In today's working world, the competition is staggering. With over 300 million people in the USA , finding a good job is a tough chore for almost any American. National estimates show that your average American citizen can be on the jobhunt for almost 9 months. With competition like that, you're going to need an edge if you want to find any kind of decent job.

Well, such an edge actually exists. There's no such thing as a sure thing in this field, but the edge I'm talking about can rocket your odds of snagging a job faster and seriously reduce your time spent on the prowl. What is this edge? It's called a cover letter.

Turning in a resume without a cover letter is like showing up naked to an interview. Most businesses frown upon nudity in the workplace, so you can imagine that you wouldn't do too awfully well in that interview. Having an excellent cover letter however, is like wearing a fine, expensive suit. It creates a stunning first impression, gives the employer an idea of the hardworking, responsible person you are, and paves the way to a profitable business relationship. It makes them want you in their business.

Your first round to get through is the cover letter round. It's the first thing they'll look at, and it's the first chance for you to impress them. In the initial culling, the Armani cover letters keep going, while the ragtag and nonexistent cover letters get thrown in the incinerator where they belong. Clearly, a good cover letter is important.

So how does one go about the acquisition of an Armani cover letter? One of the tried-and-true methods is to find somebody who's written one and learn from them. Look at some cover letter examples and see what makes them so great. Learning from the best has been a classic way of improving one's own skills for almost as long as the human race has existed.

And another good thing about taking this particular road is that you'll also be building important critical thinking and analysis skills. That sounds boring and difficult, but it's really not a big deal and it looks really good to employers. Skills like that make you valuable as an employee, and that means job security.

And above all, I must stress to you that the cover letter has two essential key purposes. If it doesn't do these two jobs, it can be considered a failure. A successful cover letter needs to first outline your skills and qualifications, and also encourage an interview. The first is fairly obvious, since a cover letter is made to accompany a resume you'd expect it to have to do with your qualifications.

However, you must remember that the highest priority of your cover letter is to promote and/or request an interview with the potential employer. If your cover letter doesn't do this, rewrite it. Never forget that making perhaps the single most important part of applying for a job is getting the jump from "the next piece of paper in the large stack" to "person sitting in my office" in the minds of your potential employers. You are no longer just another application, and instead become a serious potential employee. That's when the cover letter can be considered a success.