In today’s tight job market, all of us could probably do with some good cover letter advice.  These days, in order to get a leg up on the competition – and goodness knows that there is a lot of it – you have to write not only an excellent cover letter, but also an excellent resume and CV as well.  It is incredibly important to consider submitting all three.  After all, the more information a potential employer has at his or her disposal, the better your chances of getting hired for the position.

First of all, please note that the cover letter advice contained in this article will work for both a hard copy and an email cover letter.  The only real differences between the two involve the signature block.  In an email, it goes below your name; in a hard copy, it goes at the top of the page.  As well, a hard copy requires a hand written signature.  Naturally, this is not required in an email.

Now, the best cover letter is going to contain some key points.  When using cover letter examples to draft your own, you need to make sure that the template you use has all of the following factors.  To begin with, your cover letter needs to explain why you are sending in your resume in the first place.  As well, you need to be consistently specific.  The prospective employer reading your cover letter should not have to guess or wonder about anything.  If you want an internship, a full time position, a part time position, you need to say so.  If you are looking for a job starting after you graduate, if you are looking for a long term job track – you need to include everything.

You also need to tell how exactly you learned about the job opening and the organization it is for, no matter how you learned.  An important but often overlooked piece of cover letter advice is that, if a person told you about the job, you need to include his or her name.

The most important thing a cover letter does is convince your reader to read your resume.  For today’s job seekers, this is especially important.  After all, you will more than likely be in a serious competition with other qualified people.  You need to make sure that employer is interested enough to want to know more about you.  Your cover letter is the first impression you will make, it will be seen before anything else.  As such, you also need to include what makes you look good, such as information about your background: your education, your leadership abilities, and any experience you have relevant to the job for which you are applying.  It also needs to be a reflection of you yourself: your attitude, your personality, your enthusiasm as a job candidate, how motivated you are, and your technical skills.

A final key piece of cover letter advice is to include follow up information.  This often requires paying close attention to the job advertisement.  For instance, if it says no calls, then definitely do not call – otherwise, make sure to include your phone number and feel free to suggest that you will call within a set time frame to see if any addition information is needed.  This will show your initiative, yet you will not seem pushy.  And always remember: you are presenting yourself with your cover letter, it is your first impression.  You need to make it a good one.

Too few people understand the overall importance of a cover letter.  Now, true, we have already discussed the fundamental aspects of the best cover letter, but we really need to discuss the plain facts about the document itself.  Applying for a job is no joke.  It does not matter if you are applying to a fast food joint, a newspaper, a hospital, or a grocery store.  The fact of the matter is, if you are applying for a job, then you need it.  As such, you need to do everything in your power to get it.

A cover letter can and will help you to do that.  What it basically does is invite your potential employer to read your resume.  It also lets him or her know why, precisely, you are the best person to fill the position for which you are applying.  When it does its job correctly, then your would be interviewer will want to learn as much as he or she can about you.  Not only will that lead to him or her reading your resume, but it will also be the first big step towards getting you an interview.  If you have ever been turned down for an interview, then you know how monumental actually getting one really is.

You should always include a cover letter when you send in your resume.  That way, the hiring manager’s attention will be focused on your past experience, your background, et cetera – in other words, all the things which prove you are a perfect candidate for the position being filled.

When you use the proper cover letter format, then you are going to anticipate and answer the types of questions most potential employers and hiring managers ask.  For instance, you will demonstrate that you have all of the appropriate experience, skills, and abilities required by the position.  Furthermore, you are also demonstrating that you are interested in all aspects of the job, that you will have no problem fulfilling the tasks that the position entails.  You will also be proving that you have the right attitude for the job.  Trust, displaying the best attitude is just as important as presenting the best cover letter.

It is never a bad idea to include things that make you look good either.  For example, how are your communication skills?  Do you have a good eye for detail?  Mind, you do not precisely have to say that you have these traits.  You see, simply by being detailed and communicating well in writing – by sending the best cover letter possible, in other words – the hiring manager will actually see that for his or herself.

Your cover letter will also demonstrate how skilled you are with technical writing – provided that you are, of course.  Your grammar should be impeccable, your spelling should be perfect, your syntax and your grasp of the English language as a whole should be absolutely flawless.  This holds true for your resume and your curriculum vitae as well.  After all, if you send a letter full of misspellings and atrocious punctuation, you can rest assured that you are not even going to get your foot in the door.  If you need help, then make sure to scour the internet for some well written cover letter examples; they can be enormously helpful.