After putting together a concise resume, the job seeker needs to sit down and write a cover letter.
“Cover letters make a difference, even short ones,” Susan Adams writes in “How to Write a Cover Letter,” an article published in Forbes magazine. “Don’t ever send a boilerplate.”
Adams advises applicants to use the first line of the cover letter to mention a mutual contact. She advises applicants to use a more formal style of writing instead of abbreviations and acronyms, and to proofread the letter carefully.
Adams says experts like cover letters in which the applicant names the job he wants early on and provides a brief summary of his career and accomplishments. The letter should end with a request for a meeting and when the applicant plans to get in touch.
And, importantly, Adams says, cover letters of less than one page — or about four paragraphs — are best.