| How to Create Your Cover Letter, Part 1 |
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You've probably heard the story of the guy who visits his doctor complaining of pain in his eye every time he drinks hot cocoa. After asking a few questions, the doc offers this solution: "Take the spoon out of your cup when you drink." When it comes to creating cover letters, I've observed that most job searchers make the process much more painful than it needs to be. Several years ago, I worked with a client who had experienced a head injury. Until that time, he'd had a highly successful career in sales. After his accident, however, he lost the ability to write more than a sentence or two. He hired me to help him with his job search...specifically, to write cover letters to submit with his resume to positions of interest. He was highly motivated to get back to work, and he requested that I prepare 20 or more cover letters for him each week. When we began working together, the thought of writing so many letters seemed overwhelming to me. Yet within a few days of creating his letters, I'd discovered a method for writing a very effective, customized cover letter in about three minutes, and my client received calls for interviews for about 25 percent of the applications he submitted. Since that time, I've stuck with this cover letter writing system. Set Up Your Letter Professionally Your cover letter and resume go hand in hand in representing you as a qualified candidate. For this reason, it's important to present your cover letter as professionally as you do your resume. Often, you can easily create your header by copying and pasting the header from your resume. Be sure to include your name or initials, as well as your phone number and e-mail information. Your address is optional, especially if you want to maintain your confidentiality; however, if you don't include your address, at least include some regional information. |
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