The Cover Letter, Follow-up Letter, and Thank You Letter

Creating a cover letter, thank you letter, and follow up letter is as important as tailoring your resume. A deserving applicant must be able to introduce his credentials, express his gratitude for an interview, and follow up and show his strong interest for a position. He may also seek for a professional resume writer’s assistance to ensure that his sincerity to get employed is conveyed in the best professional manner on paper.

A cover letter serves as your employer’s motivation to consider your application – it is your introduction. It reflects whether you have read the job ad carefully and your resulting interest for the position. Hence it should be optimistic, to the point, and concise. An ideal cover letter has three to four paragraphs with an introduction, body, and closing. It should not be a repeat of the information already present on your resume. Most importantly, every cover letter must be personalized in that it should be tailored exclusive to a specific position. Never submit the same cover letter for all your job applications.

Thank You letters must be sent to interviewers shortly after an applicant completes a job interview – preferably within 24 hours. Just like the cover letter, thank you letters must be personalized to the point that you can actually opt to have them handwritten rather than typed. Assess the personality of a company by reflecting on your interview then decide the writing that will suit your thank you letter best. Aside from your expression of gratitude, thank you letters also strengthen your interest for the position and leave the interviewer with a good impression of you.

Follow up letters may be sent when job seekers do not hear back within two weeks concerning their application. Remember: never send a follow up letter when the job post specifically stated that applicants should not do so. Things that may be incorporated in a follow up letter are inquiries such as whether all applicants will be notified of passing or of not passing the recruitment process. You may also ask if there are other steps in the hiring procedures that you must fulfill to continue your application, or if there are other requirements that need to be submitted.