Many job seekers hire professional
resume writers to create a dazzling (and expensive) account of their
professional accomplishments, qualifications, and experience, but when they
email it to a prospective employer they write something like:
Dear Mr. Johnson,
Attached please see my resume.
Regards,
Unlikely to be hired
A cover letter is an applicant’s
opportunity to really connect with the hiring manager or screener who,
according to a study by CareerBuilder.com, spends an average of 6-7 seconds
scanning resumes.
A cover letter goes further; it introduces
you, explains your purpose for writing, highlights a few relevant experiences
or skills, and requests an opportunity to meet personally with the potential
employer. By writing a cover letter, you are demonstrating your professional
writing skills and seizing the opportunity to introduce the information you
choose, rather than letting a 6-second scan of your resume speak for you.
It’s crucial to put yourself in the
position of the hiring manager and reflect on which of your strengths would
stand out if you were screening the application. It is a delicate balance; you
should never come across as arrogant, but a certain amount of confidence is
admirable.
Here are 5 Tips:
1.
Always limit your cover letter to one page. Be
clear and concise.
2.
Match the employer’s needs to your skills, and
specifically reference needs listed in the job posting. If they need a
technician who does A, B, and C, don’t expound about your experience with X, Y,
and Z.
3.
Use action verbs and the active voice; convey
confidence, optimism, and enthusiasm coupled with respect and professionalism.
4.
Arrange the letter in a sequence of points, and
have them laid out in a logical order.
5.
End the letter with a conclusion, thank the
employer, and ask for an appointment to meet in person.
It is important to note that the same
CareerBuilder.com study also found that 61 percent of recruiters will
automatically dismiss a resume because it or the accompanying cover letter
contains typographical or grammatical errors. What can you do about that?
Wordzen is a truly unique email
editing tool that uses professional editors to review messages and improve them.
Our editors are experienced writers, journalists, and wordsmiths who have had
their own written work analyzed, rearranged, and polished by other editors over
many years. They’re very talented.
Sending your cover letter to Wordzen
editors will improve and strengthen it, and you can be assured that you are
sending a cover letter free of
spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Wordzen users constantly tell
us they gain confidence in our ability every time they use us.
Wordzen is an extension for the Google
Chrome browser and works with any active Gmail account. It is easy to sign up
for Wordzen by visiting
www.wordzen.com. You can also view a step-by-step
video guide here:
Wordzen
YouTube Video.Labels: cover letter, editing, email, grammar, resume
