July 7th, 2010 | 
Author: Hiring managers routinely receive hundreds, perhaps thousands, of responses from applicants for any given job. To avoid having your resume sink into this sea of paper, it’s imperative to stand out from the crowd and make a good first impression. A compelling cover letter that meets five essential requirements will convince a hiring manager to read an applicant’s resume.
Rule #1: Create appealing appearance
The resume and cover letter must be aesthetically pleasing and consistent in appearance. This includes using the same heading and fonts for each.
Rule #2: Target your audience
Always use the hiring manager’s name in the salutation. If the contact’s name isn’t provided in the job posting, a bit of Internet research or a well-structured phone call can produce results.
Rule #3: Produce a strong opening
A dynamic opening paragraph is essential to capture and retain a hiring manager’s interest. Pared down to essentials for a quick and effective read, it should reference the position you are seeking and include a brief statement as to why you believe you are qualified to fill the job.
Rule #4: Showcase accomplishments
Include a bulleted area to emphasize accomplishments pertinent to the targeted job.
Rule #5: Close with a proactive statement
Always initiate further action at the end of a cover letter. A proactive closing indicates that you will call within a few days to see if a time might be scheduled to meet. Then, be sure to follow through on the action you include in your letter.
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"Rule #1: Create appealing appearance"
I am a graphic designer and tend to go overboard with design (I've also held several professional positions). What do you consider to be appealing in appearance without doing "too much"? Microsoft word templates? Designing your own? Just curious.
Thanks!
Dave
My recent post If you register your site for free at
Thank you for your question. We have several articles (both written by our firm and other bloggers) that will give you some idea of what we meant. Microsoft Word templates are good in certain positions, for other applications you may need to consider hiring a professional resume writer. If you are not a good writer or have a good idea as far as layout (obviously you do) then professional help will be a big plus.