Here are some helpful tips for creating effective cover letters!

1. Meridian Career Institute presents

2. A Learning Resource Center Seminar

3. How to Write a Cover Letter

6. Why You are Writing

8. If a friend or acquaintance told you about the job, mention their name. Hopefully, that will encourage the employer to keep reading your letter.

9. If you’re responding to a job posting or ad, tell them how you learned about the job and include the job title.

11. You could simply write something like: “ I am writing in response to your ad (on Craigslist, in the Bradenton Herald, etc.).”

12. Then you should state how your education and work experience have prepared you for this job.

13. In a prospecting letter or cold-contact letter, a job seeker contacts a company or business that hasn’t placed an ad for an open position.

14. The letter is sent in the hope that it will lead to an interview. This type of letter will receive the fewest responses, so don’t be overly concerned if only a few potential employers respond.

15. What you have to Offer

17. If you’re answering an ad, refer to the qualifications listed by the employer and tell them how your skills, work experiences, and education relate to the qualifications they’re seeking.

19. You need to express how you can fulfill the employer’s needs.

20. Don’t be concerned with asking the employer what he/she can do for you.

21. Emphasize your achievements and refer the reader to your resume for a more detailed description of your qualifications.

22. How You Will Follow-Up

23. In your cover letter, you should let the employer know how you can be reached – email address, phone number, and cell phone number.

24. Let them know you’re available for an interview at their convenience.

25. Checklist

26. Before you send out the cover letter with your resume, review this checklist to ensure that you’ve covered everything and that you’re sending out the best possible cover letter: