Cover letter for resume- this is a document in which you can present yourself from the best side in a freer form and interest the employer.

The presence of a cover letter for a job application is an additional advantage for the applicant when applying for a job.

How to write a cover letter for a resume

How to write a response to a vacancy? If a cover letter for a resume is sent specifically to the head of the HR department or the head of the company, his full name, position and company name must be indicated in the header of the document.

Compiling a cover letter for a job application begins with an application. Samples of references in a cover letter:

• Hello!
• Good afternoon
• Dear Sirs!
• Good afternoon, …(name/Mr. or Mrs. …/full name)
• Dear …(name/Mr. or Mrs.…/full name)

For example:

• I am interested / interested in the position...
• Your company is known as a leader in the field of...
• I recently saw / and on your website / on the website ... / in the newspaper an open vacancy ...

Then you need to say why you applied to this particular company and want to take this particular position. Here you can focus on your professional achievements and work skills.

For example:

• I can describe myself as...
• I have...years of experience in the field...
• I am fluent...

In the next part of the cover letter when applying for a vacancy, you need to express your readability of the letter and attention to the candidacy.

For example:

• Thank you for taking the time to read the letter.
• Thank you for your attention to my candidacy
• I will be grateful if you can call me back
• If necessary, I can come to you for an interview at any time convenient for you.
• If you have any questions, you can contact me at the phone number below.
• I would be happy to accept an offer to meet with you and talk in more detail about...

If you send a resume or letter of recommendation along with a cover letter, you must say:

• You will find my resume and recommendations in the attached file.
• You will find more detailed information about my professional activities in the attached resume.

Tons of literature have been written about the science of employment, very useful. After all, in a competitive environment, it is not so easy to convince a potential employer that you are the most worthy to fill the vacancy. Not only professionalism and experience are important as arguments. An equally important role is played by knowledge of business etiquette, charm, the ability to communicate and to win over your interlocutor. Therefore, when applying for a job, you should not neglect the letter accompanying the traditional resume.

By attaching such a document, you:

• you immediately show yourself to be a polite person;
• demonstrate the ability to conduct business competently;
• making your first personal contact with your future boss;
• you have a chance from the first steps, or rather the first lines, to interest you;
• you get the opportunity to concentrate here the main thing from what is stated in the resume.

Imagine the flow of requests that will land on the HR manager’s desk. And you really need to achieve preference! Yes, this is a more difficult task than making an impression in a personal conversation. Elegance, a pleasant voice, a sweet smile and beautiful eyes will not help here. All weapons are convincing, well-presented facts and the right tone. Therefore, it makes sense to think about how to write a cover letter for your resume so that you are chosen.

There are no cover letter templates. There are subtleties

There are no required templates. You will not be bound by unshakable protocol requirements. When planning your first contact with the company, try to make it:

• impeccably literate;
• polite;
• short but succinct;
• businesslike, but warm;
• carrying maximum useful information;
• leaving a pleasant impression of you.

If we talk about some generally accepted norms, they concern not so much the content of the letter as the form. Are you going to send it by email? There is no need to send accompanying paper as an attachment. More correctly, in the body of the email. When you use regular mail, courier delivery, or intend to personally bring a document to the office, it is advisable to print it on a form where you need to indicate your details.

It is worth emphasizing:

• what position are you applying for?
• willingness to meet the requirements of a reputable company;
• awareness of the specifics of these requirements;
• how did you find out about the vacancy;
• desire to undergo a personal interview.

All this will convince future employers that they are dealing with a serious applicant.

Choosing the most important thing to present in a letter

Of course, you will be guided by your own considerations: how exactly to “charm” the people on whom a favorable outcome depends, what biographical facts and work achievements are worthy of mention in the first place. But in order not to get lost in the intricacies of business etiquette, when preparing a cover letter for your resume, rely on the examples given.

Cover letter for resume: example No. 1

Good afternoon.

In the Vedomosti newspaper dated May 10, 2017, I read an advertisement that pharmacists were required at the Panacea pharmacy. I am interested in this vacancy. Please consider my candidacy.

