Cover all the Bases with a Great Cover Letter

A cover letter can be the greatest tool in marketing your skills to potential employers.  Your cover letter gives you the opportunity to present your goals as well as explain career changes or gaps in your employment history. 

When you apply for a job you have limited opportunity to demonstrate your value.  A resume helps, and if well written your resume will show your accomplishments.   Your resume is intended to show relevant work experience, the history of employment.  But your resume cannot always show your prospective employer why you are a good match for the advertised position. 

Your cover letter should be personalized for the position you are applying for as well as the company.  Consider your cover letter as the first stage of your interview.  Use this opportunity to show your prospective employer the qualities that make you a great employee.  You can use skills and tools you acquired and practiced both in the job market and in your volunteer work or self-improvement program.

Look at the job description provided in the job posting.  Look at each task and qualification given.  Write down how you can perform each of these tasks.  Does your resume demonstrate each of these tasks?  If not then you can use your cover letter to cover all the bases.  There may be tasks that you have not performed on a prior job.  Is there some other place in your life experience where you’ve used similar skills?  You might find those skills hidden in a hobby or interest, or in your schooling.  

Your cover letter gives you the opportunity to market yourself, so make every word count.  Cover all the bases, and show your prospective employer how great a match you are for the job.