Proper Resume Cover Letter
When hunting for a new job, it is essential to make a positive first impression with an employer. Your resume cover letter is often your first opportunity to show off your talents and abilities. Use proper cover letter formatting to ensure your document is easy to read and sets you apart from the competition.
Other People Are Reading
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Introduction
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Not all resume cover letters are sent in response to a job opening. You may also decide to send in your resume and cover letter to express interest in an organization. No matter your reason for submitting your information, always reveal how you learned about the position or the employer. Include a statement of why you decided to submit your information. Avoid cliches or generic writing. Use the job description or the mission of the organization to construct a thoughtful statement for the employer.
Be Revealing
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Your resume is a collection of facts regarding your past experiences. There is little opportunity to reveal your personality between statements of goals achieved and lists of job duties. However, in your cover letter, you have the opportunity to go into great detail about your commitment to punctuality or motivating team members. Reveal your personality by remaining enthusiastic and upbeat.
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Lead the Reader
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A good resume cover letter makes the reader want to learn more about you. Your resume should be enclosed with your cover letter and provide further evidence of your stated professional abilities. Use your letter to go into further detail regarding how you achieved success and why it is relevant to the employer's business. Present examples in story format rather than listing your qualifications in bullet format, since they should already be stated in that format in your resume.
Be Concise
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While a cover letter can tell your professional story better than a resume, the intent of a cover letter is not to become a biography. Limit your prose to one page consisting of three paragraphs. If you have an extensive work history, your cover letter can be expanded to two pages with five paragraphs. Your cover letter may take several edits to shorten, but reducing the length of your letter is worth it. A busy employer is more likely to read a short note than an essay on your professional background.
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