Do you have a career, or are you one of those great number of people looking for a job? Your 'job search' will soon end if you only know the basics to a good application. When you apply for any job, you would need to submit a resume along with a cover letter. The cover letter serves as an introduction to the resume.

Upon submission of your resume and cover letter, your first interaction with the prospective employer takes place. Your cover letter will be your sure-fire ticket to an interview or a telephone call.

Professionalism is the fundamental factor to success. You have to make sure that you got all things right, from the name of the company, the employer, to the letters structure, design and copy.

How you actually present your credentials will determine your competitive edge; the letter itself will outline all your skills/experiences that will set your separately from other job applicants. You have to establish what your abilities are; and as to how these abilities will benefit the company.

You need to capture the employer's attention starting on the first paragraph. Tell how you learned about the opening, and you can even name drop to make your letter more personalized. Write as if you're having a conversation with the employer.

To further understand how to write a good cover letter, here are the do's and don'ts:

Do's

-address a specified employer on the letter salutation
-know the position you are applying and the company
-sell yourself in the right manner
-use action verbs and marketing words to make an impact
-seek help from a professional when writing your letter
-use a professional and formal format
-consider the use of bullets, bold highlights
-check for typos and misspelled words
-thank the employer for reading your letter
-double check names, titles, company address
-write a letter that is original
-use quantifiable examples

Don'ts

-assume any detail regarding the employer's gender
-start with a dull introduction
-re-use resume information
-use clichés
-exceed one page for the letter
-bother with creative fonts, page layouts, and color
-forget your signature
-forget adding your contact details
-forget to check for typos and spelling
-expect the employer to act on your behalf
-forget to attach your resume
-use big words
-use paragraphs with block style
-use generic or form letters
-generalize attributes
-forget to call or follow up

If you incorporated all these things while writing your cover letter, then you will surely have an effective and attention-grabbing letter.

If you want more information about cover letters, there are a lot of websites in the Internet that you are free to visit. You can even get copies of examples or samples of cover letter.

You can also seek for online professional help, however, certain amount of fees is charged. As long as you're confident enough that you can do it yourself, why not write your own cover letter? At least you get to write what you really want, and mind you, personal cover letters are much more effective than 'ready-made' letters.

Start now, and make your own letter. Who knows, your job is just waiting around the corner.

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on cover letter or cover letters checkout his recommended websites.

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