Cover Letter help
Welcome to our collection of articles and resources to help you develop a great cover letter.
A great cover letter can mean the difference between success and failure in your job search because some recruiters and managers put great store in the cover letter. (Others don't even read them, but you have no way of knowing which camp your recruiter will fall into, so you need to make your letter the absolute best it can be.)
What is a Cover Letter?
Our first article, What is a Cover Letter? helps to define the term "cover letter" and explains the purpose of the letter. It also offers an outline of what should be included in your cover letter.
How to Write a Cover Letter
In How to Write a Cover Letter that Gets Results, I outline how a well-known formula for writing direct mail letters can also be used to write a cover letter.
The formula is A.I.D.A., which stands for Attention (grab their attention), Interest (Make sure you get their interest quickly), Desire (make them want to know more) and Action (tell them what you're going to do next.
The A.I.D.A. formula really does work when it comes to writing a cover letter and following it can take a lot of the mystery out of the process.
Sample Cover Letters
Finally, I have pulled together some of the best sample cover letters from around the web so that you can see some different options for your cover letter. As with any career marketing document, you should never copy someone else's letter - but you can use these to spark ideas about content, layout or structure.
Get my Free Cover Letter Writing Guide
My free Guide to cover letter writing is provided free with every purchase of my book, The DIY Guide to Writing a Killer Resume. You'll also receive a job search strategy guide and 20 MS Word resume templates - in other words, everything you need to kick start a successful job search!
Louise Fletcher is the President of Blue Sky Resumes, and Managing Editor and Co-founder of the preeminent careers blog, Career Hub. She is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and many of her resumes have been published in the JIST "Expert Resumes" series. She has contributed to many online publications including About.com, Monster.com, The Ladders, and Net Temps.
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