by Juan Leer

Created on: January 25, 2007   Last Updated: April 30, 2009

Writing a good cover letter can be essential to landing your dream job. It can create either a good or bad first impression, and whether that impression is accurate or not, it's often what sticks with an employer.So you need to do everything you can to ensure that you are writing a good cover letter, because while a bad one might not doom you from getting a job, it will likely make it very difficult.

First off, to be obvious, include all of your relevant contact information. It's obvious, but if you forget anything here it won't matter how good the content of your cover letter is or is not. You need to provide a way for a potential employer to contact you, and if possible, include multiple ways (phone number, email, etc). This is very simple but it's just a little detail thing that needs to be done.

Second, don't try to be fancy. Don't use special fonts or special colored paper because you think you'll stand out more... chances are that will not work. Keep it simple. White paper, regular font, margins normal... it's good to stick out, but not like that. Let the words on your cover letter (and your resume) do your talking for you, not something fancy that you tried to do.

Next, be sure to talk about why you want the job and why you think you are qualified. Obviously the more complete information will be in the resume, but it doesn't hurt to just touch on the key points within the cover letter. A nice paragraph or two emphasizing how your skills match up with the requirements of the job are vital, as it will show the employer why they should pick you. Remember, all that they know about you at first is what you give them in your cover letter and resume, so if there is a reason that you feel as if you are especially qualified for the job or would be very good at it, let them know! Otherwise, how will they find out?

Next, make sure to proofread it multiple times, and have someone else proofread it as well. If you misspell something, the employer will probably throw your cover letter in the trash and not look at it again. If you mess up they're/their/there, that doesn't look good either. So make sure you proofread it and have at least one other person proofread it as well to catch any errors you might have missed. This shows a good attention to detail as well as shows that you actually know how to write. Written communication skill is very important no matter what job you are applying for.

Other than that, just use common sense. Don't trash the company, etc. If you do all of these things you'll have a pretty nice cover letter, and you will have a much better chance of getting the job that you want.

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