Tuesday, June 19, 2007

HOME::Business/Resumes-Cover-Letters

Cover letter are almost always inseparable with resume and job hunting. You can never find a good job if you haven't gone past the hurdle of making a cover letter. Yet, there are many people who believe in what I call myths on cover letter templates and end up getting less than what they bargained for in their cover letters. This is a sad reality, but the few who have managed to learn the facts and turn it to their advantage kissed those myths goodbye. Here are a couple of myths that make cover letter templates hindrances rather than pathways to getting that dream job.

Single template for all seasons
There is a common belief that cover letter templates is like those ready to wear clothes that fits all sizes. No it never does, and it never will. The cover letter template in itself is not sufficient to land you that ideal job. The cover letter template serves not as a thing to copy and paste. It may sometimes serve as a guide, but do keep in mind that the rest of the world is probably using the same thing for their application and it is already boring those who screen applications to tears. This single template mentality makes a person stick to a single way of writing his or her cover letter and mass sends it to all of his or her target companies. This makes the cover letter very generic, when in reality, the specific cover letters are those that get the job for the applicant.

What worked for Harry will work for Sally mentality
You may have a friend who got your dream job last week. So you maybe thinking that when you copy his or her cover letter, you will be able to get yourself that job as well. There is a grain of truth to it, but it is not something you can always rely on. One of the best ways to make a good cover letter is getting a good grasp of who you are professionally and what you can do for a company. Your specific details, experience and qualification as well as the standards of the company you are applying a job for are a mixture of unique factors which will spell your doom and success in applying.

Robot View
The view that your resume cover letter must be dead serious is another one of those myths that hamper one's capacity to get a job. It is true that you must have some degree of professionalism and formality in your letter, but not to the extent that the letter will be devoid of emotion and enthusiasm. These are the two things that most cover letters miss. The way one's personal “voice” talk through the lines of the cover letter is already a way of introduction of yourself.

Useless Cover Belief
The biggest myth of all myths in cover letter writing is that cover letter writing is useless and requires the least priority in preparing your application details. The cover letter is the most important part of the documents pertaining to your application, and you must give it as much attention, time and energy as it deserves. With this in mind, cover letter templates are quite tricky to use, and it's a great irony that people just leave the fate of their job hunting in the bounds of a generic cover letter template.