Tips for Using a Cover Letter Template for Your Job Applications
2008 Copyright, Written By Jimmy Sweeney President of CareerJimmy and Author of the Amazing Cover Letter Creator Learn how to create an amazing cover letter: http://www.resumebycprw.com/cover-letter.htm Having trouble getting started on your cover letter? You're not alone. Most of the hundreds of thousands of cover letters that get sent each day were written with much effort on the side of the applicants, not to mention a lot of head scratching. When it comes to cover letters, it doesn’t matter whether you're a college student looking for an internship or an experienced career changer looking for a new job – writing cover letters can be quite the challenge. If you're stumped, you could probably use some help from a cover letter template. What is a cover letter template? A cover letter template is a prepared cover letter that contains a general pattern or layout of how your cover letter can look like. It can come in different writing styles and arrangement and you simply have to delete some portions and add your own in order to create a personal cover letter. Cover letter templates are used widely and may in fact consist a good bulk of all the cover letters used in the job market. Why you should use a cover letter template A cover letter template, if it's well written, contains all the necessary elements that make up a good cover letter. It has the style and body you can follow to give you enough idea on how to write your own. A template can also save you much time, especially if you're sending your application to multiple employers and you need a cover letter fast. On the other hand, a cover letter template can spell disaster if you don’t know how to use it properly. Cover letter templates are better treated as guides to writing your own letter and should not be substituted for a well-written letter that you can do yourself. Remember that a cover letter template was written without considering your own personal qualifications and the job requirements of the company you're applying to. There's a risk that you could end up using a highly generic cover letter template that will sound almost 'robotic' and unnatural. Worse, it could be a cover letter template that has not been updated for many years. If you've ever read a cover letter that was written 10 years ago and compared it with one that's written recently, you will see the difference not only in tone and style but also in the choice of words. Try to keep updated with the newer cover letters and use those as a guide if you're unsure about the cover letter template you're using. Reading a few currently published and updated books and resources on cover letter writing will give you an idea of what to look for in a cover letter template. Many hiring officers can take one look at your cover letter and see some similarities with dozens, even hundreds, of cover letters they've seen before. If your cover letter reads as if it were taken from a template, most companies will take that as a mild sign of incompetence and insecurity. You might also end up looking very unprofessional. If you must use a cover letter, use one that will best market you as a highly competent and reliable professional. Resources for cover letter templates There are plenty of cover letter templates you can purchase online but there are also sites that offer good templates for you to use. Check out http://jobsearch.about.com for an article on cover letters written by Alison Doyle or go to Monster.com and Jobstar.org for more templates. Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job Search Secrets. In just 3½ minutes you will have an amazing cover letter guaranteed to cut through YOUR competition like a hot knife through butter!" Download your resource for “instant cover letters” at the CoverLetterCentral.com website; http://www.coverlettercentral.com.