When looking for a job or just a job change, most people focus their efforts on creating or fine tuning their resumes and give little, if any thoughts, about cover letters. A cover letter is a great way of introducing yourself to a prospective employer and can be a great compliment to your resume. It shows your ability to communicate and can include things not shown on your resume. However, writing a job cover letter is not as easy as it seems and many job seekers need help in drafting an effective missive. For those who don’t have English Majors or Human Resource Managers in the family, here are some tips for finding great cover letter examples.
General Internet Resources
A general search on Yahoo or Google will help you find cover letter examples that meet your needs. There are countless options offered. Just be mindful to check secured sites or make sure your pop-up blocker is engaged. Great examples for web resources include http://jobsearch.about.com/od/coverlettersamples/Sample_Cover_Letters.htm , http://www.bestcoverletters.com/ and http://www.resumecoverletterexamples.com/. Each of these sites also offers insight on why cover letters are needed and what makes a good cover letter.
All colleges and universities have career services offices staffed by professionals who help students and alumni with job searches. These offices offer assistance with resume and cover letter writing as well have samples of effective and specific cover letters. For example, Harvard’s Office of Career Services has samples online http://www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu/students/resources/letters.htm and offers guidance on the elements of cover letters. Most other colleges offer similar examples and assistance.
There are a number of books that offer guidance in cover letter writing. There is Cover Letter Writing for Dummies by career expert Joyce Lain Kennedy and Louise Kursmark’s compliment to her resume writing book, Cover Letter Magic (Kindle Book 2009) and David F. Noble’s 2007 book, Gallery of Best Cover Letters: Collection of Quality Cover Letters by Professional Resume Writers. These books and other can be found at Online booksellers, local bookstores or at your local library. Each offers an incredible number of samples and advice on choosing the right cover letter for your job search.
Cover Letter Writing Software
It’s not a surprise that with software for everything from games to cooking, there is also software for writing cover letters. While most software packages such as WordPerfect and Microsoft Word have templates, there are a number of companies that offer software packages designed simply for resume and cover letter writing. For example, Perfect Cover Letter is an inexpensive trademarked software which offers over 150 sample cover letter templates. They offer starter packages as well as premium packages for those job seekers needing a tailored letter.
Internet Job Sites
There are a number of great job search sites on the web. CareerBuilder.com, Monster, Jobster, and even Craigslist. However, not all job search sites are created equal. Many like CareerBuilder.com offer advice and resources for job seekers. Some have cover letter builders and templates that help you in your job search.
Cover letters are a great way to add a more personal and professional polish to your applications for jobs. While not everyone is great at writing letters, any job seeker can submit a great cover letter to compliment their applications and resumes. All anyone needs is to know where to look. There are hundreds samples and resources that offer effective and specialized cover letters that can make your job search a successful one.
