Cover Letter Do's And Don'ts

You might be stressed out about your cover letter. How can I possibly explain all my strengths and skills in just a few short paragraphs? you might wonder. The truth is, however, that a cover letter is just a tool that leads a potential employer to your resume, which in turn can lead to a job interview. A cover letter doesn't have to be brilliant; it just has to be professional, interesting and full of good details. Here are a few tips for crafting the best cover letter possible.

First, make sure your letter is formatted correctly-it has to be one-hundred percent correct. Use a template from a reliable business website if you're unsure about formatting, or consult with a career coach or your high school or college career counselor.

In the body of your letter, don't ramble on and on; keep everything short and to the point. The letter should be no longer than one side of one page. There should only be three or four short paragraphs on this page-three or four sentences per paragraph are plenty.

Be very careful and thoughtful about the language and tone of your letter. Every sentence should be upbeat, positive and enthusiastic about working at a certain company. Make sure you use a varied vocabulary, but don't use too many big words.

At the same time, the words you use should be professional and respectful. You should sound like you are writing a letter to an important person-which you are-not to a buddy from school. As such, don't use informal phrases or slang words. Don't use contractions. ("Do not use contracts" might be more appropriate advice.) Be extra careful that you don't use any text messaging abbreviations: "4" instead of "for," "u" instead of "you," and so on.

Your writing should also be powerful and dynamic. Sound like someone who's ready to take charge and who likes action. Don't use a passive construction like "at my old job, many duties were handled by me...." or inexact, weak verbs, as in "I was involved in many projects." Instead, be specific and demonstrate that you're a bold individual. Say, "I led" a certain project or "I ran..." or "I managed..."

Triple check your spelling and punctuation. No one will take a cover letter seriously if the person who wrote it couldn't even be bothered to make sure it was free of errors.

Take a good look at your cover letter after you've printed it out. Does it look neat and uncluttered? Is the text easy to read? (You don't want text that a person will have to squint to read.) Are there any ink smudges or any other stains on the paper? If so, print out a clean copy. Some experts advise signing your name in blue ink, so that the person reading your signature will know the letter isn't a copy. And if you're emailing your cover letter, it's a good idea to have your own digital signature.