A lot of jobs now require cover letters with their online applications. This makes a little more work for you to apply, but it gives you a great space to distinguish yourself from other applicants. Here’s how:

1. Personalize it

You should NEVER send the same cover letter to different employers. Apply your experience to the job duties & responsibilities you see in the job listing to increase your chances of a call-back!

2. Add the company address

At the top of the page, make sure the address of the company, as well as the name of the hiring manager or whoever is set to receive applications. You can usually find this info on the job listing, or on the company website. If you really can’t find anything, you can put ‘To Whom It May Concern,’. This helps make your cover letter look more professional and formalized - and increase your odds of getting called in to interview!

3. Add your contact info

Even if you have your phone number and email on your resume and in your email signature, you want to have it on your cover letter as well. Don’t make them search for it! Add it in the end in the last paragraph, after thanking them for their time.

4. Grammar, grammar, grammar

You MUST have correct grammar in your cover letter. This is not the time for shorthand or for typos - have a friend or family member read it and edit it for you. If you want more help, consider checking out your local unemployment center - they will most likely have someone who does this. You can also check out Grammarly - it’s free!

5. Sign it

This is one of the best ways to make your cover letter stand out from the crowd. Print out your cover letter, and sign it by hand! You can also scan your signature and keep the image file to use for other cover letters later on. No printer/scanner? Check out your local library, they will be able to help!

Have other cover letter tips to share? Comment below!!

I used to be an attorney. I lost my license when the state bar disagreed with wording I had used in my fee agreements to allow me to deposit retainers into income; and when my secretary posted a settlement check to my income account rather than my trust account and I didn't catch it right away.

Do I put this in my cover letter? Do I wait and see if and when it is brought up in an interview? If someone does a background check after my cover letter and resume, they may not wish to interview me, but if I reveal it at the interview, they may decide against me because I did not reveal bad news right away.

I am looking for human resources/compliance management and having no success. It has been 2 1/2 years and I'm still applying, mostly with no responses. What do you think I should do?

Will submitting a cover letter give your resume an advantage to a company?

Please kindly clarify the emphasis or significance of a cover letter in one's job search.  It is no secret that the majority of hiring companies use a software program to screen thousands of resumes each day.  I often suspect if a cover letter would survive the " junk mail / spam mail " screening, let alone made it to the recruiter's desk to meet the eyes of the hiring manager.

Here is my situation. Worked for over 30 in the mental health field with children. Got hurt and had to go out on worker's compensation. Was forced to retire when job threatened to terminate me if I didn't return to work in the same physical capacity as before the accident. Now worker's comp is telling me to look for employment since I still have an open case with them. Didn't know how to write a resume. Needed one because you can no longer just walk in anywhere and fill out an application for employment. Everyone wants a resume and now I find out some want a cover letter too. Was very stressed and feeling hopeless for awhile. All this is new to me. I"ve worked so long on my former job and I didn't need a resume or cover letter. Trying to remain positive during this learning process.

I have 2 questions with issues that I am currently struggling with...any help/suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

1. When the employers says "cover letters without salary information will not be accepted" how do you address that. I don't want to price myself out of a job but I don't want to waste there time either. Does this sound ok " My salary requirements are negotiable at or above $50,000" or "My minimum salary requirement is $50,000."

2. I'm filling out a job application and one of the questions is usually "what was my salary". Now for example my salary was $65k but I know this job has a pay range of $45-50k. Have I already lost out because of the discrepancy in pay? I've been out of work several years and I'm reinventing myself but I don't want to mess myself up before I can get a foot in the door. HELP!

When you're looking for a job, filling out online job applications is the worst possible way to get a job. After you've spent an hour or two completing their online job application, in most cases you will never get a response. If you do hear from them, it's likely to be in the form of a generic and insulting auto-response message that might as well say " We have received your material. Don't call us, If we feel like talking to you, we will contact you. Otherwise, continue to have false hope that your efforts are important to us. Please feel free to grow old and die waiting to hear from us. Thank you for wasting your time applying.

The questions on online job applications are brainless and insulting. They ask you, as though the most important thing about a working person is "What are the Tasks and Duties in every job you've ever held?" Rather, the most important thing to know is "What did you accomplish and leave in your wake at each job you've held?" Online job applications, are not where you should rest your job-seeking hopes because the vast majority of applications, resumes and cover letters are never seen by human eyes.

