Blog Post: Writing the Cover Letter: Get it Right!

Is having a cover letter important when applying for a job? Usually, it is very important. Here is what a cover letter does for your prospective employer. It tells him or her that you care enough about getting this position to invest time into writing a letter; it allows the person to do a quick assessment of your ability to communicate ideas in a meaningful manner as well as your writing ability; and it also provides him or her with a highlight of your skills that may otherwise be lost in a resume.

A cover letter does not have to be long, but it must be custom-tailored to the job for which you are applying. The biggest mistake you can make is recycling a generic cover letter or sending a letter written for another job. I have seen letters that referred to the wrong position. This simple example of carelessness, in my experience, has always caused the reviewer to discard the application.

When writing a cover letter, try to address it to a specific person. If the company has a website, check it out to find the head of the department or the office to which you are applying. Having a letter addressed to the right individual (especially when the name was not advertised) may impress the reviewer by showing once again that you are taking this application very seriously.

The overall purpose of a cover letter is to announce your interest in a particular position and to underscore experience and education that make you a strong candidate. Think of it as an opportunity to speak to the employer directly before you are ever invited in. Take this opportunity seriously! In the next blog, we will talk about composing a powerful cover letter.

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Natalie Candela
Basic Learning Systems
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info@basic-learning.com
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