When you realize there are at least 6 good reasons to send a CV cover letter, it is surprising that some people still don't write and send one with their CV when applying for a new job. Perhaps it's because they don't understand the importance of this cover letter, or may be they are just too lazy to send one.

That's never good enough; when you are trying to make an impression with your job application, you cannot afford not to send a CV cover letter.

Here is why:

1. Some hiring managers only read the covering letter, so if there isn't one you're out;
2. The CV covering letter allows you to express your interest in a precise and targeted way;
3. Recruitment advertisers often ask for some specific information which belongs in the covering letter;
4. You will be seen as (a) lazy or (b) disinterested if you don't send a covering letter;

5. The main advantage of the cover letter is that you can match yourself to the employer's needs;
6. You can demonstrate why you are the strongest candidate as well as gently flattering the receiver.

When you do send a CV cover letter that is well written and demonstrates your interest and suitability, you are giving your self the best possible start to an eventual relationship with the prospective employer.

You should not underestimate the importance of this cover letter in your approach to the new organization; they expect you to make an effort and help them to select you for interview.

So when you realize there are at least 6 good reasons to send a CV cover letter, there is no excuse for some people not to write and send one with their CV when applying for a new job. If you did not previously understand the importance of this cover letter, you should think differently now so don't let yourself down by being too lazy to send one.

While the resume is an important tool for acquiring an interview and a job, you can't dismiss the role of the cover letter. This letter acts an introduction. It gives the employer a sense of who you are, what you have to offer the company, and why or why not you are worth the company's time. However, cover letters can be a bit more challenging than the resume, especially for people who fear they have poor writing skills. Below are some strategies that might help you improve your cover letter.

Do Your Homework
One of the most important parts of the cover letter is the personalization. While you will probably just use the exact same resume for most of the jobs you apply for, you'll want to create unique cover letters for each of them. Yes, this does take up more time. However, employers want to know that you have a serious interest in this position. If you're sending out the same cookie cutter cover letters to everyone else, then maybe you just want a job not this job.

To personalize your resume, first find out the name of the recipient. Sometimes this is included in the listing. Other times you will have to do some digging of your own. Look for the person in charge of human resources. You can sometimes find this information on the company's web site. If not, call the front desk and ask who is in charge of human resources. Make sure to get the correct spelling of the name.

Learn a little bit about the company and about the job responsibilities, too. The more you can show you know about the business and that you would be good fit for the position the better your chance of receiving an interview call and not a rejection letter.

Explain Why You Want the Job
Most cover letters are so busy telling employers why they should hire the writer they don't explain why the writer wants to be hired. That can be a problem because employers want people who are excited about the job - those are the people less likely to leave in a few months.

Spend part of your cover letter detailing briefly why you find this position exciting and what you hope to gain from the position outside of a paycheck and benefits, of course.

That doesn't mean you should neglect the explanation of what you have to offer the company though. Instead, you want to strike a nice balance between the two.

Cover Letter Presentation
We can't leave the topic of cover letters without hitting on a couple of key presentation issues. First, you should always type the cover letter and use top quality paper, usually the same paper you use for your resume. Follow the block style letter format. If you don't know that format, do a quick Google search and you'll find plenty of examples to follow. Remember to sign and print your name after the closing. It's also nice to include your contact information again in the final paragraph.

The plain truth about "professional" resume writing services.

Does a professionally written resume save you time? I'm asked this question at least two or three times a week. Time is the one big asset that we cannot ignore because you can never get it back. However, think about it. Professional resume writers do not know anything about you when you when they first start. They all need to interview and probe you for your background to find out about your accomplishment and jobs. This is at best a ½ hour exercise. By no means is this the end of the process. The interviewer must call you several times over the course of writing your resume to double check facts, confirm dates, and try to pull as much info out of you as possible. Their job is to prod you and to elicit the right amount of solid accomplishments to make a resume stand out.

Not all resume services will spend that much time with you; however, for some, it's a numbers game. They'll take down basic information, put it into a computer program and out will pop a "customized" resume, tailored just for you. The danger of this type of "magic" is that you're not differentiated from the hundreds or thousands of other candidates vying for the same job. Imagine the internal human resources person who is reviewing your resume. They'll wonder why you didn't take the time to differentiate yourself. Worse yet, another possibility is that the resume writer could have used the same catch phrases and words for another candidate, again, vying for the same job. How would this look to a potential employer? The worst part of it is that you'd probably never know that it happened. You'd be left wondering why you weren't called for an interview. But, you paid for Universal Resume Template #31.

There are resume writers who really try to do their best. They call you to double check facts, try to understand what it is that you do for a living and, in some respects, try to get to know you better. But the simple truth is that they don't, and possibly, can't really understand what it is that you do. They'll spend hours, perhaps days groping for the right words, the right nuances that describe your job. Likely, they've not had enough experience either in resume writing or in your particular field, industry or functional background. The result will be a resume lacking in depth. It just cannot highlight appropriately your best attributes. It just doesn't feel right. The resume may be "technically" correct, but it doesn't do justice to your skills, character traits, and positive attitude. If finally hits you, maybe you should write your own resume. Why not? You know what you want to say, your own accomplishments and character traits. And, well you should, if you have the time and inclination. Before we leave this topic, consider this. There ARE great professional resume writers out there. Just don't go for the easy way out. Make sure you are not job candidate #50, using the same template #31 and make sure you hire one that understands your market and industry.

If you're trying to find a new job, you're going to need a strong resume. The market right now is highly competitive in almost all fields and it's that resume which will either get you an interview or get you nowhere. Understanding what to look for in good examples of resumes can be a step in the right direction. Below are some pointers.