A better way to get a job these days, is the ability to find the hiring manager inside most organizations. Once you've done that, you can reach that person directly by sending him or her a letter in the mail.

It's called a Pain Letter, which is different from a cover letter in several ways:

1. The Pain Letter is written for and addressed to specifically your hiring manager, who is the manager that oversees the department you want to work for in one of your target employers.

2. The Pain Letter, unlike a general, generic traditional cover letter, is specific. No boilerplate language here. In the Pain Letter, you'll write about the very hiring manager receiving this letter, and you'll make an educated guess about his or her business pain.

3. The Pain Letter won't drone on and on about your background. Instead, share one short and pithy David and Goliath Story about a time when you made something awesome happen at work. One good story is plenty!

4. Your Human-Voiced Resume will be attached to The Pain Letter with one staple in the upper left-hand corner. Your hiring manager doesn't even have to read your entire Pain Letter (although it won't be a long letter) before deciding to flip over the page and read your Human-Voiced Resume.

5. The Pain Letter won't mention a job opening. It won't use the word "job" at all. If the word "job" or the phrase "job opening" is used, or if it reads too much like a traditional cover letter, your hiring manager is likely to send it straight to HR and that will defeat the purpose of composing the Pain Letter in the first place!

6. The Pain Letter won't be stiff and formal, instead you'll mention "I was intrigued by your job advertisement..." It will use your own human voice throughout. Address your hiring manager by name, the way human beings do!

7. The Pain Letter won't grovel. You are not begging for a job, just the opposite. You are saying "I wasn't sure whether you and your firm might be dealing with a common problem that I run into often. If you are, maybe we should talk!"

8. Research each of your target employers and your specific hiring manager of that employer before beginning to compose a Pain Letter. Your muscles will grow as you gain experience researching employers and making educated guesses about your hiring managers' Business Pain!

9. The Pain Letter will present you not as a bundle of skills, experiences and certifications, but as a pain-reliever and consultant. Don't be surprised if a hiring manager gets your Pain Letter, reads it, gets excited and picks up the phone to call you then and there!

10. Finally, your Pain Letter breaks rules. Many companies state in their job ads "Do not contact our hiring managers directly." Since when are you responsible for reading job ads? That is not your job! You are not bound by the weenie rules set forth in job ads.

A new day is upon us. Those who take control of their careers and run them like businesses move ahead fast. Job-seekers who wait for the approval of an entry-level person or a keyword-searching algorithm will be waiting for a long time.

You don't have extra time to wait for a resume-screener or keyword-searching algorithm to find your worthiness, do you?

The last time you applied to a company did you also make sure to include a cover letter? A well-written cover letter gives you a chance to sell yourself to the employer in a conversational style manner and explain why you are the ideal candidate. Plus, by writing a cover letter you will make it clear that you truly want the job.

Now let’s help you write one!

-1- Address the beginning of the letter to a name and include a "Mr." or "Ms" before it. Avoid the bland "Dear Hiring Manager" or "To Whom It May Concern." Make it personal! Do a little searching and find the name of the person you will be sending this to.

-2- In the first paragraph provide a brief idea of who you are and tell the employer how you have learned about the opportunity. The opening paragraph should answer the following questions:

-Who are you? -Where does your expertise lie? -How did you learn about the position? -Why do you want to apply?

-3- The second paragraph is about what you bring to the table and why they should they choose you. Tell them why he/she should be interested in you! Do this by highlighting a few valuable points from your resume that match the job description. Ask yourself, what is it about your previous job experience skills and abilities that will meet the company's needs and make you a good fit? Make it unique to that company so do your research!

-4- Wrap it up with a call to action. What would you like to happen next? For example, you could say, "I have attached my resume for your consideration. I look forward to an opportunity to meet with you in person and discuss how my skills could contribute to the company's success."

-5- Close with a simple thank you at the end and then add your name.

Thank you,

(Your name)

-6- Be sure your contact information is on the cover letter as well. This should be at the top right of the page and include your name, email, and phone number. Essentially it is the same contact info that is on your resume!

Avoid sending the same cover letter to every company. They will know and your application won't be taken seriously. Always put your best foot forward.

