Posts Tagged ‘Cover Letter’
Strategies For Employment Cover Letters That Sizzle!
There is a saying in sales that you do not sell the steak, you sell the sizzle. This is every bit as true in writing an employment cover letter. Here are some tips that will help you write a cover letter that sells the sizzle.
Your Personal Sales Letter
Above all else, your employment cover letter is your personal sales letter. This is your chance to show the hiring manager that you are the one for the job. This is not the place to be timid. This is where you stand out form the crowd. Your cover letter needs to scream “Look at me!”
Thanks to the internet, it is possible for a hiring manager to receive hundreds of applications for a job posting. With that amount of volume, most applications will only get a quick glance. If there is nothing to grab the attention of the person hiring, your application will end up in the circular file without getting a second look. Your cover letter must grab the manager’s attention, and make them look deeper into your qualifications.
Target Your Cover Letter
One of the biggest things you can do to make your employment cover letter sizzle is to target it to a specific job at a specific company. This starts at the very beginning. If you want to show that you’ve done your research address the cover letter to the person who is reviewing it. “Dear Ms. Jones” has much more power than “Dear Hiring Manager”. While most classified ads don’t include this information, sometimes it just takes one phone call to find what you need.
When you write the body of your employment cover letter, keep a copy of the classified ad in front of you, and write the letter as an answer to that ad. If the ad mentions specific skills and qualifications, you can write about how you have the experience to meet those qualifications.
Do a little research on the company. Look at their web site and try to find out about their philosophy and values. As you write about your qualifications, be sure to word it in a way that reflects those values. For instance, if the company values strong customer service, you can give examples of your strength in providing strong customer service. The point is, make sure you target your employment cover letter to a specific company.
Let Your Passion Show
Another tip to make your employment cover letter sizzle is to make it sound alive. Many cover letters come across to the reader as being a lifeless list of qualifications. That’s not what the cover letter is for. This isn’t meant to be a reflection of your resume. A good employment cover letter is a chance to show that you are a live person, and that you truly want to use your skills to fulfill a need within the company.
Use wording in your cover letter that shows what you are passionate about. If there is something about the job you are applying for that you really love to so, say so. “I am a qualified teacher” doesn’t carry the same energy as “I am passionate about helping young people learn”.
When you are done writing your cover letter read it out loud to yourself. If it sounds boring to you, it probably is. Go back through and look for words and phrases that can be replaced by more energetic words.
Say It Like You Want It
Do you want this job? If you do, your employment cover letter must say so. One failing of many cover letters is that the writer never gets around to asking for the job. They express interest in the position, but that’s not quite the same as specifically asking for it. Also, don’t forget to give your contact information, and not just in the header. Tell the person hiring “I can be reached for an inter view at…”, and then give them you phone number. Make this as easy on them as possible.
As far as tone, confidence is the key. Run a grammar check on your cover letter to check for passive voice. “I have experience” is not passive. “My experiences have been” is passive. Make sure your statements are positive and confident.
Your employment cover letter can sizzle. All it takes is some time and effort to make it a unique reflection of yourself. Show the hiring manager that you are a live, passionate person, and that you can help fulfill a need. Show them that you sizzle.
By: Mario Churchill
About the Author:
Your Personal Sales Letter
Above all else, your employment cover letter is your personal sales letter. This is your chance to show the hiring manager that you are the one for the job. This is not the place to be timid. This is where you stand out form the crowd. Your cover letter needs to scream “Look at me!”
Thanks to the internet, it is possible for a hiring manager to receive hundreds of applications for a job posting. With that amount of volume, most applications will only get a quick glance. If there is nothing to grab the attention of the person hiring, your application will end up in the circular file without getting a second look. Your cover letter must grab the manager’s attention, and make them look deeper into your qualifications.
Target Your Cover Letter
One of the biggest things you can do to make your employment cover letter sizzle is to target it to a specific job at a specific company. This starts at the very beginning. If you want to show that you’ve done your research address the cover letter to the person who is reviewing it. “Dear Ms. Jones” has much more power than “Dear Hiring Manager”. While most classified ads don’t include this information, sometimes it just takes one phone call to find what you need.
When you write the body of your employment cover letter, keep a copy of the classified ad in front of you, and write the letter as an answer to that ad. If the ad mentions specific skills and qualifications, you can write about how you have the experience to meet those qualifications.
Do a little research on the company. Look at their web site and try to find out about their philosophy and values. As you write about your qualifications, be sure to word it in a way that reflects those values. For instance, if the company values strong customer service, you can give examples of your strength in providing strong customer service. The point is, make sure you target your employment cover letter to a specific company.
Let Your Passion Show
Another tip to make your employment cover letter sizzle is to make it sound alive. Many cover letters come across to the reader as being a lifeless list of qualifications. That’s not what the cover letter is for. This isn’t meant to be a reflection of your resume. A good employment cover letter is a chance to show that you are a live person, and that you truly want to use your skills to fulfill a need within the company.
Use wording in your cover letter that shows what you are passionate about. If there is something about the job you are applying for that you really love to so, say so. “I am a qualified teacher” doesn’t carry the same energy as “I am passionate about helping young people learn”.
When you are done writing your cover letter read it out loud to yourself. If it sounds boring to you, it probably is. Go back through and look for words and phrases that can be replaced by more energetic words.
Say It Like You Want It
Do you want this job? If you do, your employment cover letter must say so. One failing of many cover letters is that the writer never gets around to asking for the job. They express interest in the position, but that’s not quite the same as specifically asking for it. Also, don’t forget to give your contact information, and not just in the header. Tell the person hiring “I can be reached for an inter view at…”, and then give them you phone number. Make this as easy on them as possible.
