Having a cover letter works to compliment your resume.  It should not say the same things as what is on it.  You basically have one chance to get it right, or the prospective employer may toss your letter and resume out the window. 

Learning how to write a cover letter deals with how you should present it.  Here are some tips to use in writing them effectively:

The body of your letter should consist of no more than four paragraphs.  Actually, three would be better. 

With the first paragraph, the employer needs to know the purpose of you writing to them.  Use no more than three sentences to convey this.  Your opening should be made to get the prospective employer take notice. 

In the next paragraph, provide your job qualifications and check them against the position that you’ are applying for.  Let the prospective employer know reasons why you would be a good fit for the company.  Cite them with examples that you can use that could sway their decision.  For example, if you were applying for a clerical job, you need to put something like, "Created backup files for paperwork by scanning them and performing routine computer backups."

You should have no more than three points, along with detailed examples.  You should know a little bit about the company that you are sending your cover letter and resume to.  This will impress the prospective employer. 

As you are learning how to write a cover letter, you should have a statement that will compel the prospective employer to put you in the running for an interview.  This should be the last paragraph and make it no more than four sentences.  Make sure that the letter refers to your resume and advise them when you are available to interview.  

You can also go as far as to let them know that you will get in touch with them to discuss the employment opportunity.  Make sure that you contact information is there and that it is current.  One thing that prospective employers don’t like is out of date information.  You would just be put in the discard pile.  Thank them for their consideration.

The conclusion should read "Yours sincerely", or "Yours faithfully".  You will also need space to type and write your signature.

When you are learning how to write a cover letter, the last thing you should do is to proofread your letter.  Make sure that you use spell check for misspellings and grammatical errors.  It’s also a good idea to have some eyes other than yours look at what you’ve written.  They can catch something that you may have missed.  In other words, your cover letter must be error-free.  If not, you will have squandered your chance to get your foot in the door.  So, to be safe than sorry, take your time and do it right the first time.  Before you know it, you will be on your way to being employed.

1. Length. Cover letter samples should be between one paragraph and one page.

2. Job Knowledge. The cover letter should show that you know what the job is expected to do, and needs to accomplish for success.

3. Reasons. The letter should prove that you have accomplishments and achievements in your past that prove you can be successful at the target job.

4. Call to action. The cover letter sample should end with the next step that the reader needs to take. This will probably be to call you for an interview.

5. Personality. Probably the most subtle of all the factors. Have you ever noticed how different writers can be identified by their “voice” even on a piece of paper? Your letter’s “voice” should reflect your intelligence and professionalism.

Each position, however, has different requirements and different ways and showing those in the cover letters. A friend of mine applying for his first advertising copywriting job lacked experience in that field. But he knew from research that clear, clever, humorous writing was a prime requirement.

In his cover letter, he tried to prove that he had succeeded at every job that he had ever held, and made the case that he would also succeed at the target job. In this list of jobs and achievements, he included “Summer Lifeguard: No Drownings”.

This letter got him the interview that got him the job.

1. Too Many Changes.

The whole point of a cover letter template is to make things easier. If you have a template in which all the information in the letter has to be changed to match your information, then you’ve defeated the whole point of the process. In this case, you’d be better off just writing a letter from scratch.

2. Stale Words

Some free templates have been kicking around for years, decades even. If something about how the cover letter template is worded seems a little old-fashioned or familiar, then you would be better off writing something fresher for yourself.

The impression that your letter makes depends on very subtle and seemingly insignificant factors. Page margins, font choices and line spacing might seem like small issues, but if these cover letter formats are all a little off that makes the whole page look off to the reader. One thing to consider is that the hiring manager is likely to receive dozens if not hundreds of these kinds of letters in a year and quickly notices something that isn’t inline with professional standards.

A safe bet is to use your word processor’s automatic coverletter format function, or to take advantage of a professional letter generator.

Cover letters should be one page, max. Period.

4. Saying Too Little

A cover letter should do more for you than a post-it that says “Here’s my resume!” The letter is an opportunity to show off your personality, your writing skills, and your grasp of why you should get the job. Getting all that into two or three paragraphs will do more for your job search than just about anything else you do.

3. Saying the Wrong Thing
Don’t say how much you want the job. Say how useful you will be to them when you have it.

2. Not Asking for the Interview

Self-explanatory.

1. “To Whom It May Concern”

A cover letter isn’t a piece of junk mail. It needs to go to a specific person. If you don’t know who it is before you write the letter, call the company and find out.

Network technicians, college instructors and nurses head the list of the specific jobs most heavily in demand this year. In addition to requiring specific training and experience, one element that all these jobs have in common is a necessity for strong problem-solving, communication and client-service skills.

For the job searcher who wants to land one of these jobs, having the right degree and background will get you considered, but your presentation will be what lands the position. Ideally, each element of your presentation will strategically work with every other element to highlight these characteristics. What this means in practice is that you need to discover what problems the job needs to solve, then create miniature narratives that quickly tell how you have solved those problems in your career.

Once you have those mini-narratives, then you should find a way to include them at every contact you have with the hiring manager. For instance, include them in your cover letter, be ready to talk about them in your job interview and in your follow up thank you letter. This strategic approach makes sure that your strongest selling points get heard and reinforced by the target company.

Application letter writing secrets.

A well-written application letter shouldn’t be confused with some quickly written note that just says “here’s my resume.” The effective letter is the result of research and thought. Specifically, the letter should show that you know what the company needs and how your experience proves that you can meet those needs.

Amazing application letter results.

An application letter like this proves several things to the hiring manager who reads it. First, it shows that you “get it.” You know what the company need, and that you know how to provide those skills. More subtly, it shows that you aren’t “all about you” in your job search process. Yeah, you’ve got your ambitions and desires, but are mature enough to put those into a perspective of how you can meet other people’s needs. Lastly, it shows that you are intelligent, strategic, articulate and pay attention to getting details right.

That’s an amazing result for a three or four paragraph letter!

Though email has caused some people to forget the covering letter’s persuasive power, employment professionals know that a well-crafted covering letter commands even more respect than ever.

Covering letters make you stand out. 

“If 99% of the candidates are doing something, then the 1% doing something different stand out even more,” says Steven Schneider, an employment coach and executive recruiter based in Los Angeles. “For a hiring executive who is bombarded with one-sentence emails that don’t say anything, getting a well-written letter that gives valuable information is a nice change.”

Short and to the point is the way to go. 

Schneider recommends that his candidates for positions write a one or two paragraph letter that addresses the hiring executive’s needs and quickly explains how the candidate can fill them. Besides showing enthusiasm for the job, and an attention to detail, a well-written letter creates a sense of rapport early in the interview process, he says.

A short cut to the interview. 

“Hiring executives who receive a personalized, targeted covering letter say that they begin the phone or personal interview with a better sense of the candidate’s qualities and background. That allows them to progress to deeper topics of interest, faster. The end result is the candidate is able to make a more positive impression.”