If YOU are worth their time then make them worth yours!

Questions? Comment for some help! : )

For some reason I haven't gotten any replies regarding positions and I have a feeling it's because I'm not currently working and I have not held a position with a company in some time although the upside to it is when I have worked with a facility you can tell I stay for a good length of time. I haven't been working because I have been the primary provider taking care of my grandmother with dementia this has been my job for quite sometime so maybe I need to write a cover letter stating that. What is your opinion?

Do you need to write a cover letter for a job? By following these six easy steps, you'll find the path to a successful cover letter is a simple one. By taking it one step at a time, you can ensure that your cover letter will be drafted, written, and sent off without much stress - and with a good chance of success.

Here are six steps you can follow to write a winning cover letter.

1. Analyze the Job Listing Give the job listing a careful read and see where your own experience best matches up. Be discriminatory about which of the company's requirements you choose to highlight, as you are going to use these selections to make a table in your cover letter.

Remember that when all is said and done, your cover letter should only be one page long. The points you choose should be the ones that are most significant to the position, but also the ones that provide specific examples and compelling anecdotes about your experience.

Aim for half of the company's requirements, but keep it under five or six total. Here's how to match your qualifications to a job listing.

Tip: When you copy and paste from the job listing into your word processor, proofread the listing for typos that might be in the listing. The person who gives your application a first read probably won't know - or care - that the mistake wasn't your fault.

2. Look for a Specific Employee Name Through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Instagram, you may be able to find the name of a relevant employee to whom you can address your cover letter.

For example, you can use Twitter's advanced search to find names, and if the company has a profile on LinkedIn, you can view its employees from there.

Don't just choose a random individual, but if you can, find someone in Human Resources - preferably a Director or Manager - or a higher-up within the department you're applying to.

This is a key way to kickstart your application and make sure it gets to where it needs to go.

Tip: If you're going on a major stalking spree on LinkedIn, adjust your privacy settings so that other people can't see you've viewed their profile. While connecting with a company on LinkedIn can be a good way to increase your visibility, you probably don't need them to see that you've clicked through their entire staff on LinkedIn.

Tip: If you know someone at the company who can refer for the job, mention them in the first paragraph of your cover letter.

Tip: If you can't find a person's name, here's how to address your cover letter.

3. Create a Table or Paragraphs Highlighting Your Qualifications Next, make a two column table with the company's requirements on the left side, and your matching attributes on the right side.

When you make the table, you'll need to make it two columns. Then, take the number of requirements you're choosing and add one for the header. So, for this example, which has focused on five points, the table is two columns by six rows.

Tip: If you need something to jog your memory for the right side of the table, see if you can find a copy of the job description for your current or past position, which will give you a nice guideline on how to phrase your past responsibilities and your professional and personal attributes.

Tip: If you're having difficulty creating a table, you can include your qualifications in paragraph form.

4. Format Your Cover Letter - You can incorporate the table format right in your cover letter. Now that you've made your table, you should copy and paste it into the body of your cover letter. This is often called a "T" shape cover letter format. The table should go in between your introductory paragraphs, and before your closing.

It's a nice look to format the table with invisible borders, although it's not absolutely necessary. To achieve this in Microsoft Word, right click on the table, select Borders, and Shading, and then click "None" on the left-hand side of the small window that pops up.

Review examples to see what a finished cover letter looks like.

Top Tip: You should save your cover letter as a PDF file so that the document retains the proper formatting when it is opened and looked at.

5. Finish With a Follow-Up Finish strong and close the cover letter with the promise of a "next step." That way, even if your application gets lost at the bottom of a pile, when you reach out to the potential employer they'll be reminded to go retrieve your cover letter and resume and take another look.

Finally, be sure to proofread your cover letter so it's error free.

Tip: Reach out when you say you will demonstrate your punctuality and ability to follow through with promises. If you have submitted many different applications and have trouble keeping track of dates, stay organized with an Excel sheet or set reminders with your phone.

6. How to Send or Upload Your Cover Letter How you get your cover letter and resume to the employer depends on the organization's requirements. You may be asked to upload your application documents to the company website or to a job board. Or, you may be asked to email your resume or cover letter or even mail it.

Review these tips for sending resumes and cover letters: https://bit.ly/2JPVOBZ