As the world is speeding up with new technologies, the job market is undergoing major changes and it is becoming harder for job seekers to stand out from the crowd.

In turn, this impacts on the job seeker who more than ever cannot afford to apply for positions without using the best tools that are readily available.

So - why is a great cover letter for your resume so important?

The primary reason is that hiring personnel simply do not have a lot of time to go through your resume to work out if it is appropriate for the position that you are applying for.

Applying for a job is akin to what advertisers have found out long ago - You need to give customers a good reason to call you. Similarly, the conversation going though an employer's mind is why should I employ this person for the role.

It's a fact that the average Fortune 500 company gets about 2,000 resume a day.

The job seeker only gets about 5 seconds to make an impression in the recruiter's eye before a decision is reached about whether the candidate gets to be interviewed.

So the resume cover letter acts like an advertisement for the job applicant. It states the reason why the employer should call the applicant for an interview.

The other reality of today's employment environment is that often a job application has to pass through some type of automated word scanning technology that is trying to decide if the application matches set criteria that is required for the position.

The resume has to contain the right amount of keywords that are relevant for the employer.

As well, employers are looking at a resume cover letter to get a good idea if the candidate has strong communication skills. This factor is worked out well before the person is even interviewed. Great communication skills are in demand and will help separate the person from other applicants.

So the requirement to write a strong and compelling resume cover letter has never been more important.

The letter summarizes for the employer why the candidate should be interviewed.

In reality it is really of the few tools left for any candidate to differentiate him or herself from the pack. Qualifications alone are generally not enough to get the applicant through the door to be interviewed.

So a strong cover letter should give the employer the major reasons to call you - instead of reasons to cast your resume aside. To improve the possibility of being successful for the role, write a simple, effective and direct letter to the employer that gives the reasons why you are best qualified for the role.

Robert de Paola has employed staff for over 20 years in major international manufacturing organizations.

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