YES! You Should Include a Cover Letter How to Make it a Good One - FlexJobs

YES You Should Include a Cover Letter How to Make it a Good One - FlexJobsYES You Should Include a Cover Letter How to Make it a Good One 56Once a staple of the job search, the titelseite letter increasingly has its detractors among career experts.These days, they argue, hiring managers receive about 7 billion rsums a day, and they spend less than a millisecond glancing over each one as they decide who makes it past the prelims and into the running for the job. That titel letter (or cover email) will immediately be trashedAs far as were concerned, however, theres just one good reason not to send a cover letter to a prospective employee The job posting explicitly says not to send one.Even today,the cover letter can still be a powerful tool for job seekers, a way to build rapport with a prospective employer and put yourrsum in context. The worst thing that can happen if you send a cover letter is that it doesnt get read. Big deal. No harm, no foul.Soare you going to include a cover let ter the next time you send in arsum?Yes? Good choice.Here are some tips on crafting a cover letter that will get you noticed1. Make it pretty.Before your cover letter ever gets read, someonesgoing to glanceat it. If your cover letter looks like its going to be a pain to read, youve already lost the game.Long, unbroken blocks of text are a surefire way to turn off a reader (especially when your reader is one of those overworked hiring managers). Your sentences should be short. And create separate paragraphs- there should be just three to five- with a space. Theres no need to indent. Bulleted lists make for easy, breezy, more scannable text.2. Make it original.When it comes to cover letters, recycling is not a good practice.Each new job opportunity calls for a new cover letter. Study the job posting. Tailor your cover letter to it, using similar terminology and tone (but still be yourself).Most letters can follow a voreingestellt three-paragraph formatIntroduce yourself and tell them why youre writing.Match your qualifications to the job. Use specific examples (and maybe one of those bulleted lists).Restate how youre a perfect fit for the job, ask for an interview, and let them know how youll follow up.3. Make it relevant.Your cover letter shouldnt just be a catalog of your skills and experience- thats what yourrsum is. A cover letter is your chance to draw a line between your skills and experience and the qualities that the employer is looking for in a candidate. Remember to keep it brief, though. If your cover letter is effective, youll have a chance to elaborate on your qualifications during an interview.4. Make it complete.Be sure to include your full name and contact (phone and email) info in the cover letter. Also, if you know someone inside the company- who doesnt mind vouching for you- include their name in the cover letter (e.g., Rodney Tinseltown, a manager with John Doe Co., suggested I pursue this opportunity). Also, end your cover letter by reiterat ing your qualifications, letting the companyknow how and when youll follow up, and that you are requesting an interview.5. Make it perfect.Warning Bad grammar, typos, and misspellings will kill your cover letter. So dont just bang out your cover letter and send it off. Finish the first draft, and then set it aside for a few minutes.When you give it another read, be on the lookout for mistakes and opportunities to strip out excess words and to strengthen the points you make (try reading it out loud). Go ahead, use spell check, but be sure to double-check your spelling. Spell check doesnt catch everything Finally, askat least one other person to read the letter before you send it out.Ready to start your job search? Browselegitimate telecommuting, part-time, and flexible jobs in 55 categories.Readers, what tips do you have for our members to create a stand-out cover letter? Please share in the comments belowThe tips in this blog postcome fromCareerBliss.com, an online career community dedicated to empowering people with the tools and resources they need to make happy career decisions. CareerBliss has more than 600,000 company reviews, a database of salary information, and millions of job postings.