| Home>>Career>>Effective Job search Letter Writing Skills | | Effective Job search Letter Writing Skills | | Source: www.articlesnatch.com Time:2008-1-27 14:34:30 Hit: | | |
| Effective Job Search Letter Writing
By Anthony Ranieri
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Your covering letter or letter of application is the first
of three documents used during the job search process.
1. Cover Letter
2. Resume
3. Follow-up Letter
Many applicants underestimate the power of a well-written
covering letter, presuming the recruiter will only focus
their attention on the resume. In today's working environment,
a recruiter's workload has increased dramatically by having
to complete a higher number of recruiting assignments and
screening an increasing number of applicants. The bottom
line is that the recruiter is a very busy person, under
constant pressure to complete assignments within a shortened
time frame. This is where the power of a well-written covering
letter has effect. It's the first document a recruiter will
read and it is here were you must sell yourself and convince
the recruiter to look further into your resume. You must
convince the recruiter that your resume is worth their
valuable time to read. It is your personal statement, an
invitation to look further.
I do not intend flooding you with hundreds of pages of
sample resumes and letters like other books in the market
place. This will only confuse you and detract from expressing
your own personality and personal style. Your resume and
covering letter must reflect your individuality and your
personality. I will provide two examples of a resume and
a covering letter format that I feel has worked well for
me and others I have coached through this process. The
covering letter has been tried and tested with excellent
results, so when you are on a good thing, we may as well
use it to its fullest potential rather than re-invent the
wheel. Have a look at the layout and structure of the covering
letter and add your own individual style and personality
when putting it together.
How to structure a covering letter
* Your letter must not exceed one page.
* Keep your letter simple and ensure your paragraphs
and sentences are short and concise.
* Use bullet points to highlight key achievements and
accountabilities.
* Ensure your achievements and accountabilities address
the key selection criteria.
* Avoid using phrases that give the impression you are
not positive.
* Don't over-sell yourself, reflect balanced thinking.
* Review and redraft your letter until you are confident
with it.
* Check for spelling mistakes and ensure it is correctly
addressed.
* Use good quality stationary and prepare your letter on
a computer word package.
* Ensure it is printed on a good quality printer.
* Your introduction should be your strongest selling
point, referring to your greatest achievement.
* Ask for a personal meeting as opposed to an interview as
you're concluding statement.
Letter Writing Tips
* Don't use colour stationary, it may give the impression
you are over-selling.
* Address the letter to the person responsible for the
recruiting assignment. If the advertisement does not state
their name, ring and find out.
* Your strongest selling points must reflect the key
selection criteria
* Don't mention you are unemployed or have been made
redundant. It may reduce your chances of being interviewed.
* Don't state the obvious when writing your letter:
e.g. please find my resume enclosed or I am applying for the
position of.
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