Writing an effective cover letter will help you land a job interview when it is combined with a good resume. Cover letters need to be sent when you mail or fax your resume, but it needs to be short and to the point. The cover letter is used to help you obtain a job interview. Normally the cover letter will briefly inform the employer why you are interested in the job and why you are the best candidate for the job.

Usually resume cover letters can be divided into two styles: general and specific. The general cover letter will emphasize your skills and qualifications. Normally you will not address the employer by name and you will not include the date in which you wrote the cover letter. The general cover letter is often used when you are approaching a company with the hope that they will have a job opening for you. The specific cover letter will be written directly to an individual at the company and for a specific position within the company. It is personalized for that company and the person that will be hiring you. Specific cover letters are the most common type of cover letters used with resumes. A specific cover letter shows the company that you are truly interested in the job opening and that you want to work for them.

A good cover letter may be the deciding factor in calling you in for an interview or dismissing your resume with all the others that have been sent in. A cover letter needs to complement your resume and point out a few things that you did not include on the resume. The cover letter is designed to add a personal, human touch to your resume and convince the employer that they need to contact you. The cover letter will be read before the resume, therefore it will establish the first impression you make upon an employer. Here are some tips to help you create a professional cover letter:

Determine which type of resume cover letter you want to write. As discussed above, the two main styles of resume cover letters include general and specific. Specific cover letters are often called application letters, because you are responding to a job that is open and has been made known to the public. The general cover letter is also called a prospective letter because you are asking the employer for possible job openings within the company. There is also a networking letter that you may include with your resume because it will ask for assistance in your hunt for a job.

The cover letter needs to be designed specifically for each job and company you are applying for. For example, if you are applying for a job with an accounting firm, you will write a completely different cover letter from one that you would use for a university. If you use a template cover letter, it will be tossed by most employers. It is easy for employers to weed out the potential employees that actually want the job from the ones that are just applying to several job openings.  The cover letter should include your skills and experiences that are relevant to the job opening. A good cover letter will express a high interest in the position and will demonstrate some knowledge about the position.

A cover letter will have 3 important paragraphs and they will cover the following:

• The First Paragraph - The reason why you are writing the letter
  
• The Second Paragraph - What skills and experience you have to offer the employer
  
• The Final Paragraph - It will describe how you will follow-up

Starting with the first paragraph, you need to lay-out the reasons why you are even writing the employer. Some people have been referred by a colleague or employee of the company. If you have been referred by another person, be sure to include their name in the cover letter in the first paragraph. A good way to start the first paragraph is to state something like this: "John Doe suggested that I contact you regarding a position in accounting."

If you found out about the job through a job posting, you should include this information on the cover letter. You need to express your interest in the job and a few of your qualifications that would make you right for the job. You will need to include something like the following: "Please accept my employment application for the Marketing Associate position you listed on Yahoo! Hot Jobs. My educational background and skills will prove to be an effective asset to your company. I would like to discuss the job opening with you soon and talk about our respective goals.

A cover letter that is written for a general purpose, such as inquiring about any potential job opening should state your job objective. When you are inquiring about job openings, you must remember that this letter is unsolicited, so you need write after a manner that will catch their attention. A sample paragraph will include the following information: "I recently graduated from Yale Law School and I am anxious to start my career in Law. I read an article talking about the cases your firm has won. I would like to discuss my accomplishments and the work your firm has completed to see how we can complement one another."

Another way to ask a company about potential job openings is to make your request clear in the opening paragraph. Inform the company that you are interested in the work they do and you would like to discuss entry-level positions or discuss the skills and qualifications you need in order to work for them.

A good cover letter should refer the reader to your resume, without repeating the information found on your resume. The cover letter is a wonderful place to provide information that you could not fit on your resume. If you have experience in some areas that need to be emphasized, the cover letter is a perfect place to put this information. For example, you can include a sentence about your management experience by stating "Evidence of my management and leadership skills can be seen in my experience as the Head Resident, etc." Your problem solving skills and achievements should be included with the cover letter.

One way to include your educational information into the cover letter is to state the following: "The job posting listed you are seeking an individual with a degree in business. My degree in business and psychology combined with my work-related experience as a Manager for a Development company have prepared me for this position." It is good to list your interest and skills in the cover letter, as they will help the reader relate to you on some level.

The final paragraph of a cover letter is called the follow-up paragraph. In this paragraph, you will state how you plan to contact the individual via telephone to set up an appointment. You must contact the potential employer during the time frame that you state on the follow-up paragraph. If you are unable to reach the person via telephone, try emailing the individual. Make every effort possible to confirm your application was received and try to get in contact with the person conducting the interviews. Some individuals may be out of town when the interviews begin, you need to be sure to include this information on your cover letter before you submit the resume. Try to follow-up within a week of submitting the resume

Most resumes and cover letters should not include references unless the employer specifically asks for them. Some positions will require samples of your work. It is always a good idea to create a portfolio of your work and offer them to the employer in the cover letter. Simply state the following: "I have a portfolio of my art or writing samples available for you to view. These samples show my qualifications for the job opening as the Art Director."

Here is a general cover letter format you can follow:

Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip Code
Your Phone Number
Your Email Address

Date

List the employer's contact information next in the same format that you listed yours. After you list their information, tab down and start by stating "Dear Mr. /Ms. Last Name:"

The 3 paragraph formats will come next. The first paragraph will provide information about why you are writing the cover letter and submitting your resume. You must state the position you are applying for or provide the name of the person that referred you for the job. Always be clear about your motives in the first paragraph. The second paragraph will provide the employer with information about why they need to hire you. This section will describe what skills and experience you have to offer and how it can be beneficial to the company. The last paragraph will state how you plan to follow-up and when you plan to follow-up.

After the body is completed, write a complimentary close like "Sincerely or Respectfully yours." Leave a space for your handwritten signature and then type your name below it.