As you can see the headings and statements provided in Fran's after letter present an image of her skills as matching the job and salary she wants.

Most Employers Look at Resumes First
Then Look at Cover Letters
When writing your cover letter, it's important to remember that some employers will flip past your letter and go directly to your resume. If your resume hooks them they will read your letter, if your resume doesn't hook them they won't read your letter. On the other hand, some employers will first look at your letter and if it hooks them they'll move on to your resume.

Make Sure Your Resume is as Strong as Your Cover Letter
In the hundreds of resume and job search workshops that I've taught, I'm always curious to ask the HR personnel I train how they screen resumes and cover letters.  The great majority say they first look at the resume and if it hooks them--then and only then--do they read or scan the letter.  Most say because the resume presents a complete work history and outline of skills their preference is to start with the resume.  If there are too many negatives in the resume (such as an erratic work history, job titles or skills presented in such a way that don't relate to the job being sought) the candidate is quickly screened out and the letter never looked at in an effort to save time.

Therefore it's extremely important that your resume be treated as your primary document and supported by your cover letters.  Both documents need to be able to stand alone and sell you effectively.  

Another weakness I see very often is that job seekers customize their letters but do not customize their resumes.  When this occurs the cover letter is often much stronger than the resume ... be sure that you never send out a resume and cover letter where the letter is stronger than the resume ... be sure that you tweak your resume to be just as strong as your letter.  If you address specific skills in your letter that aren't addressed in your resume, you may lose out when employers first scan your resume and don't find those particular skills; in this instance your letter may never be read.   

If you've entered my site with this page as your starting point, I encourage you to go through my first set of resume workshops that show how Fran's after resume resulted in a $9,000 salary increase.  By using graphing techniques like the ones on this page you'll see how her job titles dramatically lowered her image ... then by using targeted skill headings we elevated and controlled her image -- which is also illustrated by the graphing techniques.

In many ways writing a cover letter is far easier than writing a great resume.  Mainly because you are responding only to a few key specifics in a job ad which are easy to address.  Resumes are another story ... since most people have job titles that do not match the jobs they want, they may have an erratic work history, may have age issues, don't use #, $ or % to illustrate their achievements, or may have skills that match but they do not describe them effectively so that they sound like the skills needed in the job being sought.

For example, Fran had been a Directory Operator (this is in the first resume workshop) but wanted a Corporate Customer Service Representative job at $33,000.  Most people don't view directory operators as really providing true customer service.  In my workshops the majority of people say Directory Operator sounds like someone making $20,000 ... and that's $13,000 below Fran's goal.  The other negative Fran had was the type of descriptions she put in her resume which also lowered her image and didn't sell her well.  For example, asking Fran the questions I provide in the Proven Resumes series, I learned that as a Directory Operator she was selected out of 100 or more other Operators to provide direct assistance to the Governor's office in our state and any visiting dignitaries.  The questions and worksheets in the Proven Resumes series helped Fran to effectively 'pull out', identify and then effectively describe how her background matched the $33,000 Corporate Customer Service Representative position she wanted.  Fran went from a 0% response rate to her resumes and letters to a 100% response rate.  Keep in mind that even though Fran's salary level or career field is most likely different from yours, these strategies have been proven successful at all income levels whether for a secretary, executive, laborer, retail clerk or manager or even professionals such as physicians or attorneys. 

If you have any questions niggling at you about the image your resume projects then I encourage you to go through my first set of resume workshops and potentially considered purchasing the entire Proven Resumes series.  Make sure your resume is as strong as possible and then tackle your cover letters.

Now Back to Cover Letters ... Most Job Seekers Need Detailed Examples and
Worksheets to Create Letters That Control & Elevate Their Image
While the cover letter example you've just read is very illustrative, I find that in order for most job seekers to accomplish a significant change in their image, and in the letters they create, they need step by step directions on how to analyze ads, how to combine keywords from ads to create powerful paragraph headings.  The entire ProvenResumes series includes over 2,000 skills, skill headings and sample sentences broken into skill lists for 45 categories ... not included when you purchase only the cover letter booklet ... so if you feel you need additional assistance in creating skill headings to make your cover letter paragraphs stand out and grab attention ... then you might want to consider purchasing the entire Proven Resumes series.

 Cover Letters That Have Increased Salaries.
If you are convinced your resume is as strong as possible, and only want to work on your cover letter ... you won't find another book on cover letters that shows you how to control and elevate your image---and that is critical to cover letter, job search and salary success. This 30-page booklet also teaches you how to slant your experience to match the jobs you want as well as how to write targeted letters, broadcast or cold call letters, and generic letters. A worksheet is included to guide you each step of the way in completing your letters along with a checklist to make sure that your letter matches the salary and skill requirements for the job you want. It also includes proven cover letter layouts that have generated more interviews and higher salaries.  You'll also learn how to graph an employer's response to the paragraph headings and statements you put in your letters. This booklet is targeted for job seekers in all income ranges from $20,000 to $100,000+. Read these testimonials about the cover letter booklet:

Buy ... Proven Resumes Strategies That Have Increased Salaries $9.95

                                                                         
  Adobe Acrobat Reader .pdf format                      Questions - Call 425-398-7378

Additional Career Specific Books:
Teachers, Accounting, CAD/Drafting, College Students, Customer Service,
EET, IT / Computer Information or High School Students

These career-specific books (36-57 pgs) were created with Adults in Technical & College Training Programs ... generally with experience in other fields.  Of course, the High School Student book was created with High School Students and their Teachers!

... or Hire Me ...
MASTER RESUME WRITER
PERSONNEL AGENCY OWNER 
CAREER DEVELOPMENT INSTRUCTOR
UNIVERSITY JOB PLACEMENT SPECIALIST
TRAINER OF PROFESSIONAL RESUME WRITERS
TRAINER TO EMPLOYMENT SECURITY PROGRAMS
AUTHOR OF 15,000 RESUMES ... 13 RESUME BOOKS