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.

As I was reading the letters, I noticed that two of the applicants had sent in nearly identical letters. Obviously, both of these candidates had used a free cover letter from a book or the Internet.

Knowing that the content of the cover letter was taken from a random, free cover letter, source made me doubt the truth of the claims that the candidate’s made in their letters. Furthermore, since the position required a great deal of report-writing, someone who couldn’t even write a simple argument about their own qualifications probably wouldn’t be a strong fit.

Since it was a competitive position, I was looking for reasons to eliminate candidates from the pool instead of reasons to include candidates, so those two job-searchers who obviously used free cover letters did not get interviews.

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.”