Importance of a Cover Letter

When you are applying for a new job, it is very important for you to craft an effective cover letter and make changes in your resume to suit the company you’re applying to. It is too often people looking for job neglect their cover letters, leaving them to the last minute and not taking enough time to include important and relevant information.

This is really important to make a good first impression. When you apply for a job, cover letter is something, which is responsible for your first impression. Your cover letter introduces you and your resume. A potential employer’s first impression of you is your cover letter. This single document gives HR managers and potential employers their initial insight into who you are as a professional and an individual. Every applicant is not invited to the interview. Not everyone who applies for a job is invited for an interview. You need to use your cover letter to draw attention towards yourself in this first round of selection. For this, tailor your cover letter to the particular job and ensuring that there are no spelling or grammatical mistakes.

It is often that you may forget to add important dates, recent experience and any other important details to your resume. Make sure to update your resume regularly to grab a dreamy job opportunity.

Few tips on how to write a cover letter are given below:

• Your cover letter should be only one page in length.
• The heading of your resume and cover letter should be identical. Heading should include your name and contact information so your cover letter and resume can be reunited if they get separated.
• Use simple language and the same font and style as your resume.
• Use a business format for dating and addressing your cover letter to the appropriate person.
• A resume cover letter is a business letter. Use formal block paragraphs with spaces in between.
• Your cover letter should consist of three paragraphs:-

1. The opening paragraph:

It should mention the post you are applying for, why you are applying and how you are suitable for the post. Do some research and write something about the company.

2. The job-matching paragraph:

This paragraph should consist of your qualifications, education, experience and interests, especially those that match the employer’s needs, briefly. It should tell the reader why he or she should be interested in you. You want to appear as the perfect applicant. Additionally, cover letters should call out other key parts of your resume that you want the employer to notice.

3. The closing paragraph:

This paragraph could be used to highlight a career achievement or two of particular relevance to the job. The last paragraph should bring the letter to a polite close. State that you are looking forward to meeting with him/her.

At the end of your cover letter:

~Yours Sincerely,

xyz (your name)