After graduating from the Lipetsk Pharmaceutical Institute, I worked for ten years at the “Your Health” pharmacy chain, and for the last year and a half - as the head of one of the branches. I constantly improve my knowledge, over the years I have taken advanced training courses twice, I have _________________ certificates. My successes are marked with certificates and letters of gratitude: __________________.

You will learn more about my professional activities from my resume.

Due to family circumstances, I was forced to change my place of residence and am now looking for a job. I hope that my experience and knowledge will be useful to your company, the high reputation of which I know. I will be happy to answer all questions during a personal interview. You can contact me by phone at _______________.

Thank you for attention.

Best regards, Marina Romanova.

Cover letter for resume: example No. 2

Dear Elena Alekseevna!

At the city employment center, I received information that your network of beauty salons “Tonus” requires an administrator, and that regarding employment issues I can contact you.

I hope you will be interested in my candidacy. For more than five years I held a similar position in the Persona chain of salons. I carried out my duties with pleasure, which included organizing the salon’s work process, communicating with clients, answering calls, and maintaining documentation. My employers noted my accuracy and responsibility in office work and politeness towards visitors. During the interview, I will provide references from my previous place of work. I have a secondary specialized education (kindergarten teacher), I love working with people. Now I am continuing my education by correspondence, getting a degree in psychology. I am sure that my new knowledge will be useful to me in my work. I would be glad to become an employee of your respected company.

My contact numbers are ____________________. Resume is attached.

Dear Anna Polyakova.

Cover letter for resume: example No. 3

Dear Mr. Mikhailov!

I have a higher technical education (civil engineer) and three years of experience in real estate transactions. I would like to note that construction education turned out to be very useful in real estate activities: it allows me to objectively assess the condition of the property for sale, its prospects and quality. I worked at the Square Meter agency, I have positive recommendations from this place of work. I will provide them if necessary. During my work, I gained experience in communicating with clients and can help them make the right decision when choosing housing.

I have heard a lot about your company and I assure you: I am ready to meet your high requirements, as well as deepen my knowledge and expand my skills. Detailed information is in the resume. I will be happy to answer any additional questions during the interview. Contact numbers ___________________.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely, Valery Tkachenko.

Cover letter for resume: example No. 4

Dear Vadim Vladimirovich!

In the department of the Ministry of Information, where I turned for advice on employment, I was informed that the television company you head has a vacancy for a news correspondent. In this regard, I propose my candidacy for consideration.

I, Igor Novitsky, graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of Rostov State University. While still studying, he became a freelance correspondent for a regional youth newspaper and was awarded an award as the best young journalist of the year. I have been working in my specialty for more than ten years. All places of work and positions held are indicated in the resume. He improved his qualifications at the BBC reporting course. Participated in the following competitions for journalists of regional television and radio companies: _________________________. I have laureate diplomas.

I am very impressed by the style of work of your television company, I highly appreciate the level of programs that your employees prepare. I hope that I can be useful by joining a team of professionals. I am attaching examples of newspaper publications and videos I have prepared. I will be happy to answer questions during the interview.

You can contact me by phone: ____________________.

Thank you for your attention.

Best regards, Igor Novitsky.

Cover letter for resume: example No. 5

I don’t have much work experience, as I only graduated from Pyatigorsk State Linguistic University last year. But while still studying, she worked as a simultaneous interpreter at the Empire Hotel and for two years led the “French for Kids” group in kindergarten. Recommendations from these places of work are attached.

Yes, experience is not my advantage. But I can offer good knowledge (I have an honors degree), the ability to work in a team and a great desire to become a real professional. I speak French and Italian and am studying Spanish. I also think it’s important to note that I studied in a literary studio for several years.

As a young specialist, I strive to develop, improve my acquired knowledge and acquire new ones. I am interested in psychology because it is important for a successful translator. I am sure that my knowledge, energy and desire to actively acquire practice will be useful to your agency.

My contact numbers are __________________.

Thank you for your attention. I hope for cooperation.

Sincerely, Victoria Sklyarova.

It happens that in some companies a cover letter is considered an empty formality; recruiters are only interested in the specifics from the resume. And first of all, work experience. At the same time, there are many (and more and more) enterprises and organizations where employers consider these semi-official appeals with special attention, trying to evaluate the human qualities of applicants, their speech, culture - after all, even from such a letter one can draw certain conclusions about its author. Therefore, do not miss your chance, work hard on your letter. It is possible that this is what will open doors for you.

