Preparing Your Own Cover Letter and Resume

Finding employment is probably the hardest job you’ll ever have. Not only is finding the right job for yourself difficult to begin with, it also takes a commitment to go out searching for new job leads day after day.

Of course the very first step is knowing what kind of job you want. It should go without saying this will help you immensely with figuring out where to look. You never know when a lead can turn into something significant for yourself.

And while you’re waiting for that next solid tip on a job opportunity to come along, many days can bring a lot of rejection and despair.

Networking can be one of your best friends while looking for employment… and you’ll need as many job leads as you can find — the economy responsible for the current scarcity of employment isn’t going to get better overnight.

Keep your eyes open and your
ears alert to any job leads…

The first essential task you should complete — even before beginning your job hunt — is to write (and finely hone) your cover letter and resume. After all, it’s your calling card and you’ll need these documents for almost every job you’ll apply for. If at all possible, tailor your cover letter to each potential opportunity for best results when submitting your resume.

Initial contact with your cover letter and resume must be convincing to land that all important interview . It’s no secret you’ll greatly raise your odds of landing the interview if you design your cover letter and resume correctly to begin with.

Employers hire people based on their performance in the interview. No employer in their right mind is going to hire someone solely based on two sheets of paper. In order to get a clear message across of who who you are and how you’ll benefit the potential employer, you need to make sure you learn — and communicate in your cover letter and resume (and the interview itself) the following:

• What distinguishes you from the other candidates competing for the position?
• What have you accomplished in your career thus far?
• What characteristics or qualities make you truly distinctive?
• What noteworthy personal character trait or traits describe you?
• What types of problems have you solved (and how can this experience benefit the employer)?

Both of these documents — your cover letter and resume — must be as perfect as you can make them. You do want to be taken seriously, don’t you? Well, any spelling error, grammar error, or lack of organization could cost you the interview. And you do not want that to happen.

How long should your resume be? Aim for one page whenever possible. Personnel people do not want to read several pages of information. One page is all you need for entry level positions and those fresh out of school. If you have tons of relevant experience, then you can go beyond the “one page rule”, but keep the the question “is this relevant?” in your mind at all times.

Remember, your cover letter and resume are a reflection of you – you want to put your best foot forward. Make sure to use high quality paper and a good laser printer for both of these pieces. You must also show organization, skill, and talent when writing and preparing your cover letter and resume for any employer. Make your documents visually attractive and utilize plenty of spacing, bullets, headers, and paragraphs.

When you’ve got your cover letter and resume to a point you’re happy with, have an “outside” pair of eyes proof read your documents as well. This is how you’ll give yourself the best chance possible if you decide to go it alone and prepare your own resume and cover letter.