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Types of Cover Letters

Depending on where and how a person learned about a position will determine the type of cover letter that needs to be written. If a person learned about a position from an advertisement or classified ad, this should be mentioned within the cover letter. At times a person may be referred to a position by a colleague; if this is the case, the applicant will write a referral cover letter. Inquiring about positions within a company requires a person to write a cover letter that explains the type of job that they are looking for. Each type of cover letter will require a different format.

Introduction and Body of a Cover Letter

When writing a cover letter, the introduction is extremely important. The letter should be addressed to the person who is in charge of the hiring process. Applicants should do everything they can to find out the name of the person in this position, if the name remains unknown, a generic ?to whom it may concern? or ?dear sir/madam? may be used. The body of a cover letter should contain information about yourself that is not included in your resume. The point of a cover letter is to give the employer interesting information about yourself that will make them want to consider you for the position. In essence it is an ?extension? of a resume that allows an insight into the applicant?s personality and attributes.

Cover Letter Closings

The last paragraph of a cover letter should thank the person for taking the time to read your letter. A personal meeting should be requested, this shows interest in the position and learning more about a company. Applicants should also include contact information, or refer to contact information if it is given elsewhere in the letter. The ending of a cover letter should remain professional. The closing should be something similar to ?sincerely yours?, ?respectfully yours?, or ?regards?.

Using Templates and Samples

Cover letter samples offer applicants an idea of what the letter should look like. These templates will help a person spark ideas about the type of formatting to use when writing. Sample cover letters will also give information about what should be included in a resume. However, it is important to note that templates and cover letter samples should be used for ideas only. It is extremely important to add your own flair to your cover letter. Simply following a template will make a cover letter very boring and will lead to your resume being discarded. Remember that a hiring manager will receive resumes from a large number of applicants, this means a person must do everything in their power to make their cover letter and resume stand out in a simplistic but effective way.

Cover letters are an extremely important part of the job application process and will often mean the difference between an applicant being employed, or having their application simply ignored. Just remember to keep the cover letter short and always take the time to proof read it for spelling, grammar or other mistakes prior to sending it off.