• The Anatomy of a Cover Letter


• Essential Do's and Don'ts of Cover Letter Writing


• The Clever Cover Letter


• Cover Letter Writing for People Who Hate Cover Letter Writing

Essential Do's and Don'ts of Cover Letter Writing

A well-written cover letter adds a personal, humanistic touch to your resume. It coveys the message that you are a serious, professional candidate who knows what proper business etiquette is. Cover letters also demonstrate your written communication skills. They do so even better than their companion resumes as cover letters are written with standard sentences in the way that we really speak.

• Cover letters are to be included every time you traditionally mail or fax your resume-even if a job advertisement simply says "send resume" without mentioning a cover letter.
  
  
• When sending your resume as an attachment via e-mail, the body of that e-mail becomes your cover letter. You do not send your cover letter as an attachment. Create a short paragraph stating what job you are interested in and tell the employer some of your key qualifications. Do not type the date or an inside address on the e-mail screen. If you can include your signature electronically, do so.



• Detective work to unearth the name of the hiring manager is a good idea. This enables you to address cover letters more personally.



• Never start your letter by saying "My name is _______." There is also no need to reiterate your telephone number in the last paragraph. Both your name and number are visable at the top of the page in the header area.



• Watch out for repetitive language. Don't start too many sentences with the word "I."