An Email Cover Letter Has To Work Even Harder
An e-mail cover letter is not as easy to scan through as a paper one, so it is extremely important to make sure the e-mail cover letter contains all the important information a hiring manager needs, but without any added fluff. An e-mail cover letter also needs to have a great first line in order to encourage a hiring manager to keep reading. It is a fact that most people will not read a long e-mail, like they would a paper memo, so keeping an e-mail cover letter short, and concise is dire. Also, be sure to use professional lingo and not the same sort of language one would use to communicate with their friends. All words in an e-mail cover letter need to be spelled out properly, and the use of internet acronyms and emotion icons are a big no-no.The key to an e-mail cover letter is straight, to the point wording. An e-mail cover letter should include the name of the position one is applying for, ask for an interview with the hiring manager, provide contact information for when the hiring manager does call to schedule an interview, and most importantly, how one is the ideal candidate for the position. Divulging one"s experience and skills in an e-mail resume gives the hiring manager a good idea of the fit they will have with the company. However, do not spend too much time going over each skill point by point. Again, the attention span one has when reading an e-mail is very different from the attention span they have reading a piece of paper. It is more difficult to skim through an e-mail and pick out all the relevant information, so that information has to standout in an e-mail cover letter.
Just like a cover letter being one of the most important elements to a job hunter"s repertoire when they are applying for jobs with a paper trail, an e-mail cover letter is a necessity to any jobs applied to on the internet. Even if a job does not specifically request an e-mail cover letter accompany a resume submission, be sure to include one! This could be the deciding factor between getting a call back and getting the trash can. Just imagine if there were hundreds of applicants who chose to not include an e-mail cover letter, and a very select who did, which category of people would be more likely to earn an interview?
Remember that an e-mail cover letter should not be the same a paper cover letter, but it should house some of the same elements. The trick is moderation. Word choice in an e-mail cover letter is ten times more important than a paper resume, and generally should be much less wordy. It is also a good idea to include an attachment of the e-mail cover letter, as well as putting it in the body of the e-mail. While it may seem repetitive, there are still individuals who are new to the internet and are not familiar with the standards. Therefore, if there is no attachment, they may feel one did not include a cover letter and the e-mail will be just as readily deleted. Don"t let all that hard work go to waste!
Applying for a job through the internet is ideal for some individuals. It is a nice change to be able to put one"s best foot forward will still being in their pjs! It is still a process that should be taken seriously though. Check and recheck that e-mail cover letter, use the tips found here, and then sit back and watch the interviews roll-in before it"s even time for dinner!