Resume Organization
The best resumes should be well-organized. You want the potential employer to be able to scan the material and know in an instant if you might be a good candidate for the job. Remember he or she is probably getting dozens, maybe even hundreds, of other resumes so they will not have time to carefully read each one initially.

While there are a number of different organization methods to use, the classic style is best for most professions. That means you should have clearly labeled sections listing your work experience, your education, your skills, and other relevant information. The individual items in each category should then be listed chronologically with the most recent information coming first.

Resume Presentation
Organization is clearly going to be a make or break issue with your resume. However, even the well-organized resume can be foiled by poor presentation. Can you imagine submitting a hand written resume? People still do but they won't land a job that way.

Your resume should always be typed, preferably using a computer and a high-quality printer. Do not skimp on your ink when it comes to printing off your resume either. If the information is hard to read, the resume will end up in the garbage. Use high-quality paper for your resume as well but avoid the vibrant colors that are so eye-catching at your local office supply store. Most of these stores carry paper in blues, grays, and ivory which would be more appropriate. Pick up matching envelopes as well.

If you've ever seen examples of resumes that are full of spelling errors and grammar mistakes, you can be pretty sure those people never landed the position they were seeking. Most employers want workers with good attention to detail. If you can't catch your own errors in your resume, then you might make important mistakes for them as well.

Resumes and What Not to Include
Although a great deal of time seems to be spent on telling people what they should include in their resume, the reverse is rarely true. However, leaving off information can be just as important.

For example, some people feel the need to list miscellaneous information about themselves, such as where they attend church, what hobbies they have, and which how long they have been married. Thankfully, you don't see this as much but there is definitely a generation out there which thinks this is perfectly acceptable and may even help them secure the job.

In some cases, personal details can make a difference. For example, if your son plays football for the employer's favorite team that might help you get the job. Even then, that tidbit of information doesn't belong on the resume.

No matter what industry you are in or what job you are looking to have, you'll find that writing a cover letter is something that can leave you feeling a great deal more nervous and less sure of yourself. Even if you are someone who is perfect for the job, you'll find that a poorly written cover letter is can destroy your chances before you even get in the door. Remember that a cover letter is meant to introduce you to your prospective employers, and while you don't need to go into detail, it should let them know that you feel that you are perfect for the job and why they should feel the same way too.

When you are looking at how to write a cover letter, remember that you should not get too elaborate. Plain white, high-quality paper is fine, and make sure that when you address someone in the letter, make sure that you get the form of address correct; nothing annoys someone who is a Doctor more than being referred to as a Miss, so keep in mind that you should always know what is going on and who are you speaking to.

Remember to format it with enough white space to read; most are now done with no indents and a single blank line between paragraphs. You'll find that when you should get to the point right off the bat and tell them that you are interested in a position in their company. Tell them what position you want, and make sure that you mention the place that you got notice of the job from; this can go a long way towards helping them place you.

In the second paragraph, you'll find that you should briefly introduce yourself and your credentials to your reader. Tell them about some off your accomplishments in the past as they refer to this situation and about what makes you stand apart from other candidates. You'll find that this is a good time to write about how you might have held a similar position in the past and how you have moved forward to it. You'll find that some of your resume content will end up in this paragraph, but remember to keep it short.

Finally, in your third paragraph, close your cover letter. Keep in mind that you should tell them why you want to work for their firm, and say that you are looking forward to hearing from them. Be confident, but not arrogant, and never use the word "if," as in, "if you are interested." This plants the idea in their head that you might not be, so just avoid it. Close your letter with something neutral, like "Sincerely" or "Regards," and both type your name and sign it in blue or black ink.

Remember that a cover letter can make all the difference, so take the time to make sure that you get it done right. This is a huge part of the interview process, so don't take any shortcuts and keep the above tips in mind.

Preparing for your job search requires many steps but one of the most critical is having an amazing resume and a great cover letter you can send to prospective employers. However, those cover letters can be a true challenge to create, especially if you're not the most confident writer - and that includes most of us.

The answer for you might be using cover letter examples to give you an edge.

What is a Cover Letter Example?
Basically, a cover letter example is a well-written letter to an employer that includes all of the important pieces of information you should include, comes in the proper format, and showcases exactly what works in cover letters. You would then use these cover letter examples as models or even templates for your own masterpiece.

What are the Benefits of Using Cover Letter Examples?
One of the best benefits is that you'll get to see a great example of what someone else has written and that will help inspire you to write your own effective cover letter. Without a good example to look at, most of us just aren't really sure what to include or even how to start our cover letters. That means we could sit all day in front of the company without writing anything while all of our job opportunities slip away.

Another benefit is that the cover letter examples can help us to better organize our content. Many people struggle with the ability to organize their thoughts on paper. They may jump around from one idea to another or fail to transition properly from one topic to another. While this might be permissible when we're writing emails, blog entries, or text messages, potential employers are looking for clarity and coherence in the cover letter. If you can't display these abilities, then you might get the job.

However, the cover letter examples can work almost like templates. They are well-organized so all you have to do is replace the content with your own unique information. It's definitely a lot easier and faster than starting from scratch.

Finally, cover letter examples will help you correctly format your content. In business, content is only half the picture, the format and presentation is also critical. If the potential employer takes one look at your cover letter and isn't happy with how it looks, it will end up in the trash in a heartbeat.

With an example to look at and to use as a template, you'll be able to easily format your own cover letter just by substituting the information just as you've done with the rest of the content. You won't have any questions about the letter style to use or about how many spaces to leave between the salutation and the body or what type of punctuation to use after the closing. All the answers will be right there in the example to help you.

The bottom line is that cover letter examples are intended to be a source of guidance for you as you begin writing cover letters and start hunting for that next great job.