If that where your first post my first reply would be that you already seem to have it pretty well under control.
Remember HR typically have a short attention span (maybe due to huge numbers of inappropriate applications to wade through) and they have limited ability to understand technical details or resultant implications.
Use a very few critical points that they should see as a real advantage for you.
It should be in well spaced short points form like your last post
It should simply state I feel I have good reason to bring this to your attention. Bla bla bla.
For more details please review my attached resume or call me to discuss.
Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &
This is all good advice, but perhaps you may consider stepping up the game a bit.
If you follow the route of Cover Letter etc., you are certainly still part of the herd and may get lost in the tsunami. I always thought the more direct approach is better. But it is exceedlingly hard to navigate past the gatekeepers and violate protocol by bypassing "normal procedures". If you can contact the hiring authority directly, you are well ahead of the pack. To do this requires effective skills in research, schmoozing, phone tag, dodging the gate keepers, sincerity, cleverness, and tenacity. And a skin thick enough to shrug off rejection. If you actually contact the Hiring Authority, then you must then use highly-developed cold-call sales techniques to get your message across in the available 47 milliseconds. But this is a very fine line to walk because you could either be seen as a hyper-agressive anarchist or that real go-getter they've been looking to hire.
If successful contact is made, THEN the cover letter becomes much more effective becuase they actually remember you and have a personality connection.
This has been discussed elsewhere on this forum. Perhaps you would dig deeply and find more posts on this topic for insight. But I have always found that this approach, coupled with honesty & sincerity about my situation, was more successful.
TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering
After receiving constructive advice, this is how the biggining [blue]beginning[/blue] of this post should had been written.
Dear Friends & co [blue]Fellow[/blue] Engineers
I have a question for you all, I have been considering on how to write an effective cover letter.
[li]How to get the attention of that HR person[blue] Weenie[/blue] so he or she does not trash that resume of mine.[/li]
[li]What should be the context of the letter. an [blue] In[/blue] other words, what should it state [/li]
[li]Finally what is the best format.[blue]?[/blue][/li]
Yes I understand spelling & grammar are a must!
[blue]And a certain facility will the available textural enhancements used in moderation and not so it looks like a poster for the junior prom night; no flashing flower chain borders or any of the other crap Microsoft include, but some subtle enhancements to readability may help and demonstrate that you are familiar with some of the features of the programs you use. So essential in an engineer but for some reason, excusable in a media studies student.[/blue]
I recently reviewed 34 resumes for two senior engineer openings in my department. About a quarter of them had cover letters, and I found them very helpful. They definitely improved the applicant's chances and, as it turned out, both people we hired had good cover letters. Correct spelling and grammar on both the cover letter and the resume are critical. Always have someone proofread for you.
Spelling errors, random capitalizations, non-agreement of subject and verb, wrong punctuation, etc. landed many resumes in the trash. I could picture myself having to deal with the person's bad reports and specifications and said, "no thanks."
Like the others said, a cover letter is a personal note.
You write 2 versions. 1 is a generic version that can be passed around with your resume at job fairs/conferences/job posting sites.
The 2nd version, you constantly update and give to companies...where you talk about what they do, and how your skills will fit into it and help them further their goals.
![[wink]](/data/assets/smilies/wink.gif "[wink] [wink]")