Build Your Résumé — Developing Your Cover Letter

When mailing your résumé, you will need to enclose a cover letter. This is a simple letter designed to give an overview of your objectives, qualifications and most importantly your value that you can bring to the company or organization. As you develop this letter, you need to answer three questions:

• "What problems does the potential employer have that need solved?"
• "How can I highlight my strengths and show in this introduction letter that I can help the employer?"
• "How can I show the value that I can bring to the organization?"

The cover letter is segmented into three parts:

The Introduction
The introduction is typically a statement that mentions the position you are interested in and how you learned of it. Keep in mind, the recruiter or hiring manager will be reading many of these documents, therefore keep the introduction interesting and relevant.

The Body
The body of the cover letter is typically one or two paragraphs summarizing your skills, knowledge, experience and career goals. You should focus this section on your understanding of the employer’s needs and match your strengths to those needs.

The Conclusion
The final paragraph highlights the action that you want the employer to take. It is also the section where you introduce your qualifications and request a phone call to set up an interview if interested. Make sure your final paragraph is confident and suggests a meeting or invites the recruiter to take further action.