Writing cover letters and resumes, English

Assignment Help:

Writing Cover Letters and Resumes

Introduction to Cover Letters and Resume

Writing cover letters and resume for job applications is a daunting task, especially if you're starting from scratch. It also feels harder if you're a student who doesn't have much employment experience. What can you say, if you can't just rattle off a list of impressive jobs that you've held?

Having lots of experience is certainly one way to make employers notice your resume. But there are other ways, none of which involve lying or even exaggerating. You just need to take certain steps to show yourself in the best possible light:

1. Don't mass-mail your resume:

The first step in applying for a job is to find out as much as you can about the job you're applying for. That may sound obvious, but many people still think that the best way to find a job is to spray generic resume across the country, assuming that, statistically, someone will have to respond.

But employers can instantly recognize a mass-mailed resume, and they take it to mean that you have no special interest in their company. Therefore, they will have no special interest in you.

You need to write a letter and resume that describe your qualifications in terms that fit the job and the company. If you're applying for a job as a computer programmer, for instance, it would make no sense to dwell on your landscaping skills.

If you apply to a company in response to a specific job advertisement, you have a head start in knowing how to focus your application. In your cover letter, explicitly point out any qualifications you have that correspond to the ones they've described. If they ask for a qualification that you feel you don't have, don't address it. You don't want to lie, but you also shouldn't draw attention to things that you can't do.

Of course, your letter and resume should not merely "check off" the qualifications that the employer has listed. If you've done some research on a company-for instance, by looking at their Web site-you can make educated guesses about what other qualifications you have that they might be interested in. General personal qualities, such as being detail-oriented or outgoing, also interest employers.

You can still send a resume and cover letter to companies that haven't advertised a specific job. In this case, you need to show very clearly that you know a lot about them, and that they've impressed you enough that you want to work with them. Suggest to them the types of jobs that you would be able to fill.

2. Use action verbs

It might seem corny, but using action verbs in your cover letter and resume makes you seem more effective. Bland or passive verbs like "did" or "was" are much less powerful than action verbs such as "created," "managed," "designed," "organized," etc.

3. Proofread

Cover letters and resume should both be neatly typed. This also may seem to go without saying, but employers notice poor grammar, incorrect spelling, typos, and so forth. Sending someone a poorly proofread application indicates that you don't care much about your work. Not the best way to land a job!

4. Use standard formats

Employers are busy, so you have to keep your application short. The standard length for resume is one page; for cover letters, it's about three-quarters of a page, and usually no more than three or four short paragraphs.

Secondly, employers often just skim letters and resume for keywords that will make them want to read in more detail. For this reason, you should arrange both into standard formats so that your readers can tell where to look for the information they need. The standard formats, however, still allow enough flexibility for you to arrange information in the way that best suits you.

Three Parts to a Cover Letter

A cover letter is a letter that accompanies your resume outlining why you are the best candidate for the job. A cover letter generally has three main parts:

1. Introduction: You want to tell the reader why you are writing and name the position or department for which you are applying. You also want to capture the reader attention. Mention how you heard about the organization or the opening. Name someone you and the reader know in common or someone in the company that knows you. Show you have done some research on the company by talking about new projects the company has taken on, the particular management philosophy they use, or citing something you read about them.

2. Body: In this section, you want to build a connection between your background and the company needs. If you have any directly related experience or education, summarize it here so the reader can be looking for it in your resume. If you have used skills or have accomplishments that relate to the job, mention them here. You are effectively summarizing your skills as they relate to the company research you have done. Be sure to do this in a confident manner.

3. Conclusion: Indicate your interest in working for the company and hearing from the reader. Thank the reader for his/or her time and consideration.

For more examples and specific information about writing a cover letter, please see the Basics, Challenge, Real Life, Journal, Exercise, and Multimedia enhancements to this lesson.

 


Related Discussions:- Writing cover letters and resumes

Deciding whether to invest or not, What are the pros and cons of waiting fo...

What are the pros and cons of waiting for a year before deciding whether to invest or not? Answer: The time value of money is one of the disadvantages that an investor can face if

Essay on human rights, HUMAN RIGTHS on the aftermath of the cold war, ...

HUMAN RIGTHS on the aftermath of the cold war, the united nations security council (UNSC) increasingly identified non-military threats, including gross and systematic violatio

Determine passages is an argument, Determine whether each of the following ...

Determine whether each of the following passages is an argument and give reasons for your decision: (i) The federal government is not discriminating in refusing entry to asyl

Essay, education is no longer restricted to bookish language.

education is no longer restricted to bookish language.

It application for a multinational corporation, Introduction of globally fo...

Introduction of globally focused IT application for a multinational corporation For understanding international information management for multinational corporations, one must

Identify the main conclusion, For each of the following arguments, identify...

For each of the following arguments, identify the main conclusion. (i) Make no mistake, the perpetrators of this appalling terrorist attack will be brought down. Attacks on t

Acting and playwriting , Read through the "contentless scene" on the next ...

Read through the "contentless scene" on the next page, then, USING THE EXACT SAME LINES, IN THE SAME ORDER, re-develop the scene as though you were a playwright attempting to give

Lettre of motivation, write a lettre of motivation to change school

write a lettre of motivation to change school

Please help fast, For each sentence type, identify what how the author was ...

For each sentence type, identify what how the author was using SYNTAX to emphasize meaning/purpose. What was the purpose of using that type of syntax? What does the syntactical c

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd