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When applying for a job and sending of your resume, a well-written cover letter can make the difference between success and failure. Think of the covering letter as thing that will open the door and allow your resume to make it to the top of the pile.

I’ve often said it’s no good being the best person for the job if you resume ends up in the trash.

Below I have written some examples of covering letters for you to use as writing examples. They should always follow the same format, be brief and to the point. There is no need to include too much detail that is what the resume is for.

Cover Letter Example 1:

Dear Mr. Jones:

Recently, I completed a cooperative experience with an engineering firm in Northern California where I was given the responsibility of managing a small project. I am looking for the opportunity to perform in this capacity for Ganco Engineering. I believe my background and experience will help me be an asset to your company in a very short time.

I have conducted survey and mapping assignments, participated in soil mechanics and foundation formation, and performed preliminary structural analysis and design for a grocery store. I was given the responsibility of producing a general layout for a new transportation system. I first surveyed the area, produced a traffic analysis and survey, researched city rules and regulations for compliance, and wrote a twenty-five page report depicting the feasibility of building a new freeway off-ramp. My mathematical skills are excellent and I am very conscientious about meeting deadlines and completing tasks unsupervised. If given the opportunity to accomplish an assignment, I can develop a plan that will meet the needs of the project.

I am very interested in becoming a part of this project after reading your company brochure and an article in the Civil Engineering Journal about your company’s involvement in building a new mall in the area. I can be reached at the address and phone number below. I’ll be calling your office within ten days to inquire on the status of my application. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,

You will see the covering letter is sharply written, concise and to the point. It shows the prospective employer that you have taken the time to research the position and put forward your skills and contributions.

Cover Letter Example 2:

Dear Ms. Bolo:

Being able to teach individuals and groups about effective health practices and procedures has been my goal since beginning my college career. To ensure that I acquired the skills and knowledge necessary to become a health educator, I have volunteered to work in numerous agencies, putting my academic theory and principles into practice.

I am equally comfortable working independently or as part of a team and am highly motivated to provide an excellent product on time and under budget. I have extensive experience with the needs of diverse clientele and can communicate in Spanish although I am not completely fluent. Other skills I can bring to your organization include:

• Knowledge of health disorders and their prevention.

• Knowledge of counseling and teaching principles.

• Ability to serve as a liaison and referral specialist between clients and supportive agencies.

• Understanding of health rules and regulations.

For more detailed information please refer to my enclosed resume. I would appreciate a personal interview at your earliest convenience. I am eager to further discuss my qualifications and view your facility.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

This cover letter uses bullet points to highlight key skills and attributes and again is direct and to the point.

Using these cover letter examples to help you, you should be able to go away and create an award winning cover letter yourself.

By: Lisa Galloway

About the Author:

A Qualifications Brief instantly sets you apart from everyone else

If there is one document that will separate you from the masses of people who are submitting their resumes to prospective employers it’s the qualifications brief.

Resumes give a brief overview of a persons work history and educational background. Resumes include jobs held perhaps with some job descriptions and accomplishments. While some formats may differ the information is fairly standard. the largest section nearly always explains a persons job history.
A qualifications brief on the other hand is designed specifically to get an interview.

At the top of the Q Brief you should have your name , address and phone number. This immediately gives the prospective employer the most basic information that he or she needs.

First section – “Record of Success”

This is where you are selling yourself – do not be modest! Use a bullet format with short sentences. Items like awards, attendance records, customer reactions and compliments are used in this section.

Next section – “Educational Accomplishments”

Anything relevant to this job.

Next section – “Extra-curricular Accomplishments”

Anything that shows you are a responsible person.

Next section – “Awards”

Any award you have ever received.

Next section – “Other Facts”

This is where you would show anything else that shows you are a good candidate for the job.

Next section – “Interests and Hobbies”

Anything that shows you are a team player.

Why take the time to create a Qualifications Brief?

Reason #1 – Most of your competition will not have one.

Reason #2 – It demonstrates you have the skills, personality traits, and record of success the employer is looking for.

At this point you may be saying…

“What if I don’t have a lot of skills and success that I can highlight on a qualifications brief?”

Guess what?

Everyone, including you has things that he or she is good at and accomplishments he or she has earned.

All you have to do is take some time to dig them out of your memory banks. List them – then incorporate them into your qualifications brief.

Rules of Road

You should always have one when you apply for a job, ANY job, and it should focus on the needs of the employer.

A well crafted qualifications brief clearly shows you have the

Character Personality Traits Background

to meet the employers needs.

If you take the time to design your qualification brief just right the prospective employer says to themselves -

“This is just the type of person we are looking for.”

By: Ian James

About the Author:

There is no doubt that teaching jobs are more difficult to secure than ever before. States around the country are drastically cutting their budgets in an attempt to battle rising fuel costs and a tough economy. In fact, many school districts are being forced to cut more than 20 million dollars from their budget. Unfortunately, this is leading to many people actually losing their teaching job.

So how are teachers supposed to get a teaching job in this situation? Is it even possible?

The answer is yes, but it’s not going to be easy. To land a teaching job candidates are going to have to pull out all the stops…they are going to have use every trick in the book.

One problem many teachers have is getting their resume noticed. How does one make their teacher resume stand out when a school district may get thousands of resumes?

Here’s how…

First, let me preface this by stating that the resume tip you are about to read will always be powerful, but as of the writing of this article it is currently EXTREMELY powerful as hardly anyone is using it.

Also, let me state that I did not come up with this resume tip on my own. It was actually brought to my attention from someone who works in the human resource department at the Sarasota School District in Florida. The Sarasota School District is a very popular Florida school district that gets thousands upon thousands of resumes every year.

In a recent conversation it was brought to my attention that a strategy is starting to be used (by very few candidates – roughly 1 out of a 1000) that is not only making the candidate look good, but also making the candidate’s resume STAND OUT. It is something that will immediately get the readers attention…something that will literally force the reader to take a closer look at your resume…something that simply cannot be overlooked.

What is so fascinating about this strategy is that it is taken right out of marketing 101. It is the same strategy that has worked for sales letters and websites for years…it is so simple I can’t believe I didn’t think of it myself!

What is this amazing resume tip?

Simply add testimonials to your resume. That’s right…testimonials!

**Important Note: This is not meant to replace the reference section of your resume. You will still have a section at the end of your resume where you write your references (including name, title, and phone number).

However, in addition to references you will now include testimonials on each page of your resume. Just like you would see on a website. Simply use the left margin of your resume to write testimonials from other people about you. Remember, when it comes to getting a job, you are “selling” yourself, and ask any marketer and they will all tell you the same thing…testimonials increase sales. So use the left margin to write short 1-sentence testimonials. Use small font, and italics with the person’s name and title included.

For example:

______ has an outstanding

work ethic.

–Jim Ross, Principal

Mr.______ has been

a real team player.

–Harriet Cohen, Principal

______’s positive attitude has

helped inspire students to learn.

–John Smith, Teacher

You get the idea. Simply place several testimonials on each page and watch how much more your resume stands out from all the others.

Again, this strategy is currently being used by very few people so now is the time to take advantage of that. I guarantee there will be a time soon when this strategy becomes routine and every resume will include testimonials. Until then you have a golden opportunity to make your teacher resume grab the readers attention and get you the teaching job of your dreams.

By: Adam Waxler

About the Author: