What Is So Important About Cover Letters?

In a word EVERYTHING!

Its taking the best of your qualifications and characteristics and making them enticing to the prospective employer. Its a carefully crafted letter that leads the employer to the resume to see why you are the best candidate for the job.

The best news is that it isnt that hard.

Competition for Administrative Assistant positions is intense. You have to stand out from the crowd in a positive, exciting way to ensure you are the one employers are determined to hire.

How do you make your cover letter sing your praises?

If you have already written your resume, the words you need are already right in front of you. Its just a matter of weaving them in and out of a few paragraphs. Ok, so its a little more involved than that. At least you have the hardest part done the resume.

The cover letter builds on the resume and leads the employer toward it. Its goal is to get the employer excited about the resume. It is a sales tool, just like the resume is. Sell yourself in a compelling and exciting way. Inject energy and let your best qualities reach the employer through carefully written examples and anecdotes. Dont just state what you are capable of, show the employer with vibrant language that attracts and invites the employer to want to know more.

Let your personality show, but remain professional.

Secretaries and administrative assistants held about 4.1 million jobs in 2002, ranking among the largest occupations in the U.S. economy. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

You are a part of a significant sector of the labor market.

Are there a lot of Administrative Assistant positions available? Yes, there are probably a lot of positions you COULD get, but do you want just ANY old job? Or, do you want a job where you will have opportunities to succeed, make more money and send your career to new heights?

You have to be your very best to get the great jobs. What skills and abilities do you have that you can offer the employer and how can you do so in a way that makes the employer pick up the phone and call you for an interview?

Start with your marketing materials. Your cover letter and your resume are your sales resources. Make them work for you.

The cover letter is the first thing an employer sees. Make sure it is impeccable. Proofread it just as meticulously as you did the resume. No mistakes. Not one.

State clearly what position you are seeking and tailor the cover letter, just as you did with the resume, to the specific position and employer.

Have you read that before somewhere? Yes, you have. Thats because it is very important. Mass marketing general resumes and cover letters to a host of employers is a thing of the past. Targeting a resume and cover letter is essential in todays competitive environment if you are to be successful.

Look at it this way: Your competition is doing it. If you dont do it, too, who do you think is going to get the interview and the job offer?

A cover letter isnt likely to persuade an employer to grant you an interview, but it is part of the whole package that WILL encourage an employer to want to get to know you better. Make it an exciting and enjoyable read and you will find yourself being offered the next Administrative Assistant position you apply for.

Best of luck!