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The contents of a cover letter
Sun, 03/06/2011 - 19:16 | by admin
“Although I am far more interested in a fine company and an intriguing challenge than merely in the money, you should know that in recent years my compensation has been in the range of $... to $.... “
“A salary of $... would be acceptable, however, my main concern is to find employment where there is potential for growth.”
In this dossier :
The cover letter must persuade the recruiter to read your resume. To do so, you must be inventive and inviting while still observing the regular rules of form and content. These are the items that will necessarily appear in your cover letter.
The reasons why you want the job
You may want a job only because it pays well but even so, think about, for instance, the challenges it could involve and enhance upon them. It is not prohibited to mention the expected wage in your cover letter but you should use extra care in doing so. Since you are still in the process of selection, you are not in a position that allows you to impose any conditions. However, if the salary is of primordial importance to you, you may use this kind of phrasing:
Other reasons can be the company’s leading position in some specific field, the geographical location of the job, the job’s particularities, the work environment, the business trips implied and so on.
Your experience, qualifications
If you are answering an ad, pick up the information specifically requested for the position and adapt your profile accordingly. If some elements of relevance were left out in your resume, put them forward now in the cover letter. Otherwise, highlight the relevant details of experience and education using power verbs and phrases. (See section on Power verbs in the Resume writing rundown)
Your personality type
Do not go into detail too much as sometimes it is better not to announce certain qualities in a cover letter. Only what is professionally relevant should figure in the letter. Here are some qualities that will look good and that are, most of the time, professionally accepted: hardworking, team worker, dynamic, take initiative, show intelligence, stability, maturity, managing skills, leading skills, motivated, professional, knowledgeable...
In this dossier :
