Thursday, June 5, 2008

Sample Resume Cover Letter Tips

Sample Resume Cover Letter Tips: "Some great sample resume cover letter tips for job seekers"

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Sample Resume Cover Letter: Using A Sample Resume Cover Letter To Turn Weaknesses Into Strengths

Many job seekers turn to a sample resume cover letter for inspiration on writing their own cover letters. A cover letter is an excellent resource for your potential employer especially when there is a huge gap in employment, or lack of relevant employment and all you have is your resume to do the talking.

But really, how important is a cover letter? As important as the resume itself. A cover letter can give the potential employer a glimpse of who you are as a person, as well as why you want to work for their company. And it is also your first important opportunity to turn what may look like weaknesses on your resume into strengths. Here are a few tips to accomplosh this:

Highlight Your Special Skills
If you don’t have relevant job experience to list on your resume, but you do have relevant skills that you’ve acquired over the years, use your cover letter to highlight these special skills to draw the interviewer's attention away from your lack of experience. A good way to do this is to create a list of skills you’ve developed that match the company’s job posting, mission and culture. Use the cover letter to explain how those skills can be beneficial to the company.

For example, you may be quite a remarkable computer user capable of multi-tasking on various platforms and applications, which is perfect for the clerical or secretarial position you’re interested in. Yes, you may not have gained your expertise from your last 5 years as a housewife and part-time babysitter. But you did picked it up while volunteering as your church’s secretary over the 3 years. Therfore, you can use your cover letter to focus on this skill and turn around what might be perceived as a lack of job experience.

Hobbies Are Not Taboo
Many people have hobbies that they spend a lot of time on which they eventually want to turn into careers. For example, you may love to make furniture out of wood and have expertise with the necessary tools of the trade, which has nothing to do with your string of jobs working in an office.

You now desire to apply for a position with a local carpentry company that needs a good carpenter. You know you’re perfect for it but don’t know how to prove it. That is, until you remember that you keep your skills honed with weekly backyard projects, have gotten some hands on training at a local community centre, and have years of experience making your own furniture at home and for your friends and family. By explaining all of this in your cover letter, you have a chance to showcase the experience you’ve gained.

Keep It Short And Simple
Though you want to use your cover letter to fill in gaps in your job history, you don’t want the employer to spend too much time thinking that you are giving too much excuses for your lack of experience. So instead of spending a lot of time explaining why your skills and hobbies are incredible, it is better to keep this part as brief as you would in any other cover letter.

Having a lack of job experience doesn’t have to define your capabilities as an employee. So try using your cover letter to highlight your special skills. Look up a sample resume cover letter that is similar to the job position you desire in order to get inspiration for writing your own.

A Sample Resume Cover Letter Template (Generic)


John Doe
999 Address Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60001
Home: (123) 456-7890 Cell: (098) 765-4321
Email: johndoe@something.com
June 01, 2008

{Contact Name (if known)}
{Contact Job Title}
{Company Name}
{Company Address}
{Company City, State, Zip}

Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. {Last Nam}:

APPLICATION FOR POSITION OF

The qualifications and professional knowledge I can bring to your organization include:

· {job responsibility or achievement 1}
· {job responsibility or achievement 2}
· {job responsibility or achievement 3}
· {job responsibility or achievement 4}
· {job responsibility or achievement 5}

In review of your company’s objectives and possible openings, I believe that my experience is in perfect line with your current needs. If your firm is looking for a dependable, results-oriented professional with a solid performance track, I would be interested in speaking with you to discuss the value that my strengths and experience can bring to your company. I can be reached in confidence at the above telephone numbers or email address and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours,

Sign name here



John Doe

Enclosure