Most job applications are made up of two documents, the resume and the cover letter. A lot has been written about resume writing. The same cannot be said however about cover letter writing. Out of the two, the resume is definitely the most important document. It contains the substance of your candidacy. Does that mean that the cover letter should be downplayed? No. The cover letter should be viewed as complementing the resume. A resume without an accompanying cover letter would not be viewed by most recruiters as a complete job application.

Think of a resume this way. It is a document which purports to describe, as “objectively” as possible, your qualifications, including your education, work experience and professional background. Objectively was put in quotes because, although a resume should be written in the third person and, therefore, may sound objective, it is in fact very subjective as it reflects your views as to what your qualifications are. As impressive as a resume can be, it cannot convey one’s interest in a position. Further, some things cannot be said in a resume, yet, could be relevant or of interest to the recruiter. While a resume is relatively rigid in its construction, a cover letter is much more flexible and allows a candidate to put his or her personal touch to a job application. Hence, the function of a cover letter: to introduce, amplify and/or draw attention to specific aspects of a resume.

If there is something you’d like to convey, but can’t do it through your resume, the cover letter is there to give you that latitude. Smart job applicants will not miss the opportunity to fully utilize a cover letter to highlight their candidacy and prepare the ground for their resume.

Far from repeating what’s already in the resume, a cover letter should complement the resume. While a resume reflects what you have done in the past mainly, the cover letter can connect your qualifications with what you can bring to the new job you are applying to. It can serve as an expression of your interest in the position; not only stating that you are interested, but also why. In that regard, employers would rather hire someone a little less qualified but upbeat about the job than a qualified candidate that doesn’t necessarily show the same interest.

A cover letter is especially important for candidates that may not have as much experience or qualifications as other candidates. The initial screening process can be very subjective and recruiters may not necessarily have a pre-determined checklist as to what they are looking for. Want a wild card? Seize your opportunity through your cover letter.

One last word of advice: as mentioned above, a cover letter should be viewed as complementing the resume it is accompanying. The two should be viewed as a pair, so they should have the same general formatting and layout.

We hope the above will help you in your job search. Good luck!

By John Stronack



John Stronack is a writer for WorkBloom. See our resume tips (http://workbloom.com/resume/resume-tips.aspx) and cover letter tips (http://workbloom.com/cover-letter/cover-letter-tips.aspx).