Professional Cover Letter Help

Writing doesn’t come naturally to everyone, so it’s important to always think through the basics when you get started. Think through why you are writing, to who you are writing to, and what you want to say with the document you are creating. When it comes to writing a good cover letter, you need to very clearly state the purpose up front, and then cater the verbiage and messaging to the audience through an appropriate style. You need to ensure that you incorporate excellent organization and portray your thoughts in an appropriate manner when it comes to good resume cover letter writing.

Though there are many different things to think through and cover when it comes to writing a good cover letter, the following tips should help you to consider what is truly important. Consider using some of the following strategies to ensure that your resume cover letter writing is well thought out, that yours stands out and gets the proper attention, and that you ultimately move to the next step in the process.

• Make it clear in your cover letter that you really want the job.
• Consider putting a subject line near the beginning of the letter to indicate the target position you are seeking or going after.
• Don’t let your opening statement or anything at the beginning give your reader a chance to think “No” and put your cover letter down.
• Target your resume cover letter writing by researching the prospective company and showing in the letter that you’ve done the necessary homework and know some important information on the company.
• Towards the end of the cover letter, consider repeating the recipient’s name to add in that special little touch.
  If you are replying to an ad without a person’s name and have no way to find it out, consider eliminating the salutation line altogether.
• When you are short on professional work experience to qualify for a specific position, consider any sort of voluntary or alternative experience which may be related.
• If you speak a foreign language fluently, be sure to mention that in your cover letter.
• If you are responding to an ad placed in a newspaper, be sure to include the specific date that the ad ran.
• If you have been laid off and for some reason but don’t want to mention it in your cover letter, consider including this pertinent information but “downsize” its impact by focusing instead on your strengths, abilities, and experiences.
• If you are sending your resume by email, begin your cover letter with bullets showing all your strengths and qualifications so that the first 10-15 lines in the reader’s email window are sure to capture attention.
• Consider using one or more testimonials in your cover letter to speak to your abilities.
• If you have an impressive success story to speak to your previous work experience, consider using that in your resume cover letter writing.
• Be sure that in writing a good cover letter that you don’t ever come across as desperate at any point—that’s a major turn off.
• It’s ok to begin or end the letter with a quotation that sets the tone and provides insight for understanding your work, character, attitude, outlook or whatever else you want to convey—this is a nice little extra that goes above and beyond and demonstrates strong resume cover letter writing.
• Try to make your cover letter not only informative but also persuasive in nature.
• To grab attention, try making your first sentence a bold assertion or question to really grab the attention of the reader and draw them in.

In order to convey good solid resume cover letter writing, you have to do your part to consider the audience and what you truly want to say to them. Think through the things that are important to you and by all means, find a way to stand out from the crowd. You want to be sure that in writing a good cover letter that you speak to what a qualified candidate you are, and why you are undoubtedly the person for the job.

If you aren’t familiar with the term, “JIST” stands for Job Information and Seeking Training—and this is a powerful concept. This concept was developed by bestselling author, Michael Farr, and is a tool used to help job seekers. A JIST card is used on the Internet, in personal video interviews, and other forms of electronic media as well. When it comes to job application cover letter samples and important documents such as this in your job search, a JIST card can be quite valuable. This type of tool can change the way in which you perform your resume cover letter writing and the way in which you represent in all aspects of your job search. So what really is a JIST card, and how can it help you in your job search efforts?

What does a JIST card look like?

A JIST card is a carefully constructed document that contains all of your essential information that you want employers to know. It is presented in a very brief and easy to read format. Though it is typically in a 3×5 inch card format, it can certainly be designed into many other sizes and formats to accommodate various needs. A JIST card can be used as a folded business card or included in an email as an example. This is like a business card of sorts, but designed for job search purposes. So just as job application cover letter samples have their place, so too do these brief but important JIST cards.

Just as you would focus your efforts on your resume cover letter writing in a specific and appropriate format, the same holds true for JIST cards. They can be something as simple as a neat handwritten document to as elaborate as a glossy paper with graphics on it. You should put as much effort and thought into creating your JIST card as you do in your resume cover letter writing. It’s important to remember that all of these documents are meant to serve as effective ways to convey who you are, and will make the difference between you getting the interview or not. In addition to creating your resume and to forming customized job application cover letter samples, you should work to construct a JIST card.

JIST cards get you results

In a “Michael’s survey” of employers, more than 90% of JIST cards help to form a positive impression of the writer within thirty seconds. What is even more amazing is that about 80% of employers say they would be willing to interview a person just because of their JIST card—regardless of whether there was an actual job opening or not. So what this says is that while your resume cover letter writing is an important part of the process, a simple and well constructed JIST card can help you to get your foot in the door. It’s still important to be prepared with all other aspects of the job search, such as appropriate job application cover letter samples, but having a JIST card can help with a powerful introduction.

Recommend ways to use JIST Cards

As you can use effective resume cover letter writing in a variety of targeted ways, you can also create customized JIST cards. Some of these uses include:

• Attach a JIST card with your resume or application
• Enclose one within your thank you note
• Give JIST cards to people within your network
• Send these cards to people from your alumni
• Send them to members of your professional associations
• Send JIST cards as your main focus of an email

So how do you actually create a JIST card?

You usually see JIST cards in paper format. Many office supply stores have perforated light card stock sheets that you can run through your printer—these work quite well as a basis for your JIST cards. By using this type of paper, you can then tear these apart into 3×5 inch cards. Many word processing programs have templates that allow you to create these customized documents online. As with any other aspect of your job search including job application cover letter samples, it can be quite helpful to know what format to follow. This can help you to get started and to properly convey who you are and get the attention of the hiring manager.

When it comes to your job search, it can help to work through various channels and be as prepared as possible. If you want to get the attention of potential hiring managers, you want to use the most effective means possible to do so. You want to encompass effective and powerful resume cover letter writing to grab the necessary attention. You want to use related job application cover letter samples as a foundation for which you can customize and portray who you are and what you have to offer. Another important part of this process is JIST cards which can tell a potential employer who you are and what you can bring to the table in one simple snapshot. With the information gathered here and the sample below, you can create an effective JIST card that can really help to make the difference in your job search efforts.

A sample JIST card

Technorati Tags: job application cover letter samples, Resume Cover Letter Writing