Résumés are typically read before the cover letter. Why spend the time reading your cover letter if the basic qualifications don't fit the job? Experience tells that candidates often fill up cover letters with boastful platitudes and clichés.
Purpose of a Cover Letter
A cover letter is a supporting document for your resume. It can help you to explain your employment situation. It is a good place to answer questions which you anticipate that an employer might ask.
Remember, the goal of your cover letter and résumé is to convince an employer to spend the time and money required to interview you. Therefore, it should not be a self-serving bit of flattery, a superficial overview, or a detailed biography. It should aim at getting you an interview - no more and no less.
For example, employers typically do not want to hear that you have 20+ years of experience or the grand total of how much you have saved your last 3 employers. Instead, it is an overview to illustrate to hiring managers what you have done, where you want to go, and how you want to get there.
Employers are looking for answers, not "fluff"
Employers are searching for answers to basic questions such as: Can she do our job? Would he be interested in our job? Can we afford this candidate? What sort of problems might we encounter hiring this individual? For example:
- Why did they change jobs so many times? · This résumé lists responsibilities but what did he actually do?
- She has a long list of computer languages but how strong are her C++ coding skills and what has she actually written in C++?
- He has listed a number of computer platforms but what does he really know about Windows NT?
Things that you might want to address in your cover letter include
- What type of position(s) would you be interested in considering?
- Why are you seeking a job change?
- Are you willing to relocate and if so where?
- Your current salary and salary expectations for a new position.
- Mention how flexible you are (if at all) regarding the above.
- Tie together the diverse elements of your experience.
The cover letter can be a good place to explain away any "red flags" that may be found in your résumé. A red flag is a point of concern for someone reading your résumé.
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