Always sign your cover letter for a more professional touch.
Cover letters are an important part of any mailing or communication, whether you are sending out resumes, reports or business forms. However, it is important to get right to the point in your cover letters. Keep them limited to about four paragraphs. Start by stating the main purpose of your cover letter in the opening paragraph, then use the middle two for explanations. Close your letter with actions you plan to take or actions you want the recipient to take, such as granting you an interview.
Address Specific Person
Always address a specific person when writing a cover letter, even if you do not know the person's name or title. Often when applying for jobs you are answering blind ads that do not include names. Instead, companies may use initials or just a P.O. box. Call the company and obtain the person's name if you know the name of the company. Simply using salutations such as "To Whom It May Concern" indicate a lack of concern or effort, according to Quintcareers.com, an online job and reference site.
Tailor It To Situation
Using cover letters adds a degree of flexibility to your resumes or business reports. You can update people about resumes or reports with cover letters, even if these documents were written months earlier. Use resume cover letters to update what you are presently doing or why you are applying for a specific job. Similarly, explain how managers can interpret and use data in your report with the cover letter. Keep your cover letters tailored to goals and specific purposes. For example, tell the readers the report will fully explain the details of a recent company acquisition, for example.
Keep It Simple
The cover letter is not the place for lofty words and prose. You will just confuse your readers. Always use simple language and concepts in your cover letters. The purpose of the cover letter is to further enlighten people on the contents of what you are sending. The last thing you want to do is confuse them even more. Keep all writing at about an eighth-grade level, according to Margaret Feinberg, a professional speaker and writer. People are busy and want information that is straightforward and easily interpretable.
Paint a Picture
When necessary, use your cover letter to demonstrate or describe experience or concepts. For example, relate past job experience in a narrative fashion. Tell the hiring manager how you were faced with a problem or situation. Subsequently, indicate what steps you took to overcome the problem and produce positive results. This allows the company to which you are applying to visualize you as an employee.
Proofread It
Always proofread your cover letters before sending them out. Even small mistakes can make you seem careless. Errors can also lessen your credibility, especially if you are stating facts and figures. Allow other managers or coworkers to proofread your cover letters, too.
