How To Write A Cover Letter: 7 Tips To Grab Attention And Get The Interview

There are really only two types of cover letters. There are the "cookie cutter" cover letters––predictable, plain, booooring. And then there are the "rare" cover letters that grab the hiring manager's full attention and increase your odds of landing the job interview.

To write one of these killer cover letters, you've got to do the "little things" that will put a smile on the face of hiring managers and plant a "seed" in their minds that you are the special employee they've been looking for.

Here are 7 tips that will help you create the rare "attention grabbing" cover letter.

1. Do whatever it takes to find out who will be reading your cover letter, and greet that person by name. Never use "To Whom It May Concern" or anything else general in nature.

2. Place an attention-grabbing headline—always, always, always––at the top of your cover letter. For example: "Available Immediately: An Executive Assistant Who Organizes And Cares"

3. Select the most unique and valuable piece of work experience in your resume–– something most other competitors for this position will not have under their belts. Include a sentence about this towards the top of your cover letter. For example, "I helped the executive I worked for to increase sales by 30% proactively suggesting our sales reps be reassigned to certain territories based on their experience."

4. Make sure to ask for the interview, and provide some possible dates and times where the interview can occur.

5. Include your best contact information so it is easy for your prospective employer to reach you.

6. Add a "thank you" to the hiring manager at the bottom of your letter. Mention that you know there are other candidates to choose from, and that you appreciate the time spent reading your letter and considering your experience.

7. Make sure you sign your name in pen at the bottom, and include a "positive" P.S. with some personality. Example: P.S. I'm eager to meet and talk with you.

Follow these 7 simple tips to get more attention from every cover letter you write––so you land more job interviews for your efforts.