Introduction

You are on the job market. Chances are you have either spent a significant amount of time on your resume or have paid a significant amount of money for someone else to write it. If you are like most prospective employees, however, you have spent little or no time thinking about cover letters. Most professional resume services throw a form letter or two in with the cost of preparing your resume. If you prepared your resume on your own, you may have even created the infamous “to whom it may concern” form cover letter. This strategy will not get you very far on the job market. The problem for most job-seekers is that it is difficult and often time-consuming to write a good cover letter. The purpose of this entry is to demystify cover letters, as well as to teach you to write the type of letter that will make a solid first impression.

Why you Need to Include a Cover Letter with All of Your Resume Submissions

There are two basic reasons for including a cover letter with any job application package. First, it is expected. You may think that because a job posting does not ask specifically for a cover letter that you do not need to send one. This could not be further from the truth. Most employers assume that they do not need to tell you to send a cover letter because it is part of business etiquette. In this context, failing to include a cover letter with your resume is one way to guarantee that you make a poor first impression.

Perhaps you believe that proper business etiquette is of little importance compared with other facets of the application process. If you are tempted to skip the cover letter, think of the following: Your potential employer receives three hundred applications to fill two positions with their company. The human resources department needs a good way of narrowing down the number of applicants to a more manageable figure. It is not a good idea at this point to give human resources an excuse to put your application in the recycling bin. After all, unless you are applying for a job in human resources, the human resource department will not be able to evaluate you based on your full qualifications. You need to get your application through this gate and into the hands of someone who can evaluate your talent and experience.

Second, cover letters are superior to resumes when it comes to demonstrating that your skills and the company’s needs match. Most resumes are written in chronological order. However, there are elements of each of your previous jobs that may be of interest to your prospective employer. Cover letters are the perfect instrument for you to demonstrate that you are the one exceptional candidate in a sea of mediocrity who can meet and exceed your potential employer’s expectations.