How to Use An Outstanding Cover Letter to Dominate the Job Market
by Erik J. Michaels
Writing a great cover letter can be the key to your success in a jobhunt. With the average American's search for a job lasting up to nine months, it's more critical now than ever before that you stand out above the rest and get your foot in the door before it gets slammed in your face. The right cover letter can help you achieve that goal.
When employers are sifting through a ton of resumes, looking for just one person for the job, the cover letter is your primary means of attack. It's the first look they're going to get at you, and it's your first opportunity to look better than the rest of the applicants.
Surviving this first test is absolutely essential to getting the job. The "cover letter round" will make or break your entire shot at the job you're wanting, because the resumes with the good cover letters will proceed onward to the next round, while the resumes with poor cover letters (or none at all!) will be dumped into the paper shredder.
Now, I doubt you somehow found the time to attend college to get a four-year degree in Writing Cover Letters, so you may feel a little intimidated in a world where a great cover letter is almost mandatory. Lucky for you, you don't have to be a cover letter prodigy. All you need is to have a good teacher.
Probably the best teacher around is the good old "example". It's never a bad idea to learn an important skill by talking to people who have successful experience with whatever it is you're trying to learn. Unfortunately, finding these people isn't always the simplest thing in the world, which can make the process something less than easy.
Luckily, the "expert" you're going to be looking for in this field isn't a person, it's the cover letter itself! It just isn't necessary to go hunting for the person who's written successful cover letters...instead go hunting for the cover letters themselves! They're a lot easier to find, and frankly they can tell you more than any person ever could.
Being able to analyze and adapt something is a skill you'll be glad to build while you're at it, because such a skill is highly valued in the workplace. Too many people just get lazy and plagiarize, which gets you nowhere...if you take the time to learn what makes a cover letter good, not only will it allow you to create your own successful cover letters, but it'll also improve your analysis skills and make you even better in the eyes of potential employers!
Always remember that your cover letter needs to do two things in particular: present your personal qualification information, and get you set up for an interview. And while the first one is important, the true purpose of the cover letter is always to raise your chances of getting that interview. You get the interview, and it's up to you to impress the employer...but without a great cover letter, you could never even get that far.
Discover how to write an effective cover letter by checking out this site for a bunch of cover letter samples. By reading these, you can learn how to produce your own awesome cover letters and make your jobhunt easier. You are welcome to reprint this article - but get your own unique content version here.
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