A few important “don’ts” when looking for a job

There is a lot to be said about how to write a cover letter for a resume that is compelling. But you also need to know what should not be written in such a document. After all, it happens that in an effort to make the maximum impression, we go to extremes. So:

1. You can’t be frivolous, fall into everyday speech, or try to make jokes. You will be considered not lively and charming, but simply a poorly educated person. The tone of the letter should be quite formal.
2. When emphasizing your strengths, do not do so in the form of comparison with other applicants. Avoid saying, “I can handle this better than anyone else.” Bragging won't score points.
3. Do not indulge in a detailed biography. Select only those data that can convince the employer of your usefulness.
4. But don’t get off with general words like “I meet your requirements, please consider the candidacy, details in your resume.” A cover letter is not a formal attachment to a resume.
5. Do not compose a letter from template phrases. Support each position with examples.
6. You should not go into personal details, talking about your hobbies and how you spend your free time. This is a business letter, where every phrase should work for the result.
7. There is no need to mention experience that is not relevant to the position you are applying for. There is no need to mention that you worked as a waiter as a student if you want to get a job in the healthcare sector. This is useless information.
8. Do not try to pity a potential employer by talking about your financial difficulties. You don't expect to get a job out of favor, do you?

Your task is to create the image of an independent, energetic, self-confident person. An experienced professional who never ceases to improve, or a young enthusiastic specialist who is ready to learn and learn and knows how to do it perfectly. Convince the future boss that he will not go wrong by hiring you.

If this is successful, the next stage of employment will be an interview. A meeting where the way you look, how you behave, how you talk, how charming you are will be of great importance... But this should be discussed in more detail separately.

Those who have at least once encountered the job search process most likely paid attention to the “add a cover letter” item. Most often, job seekers ignore this opportunity, not realizing how much having such an addition can increase the applicant's chances of getting the desired position. But how to write a letter correctly? How to get an employer to pay attention to your candidacy?

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To write or not to write

To write or not to write a cover letter is everyone’s business. But before making a choice, it is better to find out more about what it is needed for and whether employers pay attention to such additions.

Firstly, a cover letter is an addition to a resume that can create your image more correctly, it helps to reveal your abilities and emphasize the fact that it is exactly the kind of employee like you that this or that company needs.

Unfortunately, practice shows that more than half of applicants neglect the opportunity to make a more favorable impression. Sometimes we are simply so insecure that we cannot correctly present our advantages, for fear of coming across as a braggart and an inventor.

Approximately 30% of Russians actively use this option, believing that some addition to their resume will increase their chances of filling a particular position. And, it should be noted, they are absolutely right. This opinion is absolutely justified, since the data is taken from surveys of both novice recruiters and experienced headhunters.

Hiring specialists pay attention to those resumes from which they can glean as much information as possible before meeting the respondent. This helps them to weed out people who are not quite suitable even before the interview, and thereby save time, which, as everyone knows, is priceless.

Personnel officers pay attention to individuals who are able, no matter how rude it may sound, to sell themselves. They believe that a person who is able to declare himself as a professional, who is able to attract attention and convince that he is right, will be able to adequately represent the company on the market.

Moreover, among several thousand HR officers surveyed, more than 600 responded that they did not even review applications without letters attached to them.

It should be noted that this trend appeared several years ago, and previously it was present only in the Western labor market. Now, our specialists have gained experience and learned to optimize their time and appreciate their work.

The potential employee is also relieved of the need to attend absolutely all interviews, even in places for which he is obviously not suitable.

Learn to value yourself and your time!

What do employers in Russia think about this?

As mentioned above, modern HR managers have a positive attitude towards cover letters. This is especially true for those positions that involve sales and direct communication with people.

Of course, there are also “old-school” personnel officers who may consider a cover letter to be bragging, but, most likely, such people will not be kept in reputable companies. Why should you waste your time on frivolous organizations?

Considering the widespread fashion for training, coaching, and similar types of personal and professional development, we can assume that in a year or two all employers will turn their attention to the availability of additional support.

If you plan to build a career and achieve high results, you need to learn how to write letters correctly. We'll talk about how to do this later.

