Most employers consider cover letters to be of equal importance as your resume. Some consider it to be more important as it gives an indication of the applicant's personality. Here are five tips to make sure you create a great first impression on your potential employer:

1. Make sure your letter is addressed to the right person i.e. to the person who is going to decide whether or not to invite you for an interview. Mostly, this information will be given with any advertised job. Sometimes you may have to do a little detective work to find out who to write to. Never address it to 'Dear Sir/Madam' or 'To Whom It May Concern'. This is the number one thing that irritates employers!

2. Write clearly and concisely. Make your points engagingly. Don't waffle, use long words or tell your life story. The employer doesn't need to work hard to find out exactly what you are saying, they certainly don't want to be reaching for a dictionary. Keep it short and simple.

3. Your cover letter should be written as a story with a beginning, a middle and end. That is - a good introduction, the main part is telling the employer how you can benefit them and the conclusion is a call to action.

4. Target your letter to the particular employer. Don't use the same letter that you use for each job application. Let the employer know that you've done your research about their company. Give the impression that you only want to work for them. Make the employer feel special.

5. Check your spelling and grammar. You don't want to let yourself down by composing a terrific letter and then making mistakes. Proof read your finished letter. Get a friend to read it too as you sometimes don't spot your own mistakes.

Good luck with your job hunting!

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