Hate cover letters? Well, now is the time to get over your hate and start to love them. Okay, maybe not love them but at least understand their importance to employers.

My students always ask if cover letters really do matter. My answer is yes they do matter. Cover letters are a very important part of your job search strategy. Your job is to provide your customer (employer) with all the tools needed to make a final purchase decision regarding different products for sale (job seekers). Cover letters provides an opportunity for job seekers to differentiate themselves among competitors. Cover letters also provide another chance for job seekers to showcase their skills using examples and paint a picture for the employer. Just like products paint a picture for potential consumers you need to do the same.  In today’s economy you need to standout. Consider cover letters a necessity for today’s job seekers.

Please note that your cover letter needs to be written well. Sending bad marketing material to your consumer is not going to sell the product. But it will surely hurt your chances for interviewing. At the same time there is nothing worst then not sending marketing material at all.

 Remember that a cover letter is simply a business document. Meaning they are concise and to-the-point not English papers but at the same time provide enough information for readers to make a sound decision. In this case the employer is making the decision to bring you in for an interview or not.

 The purpose of the cover letter -

  • Serve as an introduction to the employer
  • Address the position you are seeking and hoping to interview for
  • Serve as one of your self marketing tools
  • Communicate that you are the product to solve the needs of the employer
  • Offer and invite the employer to contact you
 Try to keep your cover letter to one page. Remember employers are busy. They hardly have time to recruit and fill for openings. It is your job to make it easy for the employer to identify you as the solution to their problem.
 


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