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When writing effective cover letters, these four questions must be thoughtfully considered and answered:
1. Who Are You?
Introduce yourself. Applying for a job is like asking for a date. You wouldn’t invite someone out without telling them who you are first, explaining what drew you to them, and giving them some compelling reason to accept, yet so many do this with job posts. People send their resumes with no introduction all the time. It’s like a construction worker wolf whistling at a woman as she walks by the site. No intro, no compelling case, no date.
2. Why Us?
Everyone wants to be wanted, even companies. Explain why you chose to the company that you chose to send a resume to. Even though you might think, “I just need a job,” there is a reason why you picked them over others. You’re not sending resumes to each and every job post you see. Think about this carefully, because just like a potential date, what’s said here makes all the difference. This is what piques the receiver’s interest in you. This is how you get a shot at making sure your resume gets consideration. So make it good. You’ve got to win the attention of your prospect by pointing out something about them that shows you’re really interested in them. Going back to the dating parallel, isn’t it most often the case between The Pursued and The Pursuer that what the pursued likes about the pursuer is how perceptive the pursuer was to see how great the pursued is?
3. Why You?
Share what relevant work or life experience you have that makes you believe you could bring great value to them. Point out who you’ve become through those experiences and what skills you’ve gained up to now that you’ll bring to their organization that will make it worth their while to hire you.
4. What Can They Expect?
Assure them that should you start “dating” they and you will be better off together.
I’m including some resources that will prove helpful in writing your next winning letter:
January 6, 2012 at 12:11 pm
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