Your Cover Letter can Unlock or Lock the Door to an Interview

Your cover letter is a wonderful opportunity to show how your life and work experiences will benefit the company to which you are applying for work.

This letter is part of the interview process. It is an opportunity for you to show the people who are hiring that you have the writing skills necessary to do the job. The letter should be formatted properly, spelling should be perfect, and correct sentence structure is very important.

What you should include in your letter:
How you will benefit the Company.
Give one or two real examples of how you can be an asset to the company.
Include skills that actually apply to the job you will have if you are hired.
Show that you understand the position for which you are applying.
When asked to send the resume to a certain person, address that person. (Good Afternoon, To Whom it Concerns, or Dear Sir/Madam will not get you an interview).

More ways to improve your application:
Your letter should fit on one page.
Don't copy a letter out of a cover letter book. Let your knowledge and experience shine.
A resume for a part time job or for a first job should fit on one page.

 Instead of:
"detail oriented" share an example such as, "In my last position, I organized the office supplies and created a new efficient supply ordering system.

"asset to the organization," provide a true experience of how you have been an asset like, "My ability to write great thank you letters to donors, helped to increase future donations to the organization."

Remember: Do not lie or make up stories. It will come back to haunt you.