Cover Letters

The purpose of a cover letter is to compliment your resume when applying for a job. A cover letter allows you to introduce yourself to potential employers so you need to draw close attention to what is written in your cover letter. This is an opportunity to attract the readers' attention to your particular skills and experiences that would benefit the potential employer.

Your cover letter provides an essential overview of your skills and how you feel they are appropriate to the position advertised. Don't just simply summaries your resume, associate your experiences with previous positions and explain how they would benefit the new company. A cover letter does provide an employer with a sneak peak at an applicants' personality as well as his or her qualifications. It allows the employer to see how well you convey your ideas, your writing skills and also communication skills.
A superior cover letter can move your resume to the top of the pile.

Be specific and address a particular individual in the cover letter, where possible.
It would be more appealing if you addressed the cover letter to the person who would be considering you for the position. Write the letter to a specific person. Take the trouble and try to find out the name of the person hiring you. Research the company and customize your cover letter to the company. This gives the impression that you are genuinely aware of what the company is all about and that you believe you are well suited to the job. Explain to the employer what you can offer the company, how your skills and experiences relate to the requirements of the position.

The more "generic" your cover letter is, the less likely it will be successful. You need to cater your cover letter to the specific company/position. This will demonstrate the fact that you know what position you are getting yourself into and that you are genuinely excited about the prospects of starting a new job with the company.

Draw on accomplishments that directly relate to the job you are applying for. With your vast history of life and work experiences you should be able to draw on things that you can relate directly to the position being applied for.

Keep the cover letter relatively brief, to the point, articulate and simple.
It should rarely be longer than 1 page. A cover letter should also be pleasant to read for the employer.

At the end of the cover letter, tell the employer that you would like to talk and meet the person and you would be available at a certain time.

Good luck writing that cover letter!

Cover Letter Tips and Guides

• Similar to a resume, a cover letter should be written and directed specifically towards the particular job at hand. It's probably not in your best interest to write a generic cover letter and send it to potential employers. Generic cover letters are very obvious and won't do you any favours.
• Cover letters are supposed to summarise and highlight your talents, experience, skills and potential. Do not simply copy and reproduce this from another source.
• The obvious must be stated in that your cover letter, just like your resume, should be perfect! Make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors, use the spell checker but don't just rely on it. Get a friend or a family member to read it over for you.
• Cover letters should should not be longer than a page.

Sample Cover Letter

Cover Letters

Sample Cover Letter

Cover Letter Template (Classical)

Cover Letter Template (Traditional)