RESUME COVER LETTERS

When sending your resume to a prospective employer you need to send with it a cover letter.

There are three types of cover letter

1) APPLYING FOR A SPECIFIC JOB LETTERS.

2) SPECULATIVE LETTERS.

3) EMAIL COVER LETTER.

Some people think that when sending your resume that there is no point in adding a covering letter

,however it is a great way to highlight your skills,regardless if you are sending a resume or an application form.

in some cases if your covering letter is not well written your resume may not even get read.

If you don't send a cover letter think of all the other applicants who will.

When applying for an advertised job ensure you address the letter correctly,check the persons name and ensure the address is correct this also applies for the envelope.

If you are applying you must feel that your experience and skills match what the job advert is asking for.

If your experience matches well, then the cover letter is your tool to show the employer that you can do this job.

Use a short title or the first paragraph to show which advert you're responding to, the date of the advert, where it was advertised and any reference number the company have stated in the advert.

The introduction should be short and succinct and generally introduce your interest in the company and the role they're advertising for. The next part can be a set out as a paragraph, although it may work better using bullet points. This section can draw the reader in if you make it clear using bullet points - this is the part where you show you've read the advert and can illustrate how your experience matches what they're asking for.Then you have a final paragraph which again is quite short. In your closing statement you should say what you are going to do next. Usually there is a closing date on the advert so you won't need to call to follow up. So you could simply say that you look forward to hearing from them and that your resume with full details of your experience is enclosed.

Before you send a speculative letter you should do a little research and find out if your experience and skills match what is done by the company.

Speculative letters are different because the company you are writing to may not be advertising and ofcourse may not have any available positions.

the first thing you should do is find out the name of the person to send your resume to by either calling the company or checking on the internet failing that you should address your letter to the head of personnel.

this cover letter will be the same as for an advert response cover letter so you'll usually have an opening and closing paragraph with some bullet points in the middle showing your core skills.

The opening paragraph will be different to an application in response to an advert because you need to say why you're sending them your details. This time if someone has recommended you write then say so. 'Bob Hawkins recommended I send you my details after meeting him at a trade fair last week' is a good way to introduce your enclosed resume. Alternatively you could write that you're looking for a new career move and have recognised that XYZ company could be an excellent company to work for as they always come top in the regional best employer awards. This shows the company that you know something about them.

The second part is the same (as in the advert response cover letter); use bullet points to put across in an easy fashion your core skills and experience that are relevant to the organisation. Do your research and align your skills and background with their needs. Careers pages on corporate websites often show what types of people companies look for even of they're not advertising at the moment.

The final paragraph needs to detail what your next move is. If you have the name or department to whom you're sending your resume to, then outline that you'll call them to follow up on your application. Do not write this if you have no intention of following up by phone though. Tell them also that your resume is enclosed as they may not have taken the resume out of the envelope; sounds silly but it happens!

More and more recruiters and potential employers use email as opposed to normal mail for receiving applications and resume's. You can therefore use email also to send either a response to an advert or a speculative application. If you're responding to an advert, often directions of how you should apply are included in the advert so make sure you follow them. If they state to email with a particular reference in the Subject line of the email, then do this.

Another hint is to email your application to yourself or to someone you know well first before sending it for real. This way you can spot any potential problems with your email. It is amazing how many people send applications without remembering to attach their resume or documents requested in the advert.

The email itself should be used as a cover letter so utilise this further vehicle to sell yourself. However, unlike a letter where paragraphs are used, only use bullet points or short sentences. Ideally, you don't want the person receiving the email to have to scroll down the page to finish reading your email. The idea is to whet their appetite to open your attached resume or application as soon as possible.

The bullet points should cover your skill set and experience with direct reference to the advert so essentially this part is the same as the written cover letter.

Another hint is to include your phone number after your name at the bottom, just in case they cannot open your attachment. You do not, however, need to write out your email address also as they'll have this anyway from the fact you've sent them an email.

good luck and best wishes with your job hunt..... jimmy