you interviews for at least 50% of the job you're applying for. Is your resume getting you interviews? 

If not, I can help. I'm an award-winning resume writer who has been writing powerful, interview-getting resumes for more than 20 years. 

Email your current resume to me 
for a free consultation to help you get on track.

 The process is easier than you may think! 

resumesetc.com
terrieosborn@gmail.com
(315) 676-3315

A Most Charming Letter Seeking Employment, Written Long Ago By One Of America's Best Loved Authors

For your reading pleasure, jobseeker:

Eudora Welty to The New Yorker—

The best job application ever

May 19, 2014 by Shane Parrish

In March of 1933, Eudora Welty, then 23 and looking for writing work, sent this beautiful letter to the offices of The New Yorker. “It’s difficult,” writes Shaun Usher in his introduction to the letter in Letters of Note, “to imagine a more endearingly written introduction to one’s talents.”

March 15, 1933

Gentlemen,

I suppose you’d be more interested in even a sleight-o’-hand trick than you’d be in an application for a position with your magazine, but as usual you can’t have the thing you want most.

I am 23 years old, six weeks on the loose in N.Y. However, I was a New Yorker for a whole year in 1930– 31 while attending advertising classes in Columbia’s School of Business. Actually I am a southerner, from Mississippi, the nation’s most backward state. Ramifications include Walter H. Page, who, unluckily for me, is no longer connected with Doubleday-Page, which is no longer Doubleday-Page, even. I have a B.A. (’ 29) from the University of Wisconsin, where I majored in English without a care in the world. For the last eighteen months I was languishing in my own office in a radio station in Jackson, Miss., writing continuities, dramas, mule feed advertisements, santa claus talks, and life insurance playlets; now I have given that up.

As to what I might do for you— I have seen an untoward amount of picture galleries and 15¢ movies lately, and could review them with my old prosperous detachment, I think; in fact, I recently coined a general word for Matisse’s pictures after seeing his latest at the Marie Harriman: concubineapple. That shows you how my mind works—quick, and away from the point. I read simply voraciously, and can drum up an opinion afterwards.

Since I have bought an India print, and a large number of phonograph records from a Mr. Nussbaum who picks them up, and a Cezanne Bathers one inch long (that shows you I read e. e. cummings I hope), I am anxious to have an apartment, not to mention a small portable phonograph. How I would like to work for you! A little paragraph each morning— a little paragraph each night, if you can’t hire me from daylight to dark, although I would work like a slave. I can also draw like Mr. Thurber, in case he goes off the deep end. I have studied flower painting.

There is no telling where I may apply, if you turn me down; I realize this will not phase you, but consider my other alternative: the U of N.C. offers for $12.00 to let me dance in Vachel Lindsay’s Congo. I congo on. I rest my case, repeating that I am a hard worker.

The New Yorker, missing the obvious talent, ignored her plea before eventually correcting their mistake. Welty went on to win multiple awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1973 for her novel The Optimist’s Daughter.

Bob's old resume didn't work for him... he'd send it out but, no interviews, none, zip-o.

Bob was very eager to get out of the stop-gap job he'd taken when his former company closed, and there was one job in particular that he was very interested in applying for, but he'd bumped up against some dead ends. 

For one thing, he'd applied once to the company and been rejected, so it seemed pretty clear that the home-made resume he'd been using wasn't working for him. Also, the company had removed the posting a couple of months ago. 

To give himself his best shot, Bob hired me to create a sharp new resume for him that clearly states the value he can bring to employers — and the resume worked!

Bob sent me this note last week:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Terrie-

Just wanted to let you know that the resume you wrote for me worked! I accepted the position that was number one on my list [specialty products sales rep] and start next week. 

[I sent Bob an email reply of congratulations and asked if the salary was what he'd hoped for, and he responded:] 

I'm so pleased - the organization is outstanding - love the management, the business plan, the product line - the values and mission statement. And the money they offered was more than I expected. Can't say anything negative. The HR manager told me they had been looking for the right candidate for over a year! 

Terrie, I had sent them a resume previously and never heard back - I figured they weren't interested but [you suggested I] send it again. So I did. 

Within 5 minutes of sending the email I had a call from the HR manager wanting to schedule an interview. The part I forgot to tell you is that I had ANOTHER offer come the same day.  

I told a friend in Washington DC about what you did - you may hear from her as she's considering moving back to the area. She works for [major global media organization] now so she doesn't know what potential there is for her in this area but I gave her your contact info in case she decides to take the plunge. 

Thank you for the great work and if you need a reference I would be happy to provide one. 

Bob

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yay Bob!!!

Terrie Osborn, CPRW

Resumes Etc.

Certified Professional Resume Writer

(315) 676-3315

CNYResumes.com