Targeted Cover Letter

May 25, 2007 on 6:16 pm | In Cover letter |

The first glance at your cover letter is your one opportunity when it comes in making a good impression to a potential employer and avoiding your resume be included in the reject pile.  You already know by now some basic skills in writing cover letters such as perfect grammar and absence of typographical errors.  However, it is much easier to write a blanket cover letter and most of the time it doesn’t look impressive.

Here we discuss how to bring your basic, generic cover letters into documents specifically written for the industry and company you are applying.

Match your letter with the skills being sought – Take the job posting and list down the criteria the employer is looking for.  Address in paragraph form how your skills and experiences match the job.  You can also list the criteria and your qualifications.

Example:

Sample Job Posting #1:  Paragraph

MARKETING EXECUTIVE.  Handle product presentations and promotions to all above-target customers.  Insure in all existing projects as a support to the sales team and shall be required to support the company in meeting its corporate goals and sales target.  Gather database of all target market, architects, interior designers, engineers, and real estate developers in preparation of direct mail campaign to advertise showroom.

Cover Letter Sample #1

In my previous employment as Marketing Assistant in Granita Inc, I was responsible in gathering and acquiring new clients as well as creating several presentations (AVP, brochures, product list) that our company utilized in different exhibits and events.  I contributed in our company’s 60% rise in sales as well as acquiring two Fortune 500 companies as part of our clientèle. 

Sample Job Posting #2:  List

FEATURE WRITER REQUIREMENTS:

• Must have an ample experience in Research and Writing

• Passionate about writing

• Adequate interest on the Internet

• Outgoing, team player, and can deal with deadlines very well

• Can work on any given shift

Cover Letter Sample #2

• Feature writing including research both online and offline as well as self-proofreading

• Feature writing experience for 5 years

• Coordinate with fellow feature writers to avoid overlapping of topics as well as creating concepts for upcoming issues

• Able to work on rotating shifts

Do not apply for jobs that you do not have ample qualifications – If you have ten years of child care experience and planning to apply for computer programming position, it would be best if you do not apply.  Unless you had ample training in computer programming, there would always be candidates who would have better qualifications than you have.  Instead, focus on applying for jobs that you are qualified for and spend time gaining additional skills or education that you need to prepare when applying for positions that are of higher rank.