Your résumé presents factual information about your qualifications, experience, and educational credentials. You use the résumé to present yourself as a good match for a position based on the content in a job posting. It is common for job seekers to use one résumé for several employment contacts. While this is a customary practice, a cover letter lets you personalize your résumé package for a specific job opportunity.

You no doubt have value-added skills that are above and beyond those listed as the fundamental job requirements. These skills can distinguish you from other candidates. A cover letter lets you present this information and add value to your marketability.

In creating your résumé package, your cover letter is an informative and even fun way to demonstrate that you can communicate in a clear and concise fashion. You do this with the words you use, the tone of the letter, and the visual presentation.

Although there are no set rules to creating cover letters, the following are some guidelines:

Be brief – Cover letters are not essays. Use one page to communicate who you are, what you can do for your potential employer, and why you are the best candidate for the position.

Be professional, yet personal – Avoid using the same tone and language you use in your résumé. Address your reader as if you were speaking to him or her in person. Your cover letter should add to whatever is in your résumé, not repeat it.

Tell who you are – Open the letter with a clear statement of who you are and what you do. Don’t make your reader search for that information in the body of the letter or worse have to figure it out from the content of the letter.

Maintain consistency – Use the same heading format on all documents within your résumé package (résumé, cover letter, references, follow-up letters, thank-you letters).

Highlight your value added skills – Spotlight your skills that do not appear in your résumé such as your work ethics, teamwork ability, and skills that are not listed as requirements for the job but are useful to the organization.

Explain why you want to work for the company – Do you like their product or service, their financial standing, their position in the industry, or their direction for the future? Companies like to know what captures your attention.

Proof, Proof, Proof – Make sure that your letter is clear, concise, and error free. Make a checklist that addresses grammar, punctuation, and words that are spelled correctly but out of context (form instead of from, you instead of your, etc.). Use this checklist for your own proof reading and have someone else read it if possible.

A cover letter can make the difference between getting an interview and getting passed over. Use a cover letter to help boost your chances of getting the job offer.

Rule #1 — Appearance

The resume and cover letter must be aesthetically pleasing and consistent in appearance. This would include using the same heading and fonts in each.

Rule #2 – Target Your Audience

Always use the hiring manager’s name in the salutation. If the contact’s name isn’t provided in the job posting, a bit of Internet research or a well-structured phone call can produce results.

Rule #3 – A Strong Opening

A dynamic opening paragraph is essential to capture and retain a hiring manager’s interest. Pared down to essentials, for a quick and effective read, it should include reference to the position being sought and a brief statement as to why the applicant feels qualified to fill the job.

Rule #4 – Showcasing Accomplishments

Include a bulleted area to emphasize accomplishments pertinent to the targeted job.

Rule #5 – A Proactive Closing

Always initiate further action at the end of a cover letter. A proactive closing indicates that the applicant will call within a few days to see if a time might be scheduled to meet.

If unemployment or underemployment has given you more free time than you would normally have, take advantage of that time to make yourself more marketable in the current job scene. 

One of the best ways to increase skills that could be readily used by future employers is to freelance.  Freelancing can include anything from writing to editing to graphic design.  Anything that can be done outside of the office on your home computer is considered freelancing.  This is the perfect opportunity to bring already-refined skills into the open.  Even if the work is unpaid, having work that is published or prominently displayed for future employers in a magazine or Web site is a great way to make your work stand out from the rest of the applicant pool. In addition, the more practice you have in a certain skill area will make your expertise even better.

Another great way to sharpen skills is to obtain a certificate for a certain skill-set at a nearby community college or skill center.  Certificates range from Speed-reading to Leadership.  Not only are these classes discounted because they are in a neighborhood community college, they will also teach or sharpen your skills.  Then, you can use these certificates to obtain an advantage when applying to jobs where most people have the same type of skills at the forefront. 

The best way to sharpen skills and obtain experience that is crucial to future employment, especially in a field outside of your expertise, is to intern.  Internships are up as companies need more staff and have fewer funds.  Thus, unpaid or underpaid internships are everywhere and can be created by companies.  Therefore, if you want to go into an industry where you have little experience, this is an opportunity to obtain it.  In these types of situations, if your work is really phenomenal, there may be a position that opens up in the company during the internship.

When sharpening up skills in this economy, it is important to make your skills and talents stand out from the rest of the applicant pool.  Thus, obtaining publication, certificates or experience that others lack is the fast-track way to getting the job of your dreams. 

To request Marina for your resume or cover letter, please select her last name in the “select your editor” field on the online order. www.resumeedge.com