Do you need to write a cover letter when applying for a job?

These days it is just not enough to send out a resume without a nice cover letter. I suspect that if a hiring manager narrows the field down to two resumes and one has a cover letter and one does not, well, the cover letter resume is the winner. Writing a well-crafted cover letter to go with your resume says a lot about you as an applicant.

It says that you thought that the position that you were applying for was worth the extra effort and time of crafting the cover letter.

It says that you are serious about the position in question.

It also says that you are a professional.

So, the question is, how do you write a cover letter and what should be in it?

Well, first note that your cover letter should only be about a page. There is really no need for a novel length letter because it probably won’t get read if it is too long.

A cover letter is basically there to fill in the gaps. Every thing that you think is important about why you should be hired for the position that did not fit on your resume should be in your cover letter. And always be sure to include any info that the employer specifically requested in the job advertisement.

Here are some places to see some examples of cover letters:

• Career services at Virginia Tech (scroll down the page to get to the examples)
• Cover Letter Samples at About.com
• Cover Letter Template
• Dynamic Cover Letter Samples
• Two Types of Cover Letters Examples

Here are other resources for tips on writing great cover letters:

• Killer cover letters
• Five Common Cover Letter Mistakes
• Do Cover Letters Really Matter
• Cover Letter Checklist
• Successful Job Applications - Cover Letters
• Customize Your Cover Letter to the Ad