Craig Travis asked:


Like a resume, a good cover letter can make all the difference. First impressions count. Your cover letter is designed to complement your resume in selling your professional background and experience to the employer so you can be seen and interviewed. It formally introduces you and quickly tells your story.

A well written cover letter is crucial to getting attention and I have now made the writing tips available online for no charge through our website: www.sequencestaffing.com. The vast majority of cover letters are poorly written and can cost the job seeker that all important career opportunity.

The cover letter allows you to tailor-make your presentation to the specific job and employer by highlighting critical information from your resume and from your professional background that’s important for the employer to see and to know about. This is your opportunity to underscore the key achievements in your career that match up with the employer’s needs and help you land the job interview.

Job seekers would gain more interviews by customizing their resume and cover letter to address the specific skills each employer is seeking. The employer is always more interested in their needs than yours, so ask yourself what would make you the perfect candidate for this job. Try to find out what they really need and want; then write your cover letter to address these points. I also suggest reviewing the job description or ad for key words and including them in the cover letter.

Of course, at Sequence we also offer our professional cover letter and resume writing services. If you prefer professional assistance, we can help you. Our team of professionally skilled writers will make your cover letter and resume standout in the crowd and will help you get that critical interview.

What makes Sequence standout among other employment job sites offering similar services is our in-depth knowledge of the construction, environmental and light industrial industries, giving us the leading edge in offering cover letter writing tips for those industries. Other leading sites, Monster.com, Hotjobs.yahoo.com and Caljobs.ca.gov don’t have the industry-specific expertise of Sequence.

Sequence, a premier executive search and staffing firm for the construction, environmental and light industrial industries, is dedicated to supporting the core industries responsible for building and maintaining the nation’s infrastructure, natural resources and environment by recruiting and placing field, management and executive-level personnel in temporary, temp-to-permanent and direct-hire positions. For more information, go to: www.sequencestaffing.com.

Mario R. Churchill asked:


When you are seeking for a job, the first thing that comes in to your mind is to write your resume. However, you should also think for the “second thing” which is your cover letter that is also known as your application letter.

Some job recruiters or employers ask for your cover letter together with your resume; while others don’t. Whatever the case may be, it is still an ethical and a professional attitude to write your cover letter. Why? Your cover letter is the front-page of your resume. This may also serve as your ticket toward those precious requests for job interviews. That is why your cover letter must be carefully written. But it doesn’t mean that you must over-emphasize your intent by writing a long letter of application. It doesn’t pay that much if you lose your reader - the job recruiter or the one in-charge for the position applied for. Consider the attention span of the reader of your cover letter.

So, what are you waiting for? Let your pen do the writing and your mind do the thinking by simply following these do’s and avoiding these don’ts of an effective cover letter.

Do’s

• Be concise

As mentioned earlier, don’t let the reader suffer when he reads your cover letter. A cover letter with three to four paragraphs is enough to emphasize your qualifications, credentials, and suitability for the position. Moreover, avoid lengthy sentences. An average sentence contains 15 to 20 words. Just write what you think the employer wants to know from you and what you know to the company that you are applying with.

• Be original, professional and personal in style

If you are applying for a job to different employers, you probably just get on customizing your ready-made cover letter. That saves time and no rule prevents you in doing so. But you may also try to flavor your cover letter with creativity. You may emphasize your best achievements yet or how did you meet the requirements of your last project by using two columns. Put the scenarios of your recent top projects on the first column and your achievements to the second.

Professionalism with personal style always has a room. What do you feel if you are Mr. McKelly and yet addressed as Ms. McKelly? Isn’t that pretty embarrassing? There are cases where job ads do not include the contact person for a specific position. Calling the company and asking the receptionist to whom you could address your application is worth it.

• Proofread

Proofread. Even the most excellent writer in the world could not write a perfect article at once. Try to keep your cover letter for a while. Then, go back and take a glance. This time, you could easily notice the mistakes of your cover letter in terms of grammar rules, punctuation marks, misspellings, and sentence fragments. An error-free cover letter creates a positive impact to the hiring manager. The rule: take the habit of revising or proofreading.

Don’ts

• Being passive in tone

As a rule, prefer active verbs than passive verbs. Active verbs set you up as the subject. Remember that in writing a cover letter you are also marketing or selling your self to your prospective employer. Instead of writing “The net sales of my previous company was raised by me.”, change it as “I raised the net sales of my previous company.” Now, it creates a strong impact by being the subject. Be the man!

• Repeating the resume verbatim

Don’t make your cover letter look dull to the eyes. Learn the art of paraphrasing the sentences on your resume. Treat it like you are just telling a story of “My Toughest Accomplishments in the Workplace”.

• Forgetting to sign your cover letter

As part of professionalism, have the act of signing important documents. This will not just formalize your job application. It will also serve as a confirmation that the letter content is originally-based on your knowledge and information.

Now, you are ready to beat that winning cover letter. Remember that what you are to be initially on the eyes of your employer is what you wrote on your cover letter.

Adam Boulton asked:


A cover letter accompanies each resume and it is sensible to devote the needed time and effort to write effective cover letters because the cover letter may either assist in obtaining a job interview or result in having the resume rejected. A cover letter should complement the resume. Its main objective is to interpret the data-oriented details and add a personal touch. A cover letter creates the first impression, which is the earliest written contact with a potential employer.

