Sunday, March 11, 2012

What is a Cover Letter For Job Application?

Most of jobseekers just submit their resume with their prospective employers without including a cover letter.  This is a big mistake since giving a resume cover letter will increase the chances of the job seekers likely being hired.  In this blog post I will introduce what is a cover letter and parts that make up a good cover letter for job application.

Cover Letter for job application is a letter attached on the front of you resume.  It mentions an greetings to your employer and an overview of your skills and experience in your previous employers.  An applicant's cover letter can also include the jobseekers career path.  Cover letters
are generally one page in length and jobseekers need to limit it to that.  Hiring officers or Employers tends to be bored reading long written cover letters.

A cover letter is divided into four main parts:  the header, introduction, body and closing.

Header. Cover letters use standard business letter style, with the sender's address and other information, the recipient's contact information,  and the date sent after either the sender's or the recipient's address. Following that is an optional reference section.

Introduction. The introduction briefly states the specific position desired, and should be designed to catch the employer's immediate interest.

Body. The body highlights or amplifies on material in the resume or job application, and explains why the job seeker is interested in the job and would be of value to the employer. Also, matters discussed typically include skills, qualifications, and past experience. If there are any special things to note such as availability date, they may be included as well.

Closing. A closing sums up the letter and indicates the next step the applicant expects to take. It may indicate that the applicant intends to contact the employer, although many favor the more indirect approach of simply saying that the applicant will look forward to hearing from or speaking with the employer. After the closing is a valediction ("Sincerely"), and then a signature line. Optionally, the abbreviation "ENCL" may be used to indicate that there are enclosures.

Additional tips you need to remember when writing a cover letter for job application:

1.  Always check for gramatical errors.  If you are not sure if your cover letter is error free, have someone check it for you.

2.  Always include a cover letter even if it the job advertisement does not specify that you need one.

3.  Do not mention you expected salary unless the job ad clearly states that you need to.  If that is the case then write an estimated range of
your expected salary.

4.  Remember KISS.  Keep it short and simple st***d.  Highlight only the important factors of your application like the source of the ad, education, skills and experience, and the reason of hiring you.

Now you have an introduction on what is a cover letter for job application.  Good luck and don't be lazy writing a cover letter.

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