Cover Letters

Be formal: This part of the letter is standard business etiquette. Check out the examples for content and style. This structure is easy to follow and if you do it right you’ll make a good impression.
Be personal: Address your letter to the person who has the power to hire you. Do a little research and call the company to find out the correct spelling of their name and their title. If that is impossible and you are answering a generic ad, you can use the old standby phrase "Dear Sir or Madam."

Be outgoing: Grab the hiring manager’s attention using a personal contact, a compliment, or specific company knowledge as you express your interest in the job.
Use your network: If you have made any personal connections with someone in the company, mention their name as a reference in the first sentence.
Research pays off: Show that you’ve done your homework on the company by mentioning something about their product or staff members that you find interesting. If you do this, there’s a good chance they will take notice of you!

Spill the beans: Let them in on the secret of how good you really are. If possible, share impressive statistics with them about your past performance. Feature your skills that match their job description in such a way so that your potential benefit to them is as obvious as the sun in the sky.
Be Strong: A job-winning combination is your resume and cover letter working in tandem to show your strengths to a potential employer. Use the cover letter to give a personal touch to your writing as you whet their appetite to read the hard facts in your resume. Try not to sound like a broken record by repeating yourself in either document.

Be directed: Close the letter by saying that you will call them to arrange a meeting.
Follow up: Keep copies of your letters and make a note to call that individual on the day that you specified in the last paragraph of the letter. This simple act of keeping organized distinguishes the serious from the casual job seeker.

Say thanks: Thank your reader for considering you as a candidate for the position.
Your signature: Next you can sign off with "Sincerely," or "Sincerely yours," if it is a formal letter. If you know the person fairly well you can sign "Best regards."
Last but not least: In business-speak the phrase "Enclosure" is commonly used at the bottom of the page to direct the reader's attention to the next one.

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