Writing a cover letter is one of the most important aspects of getting a job. Your resume shows your work history but your cover letter tells the employer who you are. It highlights your qualifications, guides the employer through the most important parts of your work history, and demonstrates your flawless command of the English language.

Knowing how to write one boils down to grammar, spelling and knowing your audience company. Making sure your the letter uses proper spellings and grammar is huge. If there is a misspelled word, it doesn't matter if you have all the experience in the world- the employer will throw it out.

These tips will really help the structure and flow of your cover letter. There is cover letter help all over the web, but utilizing these steps is the foundation on how to write one perfectly.

1. Tell them why you're writing.

Tell them for what position and where you heard about the opening. For big companies especially this is an extremely important part of separating potential candidates.

2. Tell them how you fit.

Site specific things from your resume and then tell them why that experience fits the opening you are applying for. Best tip is to always link previous experience with the employers needs.

3. Demonstrate your suitability by citing examples.

Same thing as above, but using specific examples of not only how you fit, but specific encounters of how what you did could also be used in this new job.

4. Use their words.

Use the jargon found in the job description to the best of your ability. "Speaking the same language" will make the employer more comfortable with you.

5. Write to a person, NOT a department.

Writing to a department is extremely impersonal and may show the employer you don't have the initiative to research your potential boss's name. If you're applying to a large company send out multiple resume/cover letters to different people.

6. Answer the obvious questions.

7. Keep it brief.

One page letters is the general rule. Also, make sure it is in a business letter form with an address for you and your employer.

8. Stress the positive.

9. Avoid cliches.

Stay away from "in this letter you will find..." and "thank you for the consideration..."

10. Know when NOT to send a cover letter.

In conclusion, always follow up and keep this structure in mind...

Paragraph 1:

* Introduce yourself to the reader.

* Explain why you are writing (either for a specific opening or for a potential opening).

* Explain how you learned about the position.

* Explain why you'd be perfect for the job.

Paragraph 2:

* Show how your qualifications fit the job.

* Demonstrate your suitability by citing examples.

* Expand on one or more items from your rsum that highlight your key qualifications.

Paragraph 3:

* State what the next step is (e.g., you will call in a week to check up).

* Thank them.

Melissa Rubin is a senior copywriter and Web developer at OTO Networks, a digital marketing company located in Baltimore, Maryland. Her primary responsibilities include SEO, link building and creating content for multiple sites. A preview of a site on which she has worked, http://www.Gradpower.com, is available with this article.