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Cover Letter Guidelines

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Introduction to Cover Letters

The cover letter is a document meant to accompany one’s resume when applying for or inquiring about a job. It provides you with an opportunity to really introduce yourself to your employer by explaining your interest in the company and position, why you are qualified, and what sets you above other potential applicants. Cover letters are very important because prospective employers use them to get a sense of each applicant beyond what their resume conveys. In fact, cover letters are often the first document read by employers, and may determine whether they bother with the resume at all. It is very important to know how to write a proper cover letter so that you can distinguish yourself as a worker and as a person. * Cover letters are typically around one page in length and consist of fourparagraphs, each of which performs a specific job to quickly inform the employer of why they should consider you for the position. In the following section, each standard component of a cover letter why it is essential to think carefully about how it is written.

The Ingredients of a Cover Letter
NEED an introduction here. There should always be something written after every heading.
The Headings
At the top of your cover letter, you must include two headings and a date. The first heading details your contact information. Your contact information can be left-justified, or it can match the same style of heading contact information as your resume for consistency purposes. After your contact information, write the date. The date should be left-justified and should be in the form of Month, Day, Year.

* -------------------------------------------------
The second heading comes after the date. It includes the employer’s contact information. Apart from serving the obvious purpose of allowing interested employers to get in touch with you, the

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