The importance of connecting your resume to your cover letter cannot be understated. This is because your cover letter introduces you and wets the appetite of your future employer to finding out more about you. If you fail to attach your resume then you may be forgotten under a pile of possibilities who just don't stand out from the crowd.

Make sure that you are both noticed and remembered by making both of your documents stylish and professional. They should be typed onto similar, good quality, paper and the font styles should match one another.

This will ensure that both your cover letter and resume are easy on the eye and a pleasure to behold.

Like-wise the style of your writing should flow from one document to the next, easily leading the reader into further information about you which best describes your abilities and experience.

It used to be the case that your resume should list all of your former education and qualifications. Now it is thought to be more professional to summarize this information by just making sure that you inform the reader of your most prestigious information, rather than rambling back to less important qualifications and information.

It is also useful and stylish to tailor make your cover letter and resume to suit the particular post which you are applying for instead of churning out carbon copies for each job you are interested in.

To successfully shape your documents to fit the job in question you will need to know as much as possible about the job itself. Then you will need to play up your skills, qualifications and experiences related to this information.

If you have certain skills and qualifications which are unrelated to the post then either miss them out, or down-play them. You want a prospective employee to easily spot how suitable you are to the advertised job, not to read about how you love to walk on the beach or press flowers unless this is relevant.

As an introduction your cover letter should be neat and precise. The idea is that it makes the reader want to know more about you and so read your attached resume. For this reason make your cover letter shorter than your resume and do mention the resume itself as being 'attached'.

On both documents have your name and contact information. This will come in handy if the items become accidentally separated in amongst a heap of other applicants information.

The resume should not be permanently attached by staples. It is better to use a paper clip so that if the reader has reason to detach it from the cover letter both documents will remain neat and unblemished by staples.

Be sure to place your documents in a decent envelope which is as equal in quality as the items which it is to contain.

Type the information on the front of the envelope whether it be the address it is to be sent to or just your name if it is being handed in personally.

In this way you carry through your professional theme and will stand out from others who are less informed about job application.

Learn more about this author, Heidi Marie Fleetfoot.
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