Forget Your Résumé. Your Cover Letter Creates THE First Impression.

Though your résumé has always been considered the first point of contact, it is your cover letter that actually creates the first impression – an impression that can sometimes rule your résumé out of contention.

A survey conducted by the Wall Street Journal in 2004 cited professionals in the career industry, and those employers surveyed, as stating that an average of 85% of cover letters they received were so badly written that they materially damaged the applicants chances.

One company quoted gave the example of a recent position they had advertised where they received in excess of 150 applications. Fifty of the applications did not come with a cover letter – despite the job description specifically requesting the inclusion of a cover letter

Of the approximately 100 remaining applications 97% were so badly written, or contained mistakes or irrelevant information, or did not address any of the advertised position requirements, that the résumé was not even viewed – that’s right - 97% of the cover letters were of such a poor standard that the résumé was dismissed.

The possibly carefully crafted and beautifully presented résumé was not even looked at because of the poor quality of the cover letter. Only three of approximately 150 applicants got through to the stage of having their résumés viewed due solely to the standard of the cover letter.

When compiling your cover letter think about these few points:

** Ensure that your letter is laid out professionally and that the header and body text font is identical to your résumé.

** Make it clear that you really want THAT job. Clear your mind of all negative thoughts as you write, sit upright and write with confidence and certainty and the words you automatically choose will reflect your enthusiasm.

** Identify the bottom line qualifications, skills and experience as outlined in the job description. Don’t go overboard but briefly answer how you meet these criterion always giving one or two examples from your career history to back up what you are saying.

** Though advertisements through recruitment agencies will not divulge any useful information, do your best to research the company as it may be possible to incorporate information relevant to the company in your letter.

** Only mention personal information if it is highly relevant to the position or the company.

** Always finish on a positive, enthusiastic note with one further point why they should consider you for the role. But do not demand an interview, rather thank the reader for their time and consideration.

When you have finished the letter ask someone who you know has an eye for detail to check for spelling and grammatical errors and for repetitive words.

*****

Article Source: http://www.therepozitory.com.au

Beverley Neil is the owner of d’Scriptive Words, a freelance writing business. She has dual international résumé accreditation, is a multiple award winning résumé writer and author of the online course Launching Your Résumé Writing Career. She can be contacted on d_scriptive@optusnet.com.au or via www.onlineresumewriterscourse.com

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

# of Ratings = 1 | Rating = 5/5