As someone who has reviewed hundreds of resume submissions, one critical mistake that most people make is not putting as much time and energy crafting a solid cover letter as they do in creating the resume itself. A strong resume can lose a lot of its luster if its accompanied by a weak cover letter. The main purpose of the cover letter is to get your reader (ie. potential employer) in the best mindset to review your resume. That's it. Yet so few people accomplish that goal. But don't worry. I'll share a few tips to make your cover letter shine.

Think of the cover letter as the wrapping paper, and the resume as the gift. Would you go through all the effort to get someone a beautiful present, wrap it up with newspaper or trash, and then give it to them? Of course not! Yet this is exactly how people treat their resumes and cover letters. And then they wonder why they aren't getting many calls back from the companies they submitted their resumes to.

Are cover letters important? Hell yes they are! Their importance is magnified by the fact of how little significance the average job applicant typically gives them. And this common error gives you a fantastic opportunity to not only outshine your competition, but to do so easily.

How To Write A Cover Letter For Your Resume That Gets You The Job:

1. Inject Personality. The guy or girl who has the task of reviewing the resume submissions usually goes over dozens of resumes in one sitting. Since most cover letters are bland and boring, injecting a little bit of personality will instantly make your submission stand out. Don't be too personal as to appear unprofessional. Thoughtfully (and respectfully) add some of your charm and humor into your cover letter. One thing that always made a resume submission stand out for me would be if it made me smile or laugh. And having the person reviewing your resume remember you will definitely increase your chances of getting hired.

2. Tell A Story. Storytelling is a creative way to have your resume reviewer instantly connect with you in a personal fashion. Although it may seem a little hard to do at first, stick with it so that you can enjoy the outcome (ie. stable employment). Your story doesn't have to be long or highly descriptive to be effective. Just share a brief memory that highlights how well you acted during a previous place of employment. It's one thing to put down on your resume that you have proficiency using Microsoft Excel, and quite another to share the story of how you helped your boss obtain twenty new contracts by doing a last minute direct mail campaign involving mail merging your boss' database with a letter template that you created using Microsoft Excel. As the cliche goes, actions speak louder than words. You can "tell" them all you want in the resume. But for the cover letter, you want to "show" them who are.

3. Presell Your Resume. I can't tell you how often a "cover letter" consists of nothing more than a couple of sentences stating who the resume belongs to. Don't let that be you. As I said earlier, the cover letter gives you the chance to correctly prepare your potential employer to review your resume. You want your reviewer to be pleasantly surprised and intrigued about seeing your resume. The cover letter gives you the perfect avenue for upselling your strengths, as well as downplaying any negative information listed on your resume.

One of the easiest ways to drastically improve the effectiveness of your resume is to create a compelling cover letter that properly introduces it. As you have seen, how to write a cover letter that sizzles requires much less effort than most would think. But that "little bit extra" that you put into your cover letter by adding personality, telling a story, and preselling your resume will greatly increase the possibility of getting that job. There are other factors involved in the resume writing process that are as important, but developing a strong cover letter should definitely be a top priority.

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