For anyone wanting to write the perfect cover letter, there are certainly many resources out there. Just type “cover letter example” into a search engine such as Google and you’ll get so many hits that well, you won’t know what hit ya! There are websites that will walk you through it every step of the way, websites that will charge you, and websites that are free.

You will pick up useful information along the way, to be sure. One small tidbit: there are two types of cover letters. There is the Specific kind of cover letter, where you write to one specific person, at one specific company, about one specific position. There is also the General type of cover letter. Instead of addressing any one specific person, this would be addressed to: Dear Employer. There would be no date on the cover letter. The focus would be on the applicant’s experience and credentials.

You can find sample cover letters all over the Internet, specialized even. Just a few that I can recall seeing are cover letter examples for Analysts, cover letter examples for Teachers, cover letter examples for Artists, cover letter examples for those wishing to work at a consulting firm, and cover letter examples for General /Business Admistration.

There are always sites that are willing to make you beautiful and outstanding cover letters. Formatted perfectly with just the right amount of information and said in such a way that it would seem every sentence was prepared by a combination of Rhodes’ Scholars and poets.

However, you need to make sure that whatever is on that cover letter, came straight from you. You are the only person who can tailor your cover letter to yourself perfectly, because, well, you are the only you! And, it is you applying for the job, right? I thought so!

You can look at all the cover letter examples that you want, and in fact, you should. They are a great resource and can really give you some great ideas and inspiration. But at the end of the day, be true to yourself and make sure you are the one writing the cover letter and representing yourself in the best light possible, after all, this is the very first chance you have to make an impression on your prospective employer.

By researching as many other cover letter examples as you can, you’ll find that the ones that usually bring the most success to people are those that while putting forth every accomplishment with panache, also stay as short and free of fluff as possible. Many employers get several hundred applicants for a single job, if your cover letter doesn’t grab them, it is unlikely that they will even read through your resume, and that is certainly the opposite of your intention. So, by looking at cover letter examples of people who have jobs you admire, and then imitating their style to suite your own unique set of skills and personality traits, you should be on your way to creating your own, rockin’ cover letter!

Image taken on 2009-02-22 15:21:42. Image Source. (Used with permission)