Purpose of a Cover Letter? Key Components of a Cover Letter
By Hardeep Arora
From pounding the pavement, the 21st century has given way to scouring the Internet for jobs. Nowadays applicants are expected to electronically maneuver their way around the new recruiting landscape and moreover they must target customized cover letters to specific open positions. Over the last decade, hiring practices at corporations have undergone dramatic changes and the basic, one-size-fits-all resume and cover letter has gone through numerous transformations, which has given birth to a new breed of certified resume writers.

Cover letter writing examples reveal that winning cover letters come in all shapes and sizes, and as with resumes, the length and content of your cover letter should be dictated by how much you actually need to tell the employer you are writing to. Certified resume writers outline your best attributes in a clear, concise manner maximizing your talents and abilities to meet the employers' specific job needs. When a recruiter reads your cover letter, he/she forms a certain impression of who you are, both professionally and personally. While this impression can be part-stereotype, part-knowledge, and part-gut feeling, the fact remains that it can have tremendous bearing on your ability to secure an interview.

Applicants that typically stand out to employers use short but powerful evidence as they write sentence after sentence of their past accomplishments, skills, and contributions they can bring to the new employer. You should view the cover letter as an important companion piece to the resume. Your resume on its own may not entice the employer to grant you a chance of scoring over in an interview, but a good cover letter drafted by certified resume writers can help you sail to the top of the stack and secure an interview.

Cover letter writing examples show an effective cover letter needs to contain a brief summarization of your qualifications, accomplishments, skills, and include specific statements regarding your interest in that particular job, and communicate information that make your credentials stand out from the crowd. Whether you are developing a cover letter to re-enter the workforce after an extended hiatus, clinch a promotion, or jumpstart your career, the cover letter should form a personal bond between you and the reader. A well-written cover letter should be a response generator and leave a strong, positive impression in the reader's mind persuading him to call you.

Never underestimate the power of a well-written, cover letter! A winning cover letter will step in where you resume leaves off, and certified resume writers further highlight your strength and diminish your weaknesses. Remember a cover letter is the highlights, the greatest hits of the resume. Learn to summarize and emphasize key points about yourself. There is no need to reiterate each detail in the cover letter. Certified resume writers find the best details in your resume and incorporate it tactfully into the cover letter, keeping in mind the hiring manager who will read it will most likely skim the letter or read only half of it on first look. It could very well influence whether he/she will read your resume.

Sources:

Robin Ryan. Winning Cover Letters

Susan Ireland. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Cover Letter

Brenda Greene. Get the Interview Every Time: Fortune 500 Hiring Professionals' Tips for Writing Winning Resumes...

Myra Fournier, Jeffrey Spin. Encyclopedia of Job-Winning Resumes

Rachel Lefkowitz. Wow! Resumes for Administrative Careers: How to Put Together a Winning Resume

On the Net

Cover letters
www.career.vt.edu/JOBSEARC/coversamples.htm

Cover Letters - Cover Letter Writing and Samples
jobsearch.about.com/od/coverletters/Cover_Letters.htm

Eleven Tips for Winning Cover Letters
www.msstate.edu/dept/Coop/interview/cover.html