Ironclad Rule #1: No typos or misspellings! Be sure to use your
word-processor's spell-checker, but also remember that the spell-checker
won't detect words that are spelled correctly but are the wrong word --
as in the case of form vs. from. Proofread in addition to spell-checking.
Cut every extraneous word. Make your letter as concise as possible.
Cut out all wordy phrases, such as "in order to" and "for the purpose of."
Wherever possible, make long sentences short. Cut long, complex
sentences into shorter ones whenever you can.
Let your paragraphs breathe by keeping them short.
Check your sentence structure; turn confusion and complexity into
coherence and readability. A good way to check for awkward sentence
structure is to read your letter aloud.
Read your letter from the point of view of the employer. How would
you react to this letter if you were hiring?
If your timeframe allows, put your letter down for a day or more
and see how it reads when you pick it up again. Once more, read from
the employer's perspective.
Ask someone else to read it. Ask more than one person. Ask one
person to check for grammar, spelling, style, and syntax and another
to check for flow and readability. Ask yet another to read it from an
employer's perspective. Enlist family members, friends, professors,
or mentors in your field.
