Writing Cover Letters for Resumes - List your unique qualifications

Writing Cover Letters Tip 6

Use the second paragraph to expand on your unique qualification

This is vital. What you write here decides if you get the interview or you end up in the reject pile. Use the second paragraph to expand, with specific information, on the main qualification or unique selling point you mentioned in first paragraph. The better you match these specifics with the employer's needs, the more likely you are to get the all-important interview.

Look carefully at the advertisement. If they want a self-motivated, experienced sales executive to lead a small team of representatives, the drafted first paragraph is excellent.

But if the advertisement calls for sales executive to head the company's Internet strategy, the emphasis is wrong. A better response would be:

At Bestdata we moved into direct selling on the Internet. I worked through the research and design stages, developed a direct marketing strategy and handled the public relations side of the launch. Within 18 months, 15 percent of our sales came from the Internet and the forecast is a 12 percent growth a year. Our Internet sales led to an extra $14 million in turnover and a 16 percent growth in profit in 1999.

In other words, match your qualifications to the employer's needs.

Professionally Written Cover Letter

John Noakes
1221 Stave Avenue
Washington DC 22090

Sales Executive advertised in
Computer Monthly

Dear Mr Johns

Joining Datacom’s Sales Team

I would like to join Datacom Office Equipment as your new Sales Executive and bring to your organization my 12 years of experience working on international corporate clients for Bestdata.

My training at Bestdata helped me become Regional Sales Representative of the Month four times in two years. After my promotion to North-East Regional Sales Manager, we improved training for sales representatives, revamped our marketing strategy and moved into direct selling on the Internet. Sales increased by 30 per cent in the next year.

Many of these ideas apply to Datacom's product range, especially the innovative portable telephones and fax machines you recently launched in the trade press.

I'd be happy to discuss these ideas at an interview. Could we arrange an interview in early June when I am in New York?

Yours sincerely

John Noakes

Enclosed: Resume

Writing Cover Letters

Writing Cover Letters Tip 6

Use the second paragraph to expand on your unique qualification

Continue : List your key achievements