Cover Letter Workshop – Cut Jobhunting Time by Improving Your Cover Letter Writing Skills

In today’s working world, the competition is staggering. With over 300 million people in the USA, finding a good job is a tough chore for almost any American. National estimates show that your average American citizen can be on the jobhunt for almost 9 months! With competition like that, you’re going to need an edge if you want to find any kind of decent job.

But such an edge does exist. It’s not a sure-fire employer snare, but it can drastically raise your chances of getting a better job and cut down your time spent out of work. It’s all about the cover letter.

Turning in a resume without a cover letter is like showing up naked to an interview. Most businesses frown upon nudity in the workplace, so you can imagine that you wouldn’t do too awfully well in that interview. Having an excellent cover letter, however, is like wearing a fine, expensive suit…it creates a stunning first impression, gives the employer an idea of the hardworking, responsible person you are, and paves the way to a profitable business relationship. It makes them want you in their business.

Now, first elimination is always the cover letter. The people who show up naked to their interviews get thrown out first, while the guys with the best, most expensive suits go much further. The better your cover letter, the better you start out. Of course you’ll have to be qualified for the job and ace your real interview, but a great cover letter can GET you that interview.

So how do you write or improve your cover letter? Well, one of the best ways is to learn by example. Look at some sample cover letters that have worked for others in the past, and learn. Copying someone else’s letter would be stupid, but copying someone else’s technique would be genius. Why did this cover letter work? What makes it different from mine? How can I use this to improve my cover letter? These are all questions you need to ask yourself as you read others’ cover letters.

To get you started, I’ll point you in the direction of a site from which you can get access to a bunch of cover letter examples. At http://coverletters.wordpress.com/2008/04/21/cover-letter-examples/ you’ll find more basic information about cover letter writing, and also a bunch of links to all sorts of places where you can see just what should be done with a cover letter to maximize your chance of success in the job market.