Other articles: Putting a Spin on Work Experience Claims & Credibility -- The Essence of Selling
Sample chapters:
Asking Questions -- An Essential and Overlooked Step
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The content and organization are the most important elements of
Here are some suggestions for improving the appearance of your
letter:
Paper/ink: Black ink on white paper is easy to easy to print and
easy to read. I like white 8½" by 11" paper with a laid finish.
Heavier paper has a nicer feel -- 24-pound paper with a rag content of
25% or more should be easy to find. But if all you have is standard
20-pound photocopy paper, go ahead and use it. Don't let this delay you.
I don't think a week goes by where I'm not asked about colored paper. It
seems to be a concern for many people, so here's my opinion:
It doesn't make any difference.
No one's going to interview you because you used ivory paper. No one's going
to refuse to interview you because you used light blue paper. White paper
is just as "professional" as any other color. Yes, colored
paper might stand out in a pile to a small degree, but so what? Standing out is
no achievement in itself. Your objective is to stand out in a way that will
improve your chances for an interview, and you don't do that with something
as superficial as colored paper.
Margins: Never less than an inch -- 1¼" or even 1½" is better.
Don't shorten the margins to squeeze your letter on to a single page.
Either edit some material out or lengthen the margins and the space
between paragraphs and go on to a second page.
Typeface: There are thousands available, but stick to a simple serif
font like Times Roman. You'll probably want 11 or 12 point size.
Your name, address, and phone number with area code go at the top
(see samples). The date comes next, followed a few lines below by the name of the
person you're sending the letter to. Give their name, title, company, address,
city, province/state, and postal/zip code.
Usually, you'll want to address the letter to a person by name, and
not just to the company or to a title. If you don't have a name, you
can usually get one by just picking up the phone and asking: "Hello,
I'm sending a package to your sales manager/controller/office
manager/whatever. Could you tell me their name please?" It doesn't
always work, but it takes 30 seconds to try. And check the spelling of
the name when you get it.
You will typically address them as "Mr." or "Ms." Don't guess gender!
If you can't find out, just use their full name -- Dear Kelly Smith. If
you can't get a name, address your letter to a specific title or a
general description of the intended reader's responsibilities --
Information Systems Manager, Office Manager, Plant Manager, for
example.
After the body of your letter, close with "Sincerely," or something
similar, followed by 4-5 blank lines and then your name. Your
signature goes in between. I rarely bother with "Enclosure" or a
secretarial designation at the bottom, but if you know what these are
and like to use them, go ahead. If not, don't worry about it.
Read More About Writing a Persuasive Cover Letter:
The problem with all guides to resumes and cover letters is that they may make you believe there are absolute rules which must be followed.... Read it here
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