As far as tone, confidence is the key. Run a grammar check on your cover letter to check for passive voice. “I have experience” is not passive. “My experiences have been” is passive. Make sure your statements are positive and confident.
Your employment cover letter can sizzle. All it takes is some time and effort to make it a unique reflection of yourself. Show the hiring manager that you are a live, passionate person, and that you can help fulfill a need. Show them that you sizzle.
By: Mario Churchill
About the Author:
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on employment cover letter checkout his recommended websites.
Attractive Attachments: A Cover Letter Tip Package
Many people do a lot of research on what goes into an effective cover letter. They find the best formats that are not only easy on the eyes, but are easy to type and print as well. They look for the best words that can give the letter the most positive air, without making it appear too overbearing or trite. They advocate using the best paper, the best ink, and signing the letter with the best signature you can make.
A cover letter, however, is nothing without the elements that turn it into a professional package. It has to be brief, with simple, direct language that attracts attention. It has to be personalized: it must address a specific person, and it should be signed personally, by the person making the job application. It has to be neat, and it has to be accompanied by what the employer desires – and more.
What more can you add to an already well-crafted cover letter? First, do not be afraid to add a post-script, or the P.S. Although this may seem unprofessional, research shows that it is actually attention getting: the P.S. can force prospective employers, already busy with other letters, to take a look at the bottom of your letter even if they have not skimmed or read your letter first.
Because the P.S. calls so much attention to itself, you might want to place all the important information there. Tell the prospective employer that you are available for a job interview; indicate where and when you can be contacted, and provide all your contact information, including a valid email address. Do not crowd so much information into the P.S., however, as this can make your letter appear cluttered, and you can appear more desperate than you really are.
You might also want to add attachments to your cover letter and resume, even if the prospective employer did not ask for them. There are only two things that can happen: either your prospective employer will throw them away, or he or she can examine them in greater detail. Force the latter possibility by printing out important documents on high quality paper, or providing high resolution images of your work, depending on what job you are applying for.
If you are applying to be a writer, add writing samples, and, if possible, show your versatility in both fiction and non-fiction. If you have already published your work, give high-resolution photocopies straight from the magazine, journal, newspaper, or book in which your work appeared. Provide contact information of editors or bosses who helped you in your previous writing gigs.
If you are a web designer or graphic designer, you will need to show the most attractive parts of your portfolio. Provide a hard copy of your works printed out on high quality paper, with high quality ink; and give a CD copy of your works. You can also provide URL information for sites that you designed or contributed designs to. As in the advice for writers, provide contact information of your clients who can attest to your qualifications as a designer.
If you are applying to be a nurse or doctor, attach photocopies of certificates of workshops that you have attended. These can show that you are willing to learn new things, and that you are always seeking to improve your craft.
No matter what position you are applying for, make your cover letter great, and follow the tips in this cover letter tip package. Always show how passionate you are about the job, without looking desperate or childish. Show how well you know the job, and how enthusiastic you are for an interview. If you can convey all your emotions in a brief, powerful letter, you may soon write your own cover tip package for people who need your expertise for their own forays into job seeking!
By: Mario Churchill
About the Author:
A cover letter, however, is nothing without the elements that turn it into a professional package. It has to be brief, with simple, direct language that attracts attention. It has to be personalized: it must address a specific person, and it should be signed personally, by the person making the job application. It has to be neat, and it has to be accompanied by what the employer desires – and more.
What more can you add to an already well-crafted cover letter? First, do not be afraid to add a post-script, or the P.S. Although this may seem unprofessional, research shows that it is actually attention getting: the P.S. can force prospective employers, already busy with other letters, to take a look at the bottom of your letter even if they have not skimmed or read your letter first.
Because the P.S. calls so much attention to itself, you might want to place all the important information there. Tell the prospective employer that you are available for a job interview; indicate where and when you can be contacted, and provide all your contact information, including a valid email address. Do not crowd so much information into the P.S., however, as this can make your letter appear cluttered, and you can appear more desperate than you really are.
You might also want to add attachments to your cover letter and resume, even if the prospective employer did not ask for them. There are only two things that can happen: either your prospective employer will throw them away, or he or she can examine them in greater detail. Force the latter possibility by printing out important documents on high quality paper, or providing high resolution images of your work, depending on what job you are applying for.
If you are applying to be a writer, add writing samples, and, if possible, show your versatility in both fiction and non-fiction. If you have already published your work, give high-resolution photocopies straight from the magazine, journal, newspaper, or book in which your work appeared. Provide contact information of editors or bosses who helped you in your previous writing gigs.
If you are a web designer or graphic designer, you will need to show the most attractive parts of your portfolio. Provide a hard copy of your works printed out on high quality paper, with high quality ink; and give a CD copy of your works. You can also provide URL information for sites that you designed or contributed designs to. As in the advice for writers, provide contact information of your clients who can attest to your qualifications as a designer.
If you are applying to be a nurse or doctor, attach photocopies of certificates of workshops that you have attended. These can show that you are willing to learn new things, and that you are always seeking to improve your craft.
No matter what position you are applying for, make your cover letter great, and follow the tips in this cover letter tip package. Always show how passionate you are about the job, without looking desperate or childish. Show how well you know the job, and how enthusiastic you are for an interview. If you can convey all your emotions in a brief, powerful letter, you may soon write your own cover tip package for people who need your expertise for their own forays into job seeking!
By: Mario Churchill
About the Author:
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on cover letter tip checkout his recommended websites.