Choosing a writing style

The first thing you need to understand is maintaining a business style and having a sense of proportion when writing a cover letter. You definitely need to praise yourself. But this must be done in such a way that the potential employer can draw the necessary conclusions about you on their own.

Even if you have a latent (or even obvious) talent for writing, save it until the end of your application. You should also not use complex phrases, ask rhetorical questions, and create intrigue, such as: “I know how to sell snow... in winter... to an Eskimo! Do you want to know my secret? No no and one more time no. No one will appreciate such humor, and it is really very easy to mistake it for boasting and arrogance.

Of course, after receiving such a letter, the recruiter may want to see you with his own eyes, but not in order to get a mysterious recipe for selling snow, but in order to put you in your place. Yes, yes, this happens too.

Cover letter structure

We have figured out the main purpose of writing a cover letter - to attract attention and create a desire to continue communication.

Let's figure out how to properly structure a letter so that you want to read it to the end, which will significantly increase your chances of success.

What NOT to do:

• Tell jokes. Don’t even think about telling jokes or writing comments with emoticons. This is terrible and inappropriate.
• Describe pages of your life that have nothing to do with the desired position. Even if you carry things to the shelter and remove kittens from trees, do not write this in your cover letter.
• Use slang expressions and obscene language.
• Offend the previous boss and the team. Phrases like: “I quit my previous job because I couldn’t work under a boor, a tyrant, and a stupid person” will put you in an unfavorable light, but not the ex-boss.
• Jump from topic to topic, destroying the logic of presentation.

So, we figured out what to avoid. It's time to look at an example of a good cover letter. It should consist of:

• Greetings for which it is better to choose the forms “good morning/afternoon/time of day”.
• Indication of the person who is presented in the vacancy as a manager or person responsible for personnel. For example: “Good afternoon, Sergey Stanislavovich.”
• Link to the place where you learned about the vacancy: “on the job.ru website it says that you are looking for a head of the sales department.” If you do not send a request by email, but use the services of official portals, then there is no need to indicate obvious things.
• Let's get to the heart of the matter. In two or three sentences we tell you why we really want to work for this company. Attention! Not in this position, but in this company. In order to formulate everything correctly, find out something about the enterprise you intend to become a part of. For example: “I would like to become part of your company/firm/holding because I like your approach to sales/attracting clients, etc. I consider it the most effective and have actively used it (I want to use it) in my work.”
• We describe our advantages without copying everything directly from the resume. It’s better to write: “I am suitable for this position because I have successful experience working with these systems/I have ideas for business development and improving results.”
• Contrary to stereotypes, you should not describe your ambitions and “Napoleonic” plans, unless of course you are asked about it.
• Eliminate excuses. If you were fired or were out of work for any period of time, you should not pay attention to this.
• Forget about templates like: “I’m easy to learn, I’m plasticine, mold me into whatever you want” or “I’m stress-resistant and punctual.” It's trite and just plain annoying to the people who have to read it every day. Have pity on them.
• Finally, express your willingness to answer any questions via telephone, email, or personal meeting. After these words, indicate all contacts. What if they are listed on your resume? It's okay, business etiquette requires indicating contacts in the letter.

Design rules

You need to format your cover letter as you would any other business correspondence:

Let us immediately note that honesty is good. But expect a headhunter to shed tears at the phrase: “I have no experience, but I will do my best to learn.”

Yes, you may not have suitable experience, perhaps you have just graduated from university. This is not a reason to despair, but you shouldn’t relax either. You need to be prepared for any work, at least theoretically. Research everything you can about the position and be sure to cite sources in your cover letter.

I have no official experience in this field, but I worked remotely in order to see the work scheme from the inside. Attending trainings, and especially having certificates, will be a plus, so don’t forget to mention them.

Give reasonable praise to the company's approach, for example: “I like that you use a fully immersive approach to learning languages. I consider this technique one of the most effective and would be happy to test all my knowledge in practice.”

Finishing touches

1. After the text is typed, be sure to check the spelling, no matter what position you are applying for. Being illiterate is not good.
2. Go through all the required items. Is everything in place?
3. Please check that your email address and phone number are spelled correctly.
4. Align the margins and choose the appropriate font. It is better to give preference to the classics: Times New Roman, size 12.