Effective Cover Letters
Overview
The resume is a description of your qualifications, much like a product brochure. When presenting the resume to an employer, it needs to be personalized and targeted. The cover letter is your opportunity to personalize your resume and target your skills.
Most letter formats can be used for the cover letter. The only absolute is that it conforms to accepted standards for business letters.
The reader of a cover letter may be the hiring authority, an agent of the hiring authority or an interested third party.
The hiring authority is the person who has the final say in who is hired for a specific position (ultimately, this is the person you want to read your resume).
An agent is usually someone who is working on behalf of the hiring authority, such as personnel or human resources, an independent agency or a subordinate.
Third parties include colleagues and subordinates of the hiring authority who are assisting in the hiring, as well as networking or referral contacts.
The way you write your letter should take the reader into consideration. A cover letter may be sent in response to an advertised job opening or a referral from a networking contact or directly to an employer.
Anytime a resume is sent by mail, it must be accompanied by a cover letter.