How to Write an Attention Grabbing Cover letter

This is a guest post from Careergorilla.com. Personally, I find the second suggestion quite intriguing and would be interested to hear results from any of you who have tried doing this or something similar!

The cover letter is the most important document that you will send to a  prospective employer. It is exponentially more important than your resume in  getting your foot in the ‘hiring door’. It is the first step in getting your  resume read, and the lynchpin of securing a face-to-face interview. You may have  a rockstar resume, but if your cover letter is lackluster it will never get  read.

An effective cover letter must follow a format that is concise (e.g., 250  words) and advocates on your behalf.

Follow these points for cover letter success:

1. Address it to the person who has the authority to hire you.

2. First Paragraph: indicate a common friend or colleague who you share with  the reader. Reference an industry article about the reader which you found  interesting or a career accomplishment that caught your attention. Demonstrate  that you know something about the company and the underlying industry.

3. First Paragraph: state the position that you are seeking and why your are  pursuing it.

4. Second Paragraph: present a succinct and position-focused summary of your  career, and at least one reason why the reader should hire you amidst the many  applicants.

5. Third paragraph: bullet point your specific career accomplishments that  illustrate how you will be a natural fit for the position and can add value to  their business.

6. Final paragraph: reference the attached resume and indicate that you look  forward to speaking with the reader and arranging an interview.

7. Proofread the letter at least three times and make sure your complete  contact information is contained in your header.

Avoid these common pitfalls:

1. Stating references are available upon request. If you have a noteworthy  reference then include a one or two line quote in the body of your cover letter.  It will save the reviewer valuable time and make your application stand out  amongst the crowd.

2. Using a stock letter template or boilerplate form. They want to hire a  unique and dynamic individual, not a thoughtless automaton.’

3. Piggybacking on the last point: being overly formulaic in your prose and  failing to use your own “voice”. Be professional, but be yourself. Remember the  goal is separate yourself from the pack.

4. Failing to show the reader in your bullet pointed accomplishments your  individual achievements and body of work. Bundling your efforts with that of a  team leaves the reader with doubts as to your individual ability and  capacity.

The above points will provide you with a solid road map to writing a cover  letter that gets your resume read and an interview secured.

See the following link for more Cover Letter Secrets and Career Advice: http://www.careergorilla.com/