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Dynamic Cover Letters
Job-Search Cover Letter Tutorial


 

Page 60 of the Cover Letter Tutorial

 

Job-Search Cover Letter Writing Tips:

 

  • 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.

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  • 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."

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  • Wherever possible, make long sentences short. Cut long, complex sentences into shorter ones whenever you can.

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  • Let your paragraphs breathe by keeping them short.

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  • 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.

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  • Read your letter from the point of view of the employer. How would you react to this letter if you were hiring?

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  • 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.

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  • 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.

 


 

 

Lost? Check out the Map to the Cover Letter Tutorial... or go to the home page of the Cover Letter Tutorial for Developing Stunningly Effective Job-Search Cover Letters.

 

 

Have you checked out the rest of the great free career and job-related tutorials offered on Quintessential Careers?

 

Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.

 


 

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