What Must Be Included in Job Application Cover Letters

As a former sales manager in the pharmaceutical industry, I received my fair share of job applications from individuals who wanted careers with my company. Normally, people would send in their resumes along with a cover letter. I found it quite interesting to see that in the vast majority of cases, people seemed to put the bulk of their efforts in their resumes with minimal effort in their cover letters.

It seemed to me that most cover letters were considered as just a formality in addition to the resumes. Apart from the usual contact information and the title of the job position being applied for, there was usually nothing much more written in cover letters except for the see my resume attached line. This casual approach to cover letters is wrong.

Especially in the case where specific job openings are very much in demand that attracts hundreds and perhaps even thousands of job applicants, the hiring parties such as managers, recruiters and human resource staff need ways to weed out the unqualified candidates. There would be just too many resumes to read.

Rather than just writing that you are a hard worker, organized, outgoing, etc., like many other applicants will likely do in a cover letter, address specific job qualifications that are stated in the job posting ad and give some backup to support your claim. If a job posting states that candidates should have points A, B and C, then you should also make sure that your cover letter addresses points A, B as well as C.

Many people reviewing cover letters will look for such points in order to determine whether they will even bother to look at your resume at all. You want to use your cover letter as a teaser so that reviewers will want to look at your resume. One way to cut down the number of applicants to a manageable number is by just looking at cover letters. If the grammar and content on a cover letter is poor, a bad impression will already be in the reviewers mind. If I cant determine from a cover letter that you have all the qualifications mentioned in the stated job requirements and I have a huge pile of resumes in front of me, then there is a high chance that I wont read your resume.

So my advice is to spend some time writing out your cover letter and make sure that it covers all the points stated on the job posting. Use the cover letter as a tool to entice me to review your resume.

Clint Cora is the author of the book "How To Get A Dream Job In Pharmaceutical Sales - Direct Inside Advice and Guidance from a Sales Manager". He is a former pharmaceutical sales manager and executive. More information about pharmaceutical sales jobs can be found at http://www.GetPharmaceuticalSalesJob.com

Free Sample Cover Letter For A Resume
Free samples of a cover letter for a resume will certainly help you write the perfect cover letter for your job application. ...

Free Sample Cover Letters
The application for a professional position generally consists of two documents, a resume accompanied by a cover letter. Whil...

The Amazing Secret Cold Cover Letter
In sales, when people talk about cold calling, they are actually trying to get hold of a potential client that has not yet de...

Cover Letters For Resumes
Cover letters are business letters that introduce candidates to their potential employers. Cover letters for resumes should b...

Be Wary of Free Cover Letters
Free cover letters are easy to access on the internet nowadays. This has become a usual resort to people who are afraid that ...

Why Get Inspiration from Cover Letter Samples?
A cover letter is an important part of every application letter. It is thus amazing how most job applicants ignore the cover...

Little Known Ways to Writing Effective Resume Cover Letters
Finding a job will be a lot easier if you have a powerful resume that will put your future employer on hot seat. It is like t...

The Best Cover Letter Format
Letters are described as written messages using various characters to convey or relay certain information.It had be one of th...

Free Cover Letters
If you find writing a cover letter difficult, a free cover letter template or sample developed by professionals can come to y...

Cover Letter - Reference Letters Are Golden
Your Reference Letter Is Like Gold: I actually read recently that HR was starting to play down the value of your reference l...

How Your Cover Letter Gets You the Job
The thing about first professional impressions is that it is not always visual. Preceding your face to face encounter with th...

Application Letter Sample Warning
So, you finally finished your resume and now its time to write your application letter. You know in order to get noticed you...

Just for You, an Example of a Cover Letter
For some people, a cover letter is something that though is truly worth doing, is actually quite stressful and even daunting....

Use Templates To Write Great Cover Letters
Everyday, there could be hundreds of other candidates applying for the same position you want. The one in charge of screening...

Cover Letters An Essential Aspect Of Your Application
A lot of people spend hours and hours checking and rechecking their resume. They include every aspect and details of their qu...

Your Resume Cover Letter
Your resume is a very important component of your job search. Having a great cover letter to accompany your resume is equally...

Cover Letters To Uncover The You, Not Hide It
Any great resume that has won an interview call, would have most certainly been accompanied by a great cover letter. For, res...

Writing Your Own Cover Letter
People in search of employment will know the importance of writing the cover letter. It pays to have a good cover letter that...

Beginners Tips in Making an Application Letter
Why do you need to write an application letter in applying for a job? Why are the factors to be considered in writing an app...

Cover Letter Format - What your Cover Letter Content Must Have
Although cover letters should be different, personalized and uniquely creative, there are certain guidelines one must follow ...