Cover Letters: Stand Out from the Crowd.

We've all heard stories of things that go together...like milk and cookies, wine and cheese and Romeo and Juliet. Indeed, these items are perfectly linked together and possibly are challenging to think of one without the other.

Well, just like these elements go hand and hand, so does a cover letter go with a resume. Cover letters are a key component of your marketing toolkit and should always accompany your resume.

A cover letter allows you to set the stage for your readers and reveal how your unique background connects to the position you seek. In a cover letter, you might communicate how the company's mission resonates with your passion and skills. You can illuminate any strategies and techniques successfully applied in previous roles and how your qualities and talents could make a positive impact in the new role. So, while your resume outlines what you have done, the cover letter reveals how you accomplished your successes and the unique greatness that makes you the best candidate for the role. A Chief Executive Officer I worked for several years ago was looking to hire a senior executive to join his team.

He was so impressed by an applicant's cover letter that he called the candidate in for an interview solely based on the cover letter. Although the applicant's resume was attached to the cover letter, it was the content in the letter that influenced the CEO to meet the candidate, and the applicant landed the position! When writing your cover letter, apply the acronym, I.N.T.R.O. Influence your reader Fulfill a Need Tell your unique story be Relatable Offer solutions You can do it!