How To Write A Resume Cover Letter

Learning how to write a resume cover letter is a simple and a necessary skill that any professional career person should have.

Using the usual resume words such as skills, goals, responsibilities, assisted, solved, supervised, initiated, instrumental, expanded, maintained, originated, trained, established, lead and such are great to use for general description, but you should also include some wording that is particular to what the hiring manager really wants. Resume key words are important not only for the hiring manager to read, but also for future use. Most resumes are stored in a database and when future openings come up a search is done to find candidates that fit the skills required.

As an addition to a resume, a resume cover sheet should be included when you are submitting for any job. The cover letter will add an air of professionalism to your submission and could set you apart from someone who can't be bothered to type up a couple of paragraphs.

Cover letters for resumes should be used whether you are applying for a job through an online job hunting site, through a recruiter or through a job you have found on your own via a state job posting, newspaper ad or friend. Cover letters are specific to the job and company that you are applying for so you will have to write one for each application. Luckily you can learn to get this down to a simple pattern or formula that you can quickly use to personalize it towards each job.

The first part of the resume cover letter will, of course include the date and addressee - your contact at the company. You should open by thanking them for taking the time to review your resume and stating why you want to work at the company. Don’t make the cover letter too long, a couple of small paragraphs will do.

On the second paragraph of the resume cover letter you should state how you think your skills will match to the job and how the company can benefit by having you on board. If you lack a skill they need or there is training, state how you will be looking forward to learning and how that will broaden your career goals.

This is a resume cover sheet and should be attached as the first page of the resume. That way they will have a good first impression of you and already be feeling warm and fuzzy when they turn the page to read your resume.

Here's an example of how one might write a resume cover letter:

Dear Sir,

I would like to thank you for your time in reviewing my resume for your position. I think you will find that I am a detail oriented person who is a self starter and team player. I am particularly interested in your company because of your diverse culture and strong commitment to environmental issues.

I believe my skills in air pollution research will be a good fit to your team. My strong leadership on the breath safe project as well as my skills in laboratory research will make a great fit to your current needs. I am an individual that is innovative and displays good leadership qualities, some of my accomplishments to date include: