The cover letter is a critical part of the application process, and one that many people overlook.  Other people say too much on the cover letter, forgetting its purpose and actually harming their chances of landing an interview.

Remember that the cover letter serves as an introduction to the resume itself and to an other documents you may submit in a job search.  Also, while the cover letter may be seen by the decision maker when he or she are looking at the resume, it is in many organizations more likely that the cover letter will be seen by the gate keeper, or screener and may then be discarded.  While the resume is designed to get the interview, the cover letter is designed to make someone want to look at and read the resume. Different purposes and different audiences.

Keeping the cover letter, short, to the point and respectful will go a long ways towards ensuring that the resume itself is read.  A few of the key, relevant points of the resume should be listed in the cover letter.  For instance, years of experience in the field, type of degree held, or perhaps one or two major accomplishments.  These can be listed in either paragraph or bullet form.  The bullet form in letters began several years ago with the popularity of the “executive summary” style, laying out a few key points in an easy to follow format, and have been adapted to cover letters by many skilled professional resume writers.  When it comes to preparing your cover letter, like your resume, a professional will be worth his or her weight in gold for the help they can provide you.

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