The Cover Letter
How do I create a "cover letter"?
Your cover letter needs to include a variety of things. Number one, it needs to reference the position for which you are applying and certainly if you are being referred to the company by someone you know or someone who knows the company you need to include his or her name in that first paragraph. The second paragraph is going to highlight your main accomplishments, achievements, background and experience. So, be concise and specific in terms of things that you have done in your background that are going to be particularly applicable to the position for which you are applying. The third paragraph is going to ask for an interview and the fourth paragraph is going to thank the prospective employer for reviewing your qualifications and giving you consideration for the position.
How do I get my resume and cover letter noticed?
The greatest way to get your résumé to stand head and shoulders above the competition is to do it differently. It does not need to look like everybody else's version of a resume. The typical one to two pages stapled in the upper left hand corner, on white or ivory paper, in Times New Roman. That's what everybody does. Do you want to work for a company that is looking for everybody else? No, you want to look for a company that is looking for somebody who thinks outside of the box, and you want to market yourself as someone who thinks outside of the box. So, choose some interesting type fonts. Use different colours of paper. You can photocopy your résumé on eleven by seventeen paper and fold it in half, and make it into a newsletter format. You can bind your résumé. Put it into a pretty folder with the matching cover letter. Make it into a very attractive, creative, marketing piece. It's the first opportunity you have to make a first impression to a prospective employer, so make that opportunity count.
