All cover letter examples are NOT created equal. Let’s say that you’re a job seeker who’s gone online and found yourself a great cover letter example. Excellent! The question is, what are you going to do with it? I hope the answer is not “change it around a little and send it out.

Look, the cover letter is your first and, usually, only chance to say something personal about yourself that will convince a hiring manager to call you in for an interview. A resume can’t do this. And unfortunately, the average cover letter example doesn’t say the sort of things that would make the hiring manager pick up that phone and call you.

What’s Wrong With The Typical Cover Letter Example You Find Online?

The typical cover letter example is written to be everything to everyone. Which makes it nothing important to no one in particular. Which in turn, makes it bland, unfocused and worse yet… ineffective at landing job interviews. Examples like this are a dime a dozen. They’ll never work as a phone-call-inspiring job search tool, a cover letter needs to be as specific as possible for landing job interviews. This is the secret of great job search cover letters.

Cover Letter Do’s And Don’ts

For starters, you should address your letter to a specific person at the company. Furthermore, it should specifically mention the company’s line of business, goals, objectives and current business practices. Then say, in a specific way, how you are that company’s best solution to the position being offered.

Always keep your cover letter brief and focused. If you find a cover letter example that doesn’t fit this criteria leave it alone or taylor it with problem-solving, interview-grabbing sentences. Remember to always clearly ask for the job interview in all your job search cover letters.

Final Thoughts On Cover Letters

Don’t waste too much time trying to bring a dead example letter you find online back to life. It likely never had any life to begin with. Remember the old saying, “you get what you pay for?” Well since this letter was actually free… well, you get the point.

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