Cover Letter Outline printable pdf download

Cover Letter Outline

Cover Letters

You should always include a cover letter when mailing, e-mailing, or faxing a

resume.

 A cover letter serves two basic purposes: as an introduction and as a marketing tool.

Your cover letter should describe specific reasons the employer should consider you

as a viable candidate for a job opening.

Those reasons may include your

educational training, your work experience, and/or personal qualities and attributes.

 Address your letter to an identified person, as opposed to "To whom it may concern."

(Call the organization and ask to whom your letter should be addressed). If you are

responding to a "blind ad" (PO Box only), you may use "To whom it may concern" as

the salutation.

 Tailor your letter to the position being filled or to the organization itself. This means

that you will have to write a specific letter for each resume you mail. Generic cover

letters look like just that (what do you do with mail addressed to "occupant"?) and

have a very poor success rate because they are attributed to a lack of genuine

interest on your part. You will be able to use essentially the same structure in most

of your letters, but personalize each one and emphasize how your training and

experience relates to that specific job.

 When printing hard copies, use good quality paper. The paper should match that of

your resume. A cover letter should never be handwritten. Keep the cover letter to

one page.

 The cover letter conveys a great deal about your writing skills. Use clear, concise

language and proofread carefully! The letter should be free of any errors.

Cover Letter Outline