| Resume Cover Letters - The 7 Second Solution! |
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Resume Cover Letters - The 7 Second Solution! By John Groth After you've spent days and many drafts to get your resume just right don't overlook the importance of the resume cover letter. The resume cover letter is your seven second introduction to the prospective employer. As with any introduction the first impression is everything. The goals of the resume cover letter are to attract attention, then create interest and then demonstrate that you are a strong candidate. This leads the recruiter to a more careful reading of your resume to determine if your cover letter introduction is accurate and warrants calling you for an interview. How then do you draft a resume cover letter that provides you with the required powerful opening to introduce your resume? First, let's review the best cover letter formats. Rarely should the resume cover letter be longer that one page. Take the effort to find the name and title of the correct person to send the cover letter and resume. Don't send in a "To it may concern." Double check the employer's address and make sure you have the latest information on your phone number and email address. Have a professional message on your answering machine and a business like email address-beerguzzler@hotwheels will not do the job. Now to the content of the resume cover letter. Start by telling the employer the job you are applying for and where you learned of the opening. You will have researched the company; on the internet, library and articles in the local newspaper going back about a year. If there is something relevant now is the time to mention the information, and if possible how it related to the job opening and your experience. Just when you are in a noisy crowd and your name is spoken, you turn your attention to who said your name. It's the same with a cover letter. For example, if the employer is looking for someone who has abilities as a "logistics specialist with multi-national tariff experience," and you have some experience working with tariffs. You now put in 2-3 bullet points that will prove you have the key skills that match the job requirements. Your first bullet point might be: "Logistics specialist with over two years multi-national tariff experiences, in past year, developed plan that eliminated duplicate tariff paperwork saving over $47,000." Each bullet point should directly address the needs shown in the job announcement. Be sure to quantify each achievement. You either saved money, did it faster, were under budget or increased sales-all bottom line orientated. The overall tone of your resume cover letter should be positive, showing you are a person of action, and proves your resume closely matches the job requirements. Show clearly that you understand the needs and key skills of the job opening and in conclusion summarize why you should be given serious consideration for the position. As you can see, although the resume cover letter format may remain the same, each cover letter will be unique. Nothing stops the resume from being read faster than to have a resume cover letter that is generic-one size does not fit all situations. Work hard at achieving the three goals of a successful resume cover letter. Get the readers attention in seven seconds or less, create interest by matching your experience and skills with those required for the job and then summarize that you are a strong candidate. Taken together you will be well on your way to getting the important job interview. John Groth is a Career Coach and former HR executive. On his site find [http://careernetworkplus.com/ ]Career Planning Ideas, valuable articles and a Free seven day career planning guide. Discover up to date career and recruitment strategies at his [http://employmentnetworkplus.com/writing/ ]Resume Cover Letter Ideas, all to assist you in building and managing your career. Article Source : http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Groth |
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