Cover Letter Writing Tips to Make an Impression

When you apply for a job, your cover letter writing gives the employer that important first impression. So, you want it to be great, right? Here are a few ways you can do it.

Put your best foot forward.

Start by addressing the letter to a specific person in the organization. If you don't know who to address the letter to, call the company and ask.

Make sure to get the correct spelling of the person's name. And if their name is not gender specific, ask about that, too.

For instance, Jamie, Chris or Pat can be the first name of a woman or a man. If you address the letter to Mr. Pat Jones and her name is Patricia, you'll make an impression, but not the right one.

Give your information with personality

In the body of the letter, include all of the information requested in the job posting. In fact, don't read the posting once, read it twice or three times to make sure you don't miss anything. If you can, use similar phrases to those in the posting.

For instance, if the ad says, "must be organized and highly motivated," in your cover letter, state that you are organized and highly motived. You see, it is not uncommon, especially if you are applying online, for a computer to get the first shot at your cover letter.

In addition, the variety of skills asked for in job postings make it impossible to use a form cover letter. So don't. But you can work with a template.

Remember, this is a business letter. Don't write more than you need to in order to introduce yourself and answer the needs of the employer.

A good rule of thumb is three to five paragraphs, or no more than a single page. You can put your own personality into it. Just keep it professional.

After writing the letter, review and rewrite it until it is as perfect as you can make it. This means checking and double checking your spelling, grammar and accuracy.

You're done!

If you are mailing the letter, print out the finished letter and sign it. Use blue ink, to show that it's the original. Keep a copy for your records. Then mail it with your resume.

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