How To Write a Cover Letter

What is a cover letter? Obviously, it is a letter. This letter gives your employer a background of its proceeding documents (resumes, bio data, etc) for possible employment. It gives the reader (in this case, the employer) an introduction on what to expect in the proceeding documents.

Since it is an introduction (that’s why it is called a cover letter) of your job application documents, it must be written as professionally as possible. This is because you want to impress your employer from the start so that you will be his choice for the job you seek. The following are points to ponder in writing a professional cover letter.

General Directives:

A cover letter is written in a one whole page. Thus you may want to include important information about yourself. Avoid irrelevant information, for they will fill valuable space (which is intended for the most important ones) in your one-page cover letter. Be general in your cover letter. Reserve the specifics in the resume.

In writing a professional cover letter, it is obvious to write it with correct spelling and grammar. Come to think of this: do you expect a professional to be wrong, especially in the most basic terms? Consider proper spelling of words, word association (like subject-verb agreement), etc. Also please use simple words that can be easily understood. Don’t use highfaluting words that cause “nosebleeds” to readers. Thus using such terms will bring you to nothing.

Unlike resumes, cover letters are written in a first person perspective. Thus the use of the terms “I”, “my”, and the like are to be maximized. A cover letter is a personal introduction about you. Thus you must personalize its form.

Specific Directives:

Generally, a cover letter is composed of three paragraphs. Each paragraph contains specific information about you.

An introduction of the self must be contained in the first paragraph. It tells about you as yourself. It also tells about your desire to work with the company you are applying to and why the company wants your services. It must be short, but not hurried.

The second paragraph includes your professional career history and educational background. It must be included in this paragraph the skill, experiences, educational background, and job history acquired prior to the job you are applying for.

The third and last paragraph must include the opportunities that the company has in having you. You must also include a sentence which expresses an appointment time with the company.

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How To Prepare For an Interview

You just got out of school and you’re raring to join the work force so you could start earning your keep. Or you must be an old-timer hoping to get a stab at that managerial post that’s been opened in your company. Like most candidates, you would have to go through an interview or even a series of it before the company hands down their choice.

What To Do:
Nothing beats preparing for an interview. Everyone knows that. If not, these candidates learn it the hard way and just shake their heads in disappointment after it’s been done. You don’t have to go through the same and miss that wonderful opportunity of getting hired and forego the feeling of accomplishment that goes with it.

It is imperative that you completely understand your strengths and weaknesses. When you prepare your resume, make sure you can back up the details you put in there when asked for more specifics. Anticipate that questions will most likely be directed towards your skills, work experience, educational background, relevant training, career goals or lack of it. The interviewer might even give you situational questions related to the job you are applying for.

Research and Practice:
It would also boost your opportunities if you researched on the company and the position you are aiming for. The interviewer will most definitely ask you why you feel you are fit for the job. This is where researching would help you because no interviewer would appreciate being asked what the post is all about. I can just imagine the interviewer rolling their eyes at you. The interviewer may not be as expressive but you can go ahead and kiss your chances goodbye. Interviewers will want to hear your qualifications aligned with the requirements for the job. The person who fits the job most will most likely get past the interview and win the job.

Now, you may the best fit for the job but you end up getting tongue tied and failing to express yourself in words because of nervousness. It is expected that a person who goes through an interview gets butterflies in their stomachs. The best way to overcome this feeling is coming in prepared. Practice in front of the mirror so you could see how you project yourself during an interview. Are your hands too distracting when you talk? Do you have that smug expression when talking about your accomplishments? Be sure to project yourself professionally so interviewers will take to you positively during interviews.

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How To Beat Competition In An Interview

Graduating from school is quite an accomplishment but and unprepared graduate can soon find themselves facing tough competition when trying to get a new job. If you want to get ahead of you competition, you must learn the tips and tricks on how to win that interview and squash competition more effectively.

Set Yourself Apart From Everyone Else:
If all determining factors for potential candidates are the same, the hiring manager will almost always choose an applicant that stands out from his/her competition. The first thing that you can do to stand out for an interview is arrive early. It’s a simple basic rule but one that often people take for granted Arriving early can also place you in the “lime light” and you may even get the chance to speak to the hiring manager in a casual environment prior to your interview meeting.

You want to make sure that you also research your possible employer. The majority of your competition concentrates on becoming familiar with the factitious contents of their own curriculum vitae or resume. They may know it like the back of their hands but not a lot will go the extra mile to make it consistent or in line with the company’s goals and missions. You of course, will not know the company’s goals and mission unless you do your research first. Doing your homework can impress the interviewer with your initiative, knowledge and abilities/skills that the company could directly relate to their goals.

Prepare for the Unexpected:
It wouldn’t hurt to ask around and read on publications that can help you prepare for some interview questions they might throw at you. Although most applicants are prepared to talk about their strengths, it would be good to know how to respond impressively if the interviewer starts asking you about what your weaknesses are. You don’t want to project yourself as a poor candidate but you have to do positive scripting so that your weakness might turn out to be more of an advantage to you and the company than the other way around.

Interviews will also touch on some of your problem solving skills. It’s not a simple math of two plus two equals four. They want to see and hear how confident you are when faced with problem scenarios that might come with the job you are aiming for. They would want to see someone who knows how to find a good work around when faced with a problematic situation instead of someone who guesses or pulls answers out of their hats randomly.

Above all in your interview, be sure to answer truthfully and with integrity. Honesty can go a long way with a hiring manager and will help you take the extra step to set yourself apart from your competitors.

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