Generally there are three types of cover letters. The application letter that responds to a known job opening, the prospecting letter that inquires about possible positions and the networking letter that requests information and help in job search.

The cover letter to be written should be drafted based on the purpose and also the position sought. A cover letter need not be sent to every potential employer. An ideal cover letter explains the reasons for the interest in the company and highlights the relevant skills or experience. Cover letters express a high level of interest and knowledge about the position.

In a cover letter the first paragraph should explain why a cover letter is written, middle paragraph should explain what the applicant has to offer and the concluding paragraph details how the candidate would follow up.

While writing about the purpose of writing a cover letter, the person who referred to the potential employer-the mutual contact needs to be mentioned. It is to be mentioned from where the title of the position was obtained and the enthusiasm and the credentials suited to the position have to be explained.

In the case of a prospective letter, which is an unsolicited letter, it is important to capture the attention of the reader and the objective of the job should be stated very clearly. In a networking letter, the request should be made very clearly.

The cover letter should be like a preview to the resume which is dynamic and attention grabbing. A cover letter is the summary of the most important and relevant information in the resume.

Since the cover letter should contain information in an accessible manner, it should be clear, concise and to the point, personalized, catching the attention at first sight, linking the skills and experience and call for an action.

One opportunity to make a good impression and enter the second round is the first glance at the cover letter. It is rather difficult to write a targeted cover letter to each position applied for cover letters pave the way to get a better access to the interview regardless of the qualifications.

Michael Murray asked:


When sending out a resume, the first thing a potential employer is going to look at is the cover letter attached to your resume. The cover letter is an often forgotten but highly important part of the application process. The first thing to know or determine is what type you are going to be writing. There are three basic types of cover letters: an application, a networking, and an inquiring.

The application cover letter is a cover letter which is attached to your resume and expresses interest in an already advertised or open position. A networking cover letter with resume attached is a request for assistance in your search for a job. An inquiring cover letter attached to your resume indicates you are looking for work and requesting they look over your resume to see if your skills fit any position they are looking for. This tells the company you are sending your cover letter and resume to exactly what they are looking for. This translates into your resume getting to the right person without ending up in the reject pile.

Make sure that your cover letter is targeted to the company and position you are sending your resume to. This will help put you closer to the top of the pile or even in the keep pile when employers are weeding through hundreds of cover letters and applications. Since the cover letter not only introduces you but tells your intent it is a vital part of your resume presentation and should be tailored to each individual company you submit applications too. It is also a good idea to include a run down in a short paragraph about your skills and how they meet the criteria for the position. This will also help employers quickly determine if you are someone they want to interview. Including skill information can greatly increase the number of interview calls you receive.

Another thing that a cover letter does is peak interest in your resume. It breaks down the parts of your resume that applies to the particular position or types of positions available. It is said that an employer gives only approximately thirty seconds of review to each resume received. If they do not see anything of interest in those thirty seconds, they move on. A cover letter provides a targeted resume summary giving you extra time to state your case when it comes to selling yourself as a potential employee.

Taking the time to set up a cover letter with the company name and address, your contact information, contact person directly responsible for hiring for the position you are looking at. As well as a summary of your skills and what you can bring both to the position and company is a sure fire way to make sure your resume stays at the top of the pile.

Mario Churchill asked:


When a vacancy for a certain job is posted, it is expected to attract a number of applicants. Among these applicants, more than half will surely be qualified for the position. Just like you, their goal is also to be hired. So aside from the resume that you submit in applying for the job, the cover letter is also attached.

The cover letter is usually a one-page letter that is written to invite the employer to read on to your resume. For a busy employer who had been hectic all day reading typical application letters, which of those will leave a mark to you? This scenario must be taken into consideration by the applicant because it will also serve as a determinant whether your application will be dumped to the rejected files or files to be considered.

The cover letter aims to stir the interest of your prospected employer. With the knowledge in writing a strong cover letter, you can face the fierce competition in the job market. In fact, an effective cover letter can make you an outstanding candidate for the job more than those who are more qualified in skills than you.

A good cover letter must be able to awaken the weary mind of an employer. They must be interested to read more and subsequently be engrossed to call you for an interview upon reading your cover letter. If most of the application letters in the bulk of files receives only a glance, then yours should be read from start till the end.

When applying for the job, you have to advertise yourself to the potential employer in the form of an application letter. But it is through the cover letter that you give them a peek at your assertions for being a qualified employee. Therefore, the cover letter must give the employer an idea of the advantages of hiring you. The cover letter must be able to make them realize the direct and specific benefits that you can give the company. And it must speak in your behalf on what it takes to be proficient for the position.

In writing the cover letter, you must establish professional standards such as in the organization of words and ideas, design and formatting, neatness and even in the class of paper where you will print the cover letter. According to some, the signature also makes some implications about your personality and some employers observe this.

Your resume already states your job history and qualifications. So what is the purpose of the cover letter? The cover letter purports the salient points that must be highlighted to prove that you are worthy for the position. And it is because of the cover letter that the employer gets hooked to your qualifications. Since it is an attachment to the resume, it should not be a total recopy of the contents.

The cover letter generally states your interest for the job and to work with the company. This also introduces you and your skills and expertise to the employer so that he will recognize your potentials to fit the position.

So if you want the company to distinguish you from among the qualified candidates for the job, make an effective cover letter which will represent you without personal contact.