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Professional Email Cover Letters for Your Resume

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Your resume is often sent as an attachment to an email. An email cover letter establishes closer contact with a hiring manager or recruiter. It may not be read, but it certainly will not be read if it does not exist!

Your email cover letter should have the following parts:

  • Header: Use the same header as in your resume. This conveys a professional image if it is a print cover letter.
  • Salutation: Like formal cover letters, email cover letters should start professionally and preferably with the name of the recruiter or hiring manager. It is important to find a name if possible (you can do this using LinkedIn for many cases). Use Dear Mr. Smith. If you do not have a name, “Dear Hiring Manager:” is acceptable.
  • Body: Keep your email short—a few lines to highlight your accomplishments and your fit for the position. Use a font that is the same as the font on your resume; is readable (no handwriting or Old English fonts); and has a professional look and feel (no Comic Sans).
  • Close: A recent survey by Boomerang, an email provider, found that response rates for emails were highest when the emails closed with a “thank you.”
  • Contact Information: Make sure you provide not only your name but all of your contact information as it appears on the resume: Name, Street Address, City, State and Zip, phone number, email address (yes, repeat the email address even though you are emailing). If you have a LinkedIn profile or online portfolio, you should include those links.

Attach your resume to the email in the format requested by the recruiter, hiring manager, or posting. Most companies ask for Word documents. As always, make sure you are sending from a professional email account (preferably your first and last names) and that you have double checked the email address you are sending to.

Robin’s Resumes® makes sure that your email or print cover letter matches your resume for professionalism, clarity, brevity, and power. Contact us today.

Resume Cover Letter or Email: Five Tips That Make a Difference

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A resume cover letter or email is always a good idea. It might not be read, but you fail to send one, you could lose a great opportunity to make yourself stand out.

Your resume cover letter or email should be in the same font as your resume and should contain exactly the same content information. The subject line or reference line should include information identifying the job you are applying for: the job title or job reference number exactly as it appears in the job posting or advertisement.

Here are five tips to make your cover letter or email stand out:

  • Always include highlights from your resume that specifically target your qualifications for the position you want. Choose a few examples from your resume of contributions or accomplishments that will make you stand out from other applicants.
  • Always let some of your passion and personality show through. Here is the place to emphasize what you love most about your career and how that passion will benefit the company where you are applying.
  • Keep it short. You can say a lot in a few brief paragraphs. The job of a cover letter is not to duplicate your resume but to pull out the most important information you want to share.
  • Always include a next step: a request for an interview (in person or on the phone) or your own promise to follow up with a call.
  • Always end with a thank you.

A cover letter or email is the perfect place for information that might not fit into your resume or might easily be lost during a quick read, such as a willingness travel, specialized training or an advanced degree, an interest in a specific aspect of your field or your reasons for changing careers. You might also add a testimonial from your supervisor or a satisfied customer.

A clear, concise, focused cover letter or email strengthens your resume and demonstrates the strength of your interest in the job. At Robin’s Resumes®, we write cover letters and emails that support job seekers in their quest for the perfect position. Contact us today.

Emailing Your Resume

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Everyone is emailing resumes these days—but are they doing it correctly? Here are a few rules to follow when you are emailing your resume.

  • Send your resume in the format requested in the job posting. Usually this will be Word or .txt format (not .pdf unless specifically requested).
  • Make sure you are using the correct email address. If you make any mistake in the recipient’s address, the email will not arrive—and you may not be notified.
  • Do not send unsolicited emails to random addresses (for example, CEO@company.com). Most companies have software that will bar you from reaching that address and most employees are well aware of the dangers of opening unsolicited email.
  • Check the job posting for information on what to put in the subject line of the email.
  • If the job posting does not give directions about the subject line, include the position ID or name (for example, “Resume for Junior Accountant Position”).
  • Write a professional cover email and include the same content as you would in a cover letter. The rule here is that a cover email might not be read but a blank email or one filled with emoticons is not professional.
  • Make sure your content information is included in your email just as it appears on your resume.
  • Send your email from a professional email address (for example, jjones@yahoo.com), not the one you use for friends and family (for example, dudeandbabe@yahoo.com).
  • Do not send multiple, daily follow-up emails. The rule here favors the employer over the job applicant. You can contact the company after a week or so to make sure they received your resume—but if the job posting stated you should wait to hear from them, then you should simply wait and assume that you didn’t get the job if you don’t hear.

For help in formatting, writing, and targeting your resume and email cover letter, please contact Robin’s Resumes®.

How to Organize a Cover Letter/Email

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Cover letters and emails are important; some hiring managers and recruiters ignore them but others expect them. Why take the chance? Cover letters give you the opportunity to show off your communication skills, direct the hiring manager’s or recruiter’s attention to important accomplishments and facts, and add detail that might not be appropriate for your resume (for example, salary range if the company requires that information as part of your application).

A cover letter or email is normally one page long and should contain the following information in approximately this order:

  • Your contact information: Make sure it matches the contact information on your resume.
  • The company address: Check this carefully, especially the spelling of the company name.
  • Any identifier required by the company: This is optional and could include a job identifying number or the location where you found the advertisement or job posting (for example, a website or newspaper).
  • A salutation: Use the name of the person who will receive your resume if you possibly can.
  • Why you are writing: Write a sentence or two explaining that you are answering an ad or following up on a referral and mention the job title you are interested in. Explain why you are writing; for example, you like the company and/or you have specific skills the company wants and/or you have experience the company would benefit from.
  • Selected past achievements: These should be major achievements most closely related to the job you want. Whether you use bullet points or a short paragraph, the information should, once again, match the information in your resume.
  • A short thank you to the recipient for their time: This is also where you should indicate your desire for a personal interview or your intention to follow up at a specific date.
  • The sign off: Customary professional signoffs include “Sincerely” and “Cordially.”

While your cover letter or email should be written in the first person, try to write so that you are not starting every sentence with “I.” Avoid very specific salary, geographic or other demands; companies prefer employees who are flexible and reasonable. However, the cover email is a good place to mention your intention or willingness to relocate or travel or any other special circumstances.

Robin’s Resumes® prepares cover letters and emails that rev up the interest of hiring managers and recruiters. Contact us today.

Contact Information on Your Resume

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One problem that drives recruiters and hiring managers crazy is how to reach a potential hire when the contact information on his or her resume is wrong or difficult to read. Follow these basic rules about contact information so that you never miss a request for an interview:

  • Make sure your name and contact information is visible on every page of the resume. Small or fancy fonts, light print, or poor contrast between the print and page color will all make your name and contact information difficult to read.
  • Make sure your phone number is complete (with area code); double check the number because it is easy to transpose a figure that you know by heart.
  • Give your exact mailing address, including zip code. Although these days most companies will respond by email or phone, why take chances?
  • If your home phone is regularly answered by a 5 year old, purchase a cell phone for the duration of your job hunt so that you are the only one who answers it.
  • Give your answering machine a professional message. Save the jazz sonata, inside joke, and gruff “you know what to do at the beep” for after you have a new job.
  • Set up a professional email address that includes your name. If you have to insert a period (john.mell) or underline (john_mell), make sure the period or underline is clearly visible on your resume. Try to avoid adding a number 0 or 1 to your email address, as these numbers can be confused with o or l (JOHNMELL0123).

At Robin’s Resumes®, paying attention to these details is second nature to us. Let us help you make sure that hiring managers and recruiters know how to reach you—and are eager to do so. Next week we will discuss the “10 Must Haves in a Great Work History.”

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