How To Write The Perfect Cover Letter: Be Brief--And Be Gone!

The best cover letters are 'one-page wonders.' Why? Because they suit today's busy employers who are already overloaded and often overwhelmed. The best way to catch their attention is to 'be brief-and be gone.' Leave them wanting more-so they'll call you for an interview-which is just what you hope for. Write a letter that makes your point about the job you want, displays your enthusiasm, and clearly asks for the opportunity to meet in person.

Put these SEVEN SECRETS of a 'Short and Sweet' Cover Letter into practice and get your phone ringing next week:

1. Write a cover letter that fits on one page - MAX - three paragraphs total!

2. Give your letter plenty of 'white space' by creating generous margins and double spacing between paragraphs.

3. Use bullets and numbered lists when appropriate. This allows for easy scanning.

4. Start the first sentence of each paragraph with bold-faced type to draw in the reader.

5. Create paragraphs with three to four well-written sentences each. Convey your passion and enthusiasm to be interviewed for the position being offered.

6. Print out the completed letter and scan it for that 'easy on the eyes' appearance. Remember, less is more.

7. Clearly and directly ask for the opportunity to be interviewed!

There you have it! SEVEN SECRETS that will land you more job interviews and hopefully the job you've been searching for.

How short and sweet it is!

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the new, "Amazing Cover Letter Creator." Jimmy has written several career-related books and his unique, "think-outside-the-job-search-box" approach, make his articles a job-seeker favorite. Jimmy is regularly published on some of the Internet's largest career web sites.

Who else wants their phone ringing off the hook with more quality job interviews? Visit Jimmy on the web right now at http://www.Amazing-Cover-Letters.com for your 'instant' cover letter today.

CAREER TOPICS

Telephone Job Interview Preparation Tips
TELEPHONE INTERVIEW BACKGROUNDTelephone interviews are quite common in today's job market. They are offered for a variety of reasons including cost savings, screening of candidates and out-of-town applicants.

Get a Job! Tips for Organizing Your Resume
Whether you're a Vice President of Marketing or a recent college grad, your resume is the 'key' to opening the doors of employment. It is an employer's first impression of you and believe it or not, many hiring officials spend less than thirty seconds reviewing it.

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Career Opportunities for New Graduates
Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Career Opportunities for New GraduatesThis article relates to the Career Opportunities competency and explores issues such as internal growth opportunities, potential for advancement, career development importance, and the relationship between job performance and career advancement. Evaluating the Career Opportunities competency in your organization will determine whether your employees believe they have a chance to grow within the organization.

Franchising Offers NO Guarantees --
You have to ask --- IS a FRANCHISE FOR YOU?There are NO guarantees. You invest your money and take your chances.

Creating Traffic Jams
It's hard to imagine why anyone would pick up a newspaper to find a job any more. With a seemingly endless array of career sites, mailing lists, corporate sites and newsgroups, job seekers have more options online than ever before.

In Control - Inside Tips on Interview Success
No, you can't control how the interview will be conducted, nor can you control the outcome. But you can influence it greatly by the way you present your personality and your skills.

Networking Masterclass - Part 1 - Practicing Empathy
Practicing Empathy A vital part of your networking skills is your ability to build rapport quickly and effectively with others. To build rapport successfully with another individual you need to understand 'where' they are coming from and have 'empathy' with them.

Resume 101
Whether you've been downsized, are looking for a career change or are just starting out, your resume speaks volumes about you. If your resume doesn't make it past the first cut, you're doomed; no matter how qualified you are.

Getting Your Online Health Care Administration Degree
Are you thinking about getting your online health care degree but don't know where to start? Afraid of choosing the wrong college or school? Here's a simple guide to help you get started building the career that you've always wanted.Making the decision to get your online health care degree is not any easy one.

Crafting A Stellar Career Summary For Your Resume
Are you a career changer? Or, are you satisfied with your stable career but interested in updating your resume? Are you a professional who has tried different things but are still searching for the kind of work that best suits you? Whatever your career situation, what your resume most needs is a stellar career summary. What difference can a career summary make for you? Here are 4 reasons why you need one in your resume: 1.

15 Tips for Writing Winning Resumes
The thought of writing a resume intimidates almost anyone. It's difficult to know where to start or what to include.

Are You a Nice Person? What Companies are Looking for in Recruiting and Retaining Great People
Hal Rosenbluth, author of The Customer Comes Second, states; "In our selection process, kindness, caring, compassion, and unselfishness carry more weight than years on the job, an impressive salary history, and stacks of degrees."Does your company hire these types? Are you one of them? Take the following quiz to see if you are:Agree Disagree1.

How To Start Your Own House Cleaning Business
If you are thinking about starting your own house cleaning business, begin by evaluating your present circumstances. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions, but how you reply will affect what you do.

An Alternative to Hiring Employees
Current trends in business are conspiring to create a revolution in the way that small and medium sized companies do business. These forces have created an environment in which growing companies can make maximum use of their labor dollars, while accessing a talent base previously unreachable due to the costs involved with hiring top talent.

Start Working Before You Get Hired
What if there were a way to *prove* to any sane employer that you alone were the one to hire?Would learning how to do that interest you? I thought so.I call this the "start-working-before-you-get-hired" job-hunting method.

Jobseekers! Look For Smoke, Not Fire
"If you always do what you've always done, you will always get what you've always received," said some wise person. This is certainly true when it comes to job-hunting, especially during a "sucky" economy.

Out Recruit The Competition
We hear from our clients that they "hope the candidate takes the job." Hiring a candidate shouldn't be a guessing game.

Negotiating Skills: How to Obtain the Salary You Want
Salary negotiating is an important topic that must be addressed prior to your initial interview with a prospective employer. Knowing your bottom rate, and being able to live with it [or on it?] is an important thing for candidates to uncover before the first interview.

How To Receive Payment as a Freelance Translator?
A problem most freelance translators are facing with is how to receive payment. In particular: How to receive payment for small jobs.

Do What You Love, Love What You Do
Everyone dreams of a life full of love and adventure. But we fill ourselves with reasons not to follow our dreams.