175 High-Impact Cover Letters
Chapter One
Importance of Cover Letters
The cover letter you choose for transmitting your resume to an employer or important
networking contact can be one of the most significant factors in the success
(or failure) of your job-hunting campaign. In fact, a survey of nearly 600
employment professionals, conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management
(SHRM), suggests some 76% of employers may automatically eliminate
an employment candidate from any further hiring consideration, based solely on
the quality of his or her cover letter alone. Further, 43% of survey respondents
also reported they view the cover letter as equal to the resume in importance.
When it comes to running an effective employment campaign, therefore, this data
should cause you to sit up and take notice! (Note: A copy of the full survey, which
covers both cover letters and resumes can be obtained by contacting SHRM by
phone, (703) 548-3440, or by e-mail at SHRM.org.)
If well written and informative, the cover letter can grab the reader's attention,
raise his curiosity, and stimulate immediate interest in your employment
candidacy. In fact, if particularly well written, it can sometimes raise sufficient
interest to compel ... read full excerpt from 175 High-Impact Cover Letters ebook
