Perhaps the greatest piece of advice that can be given when it comes to creating a professional cover letter is that you should avoid taking yourself too seriously when writing one. Hiring managers want to hire people that will not only do a great job but will also be a good fit with the other personalities on staff and involved in the many projects that will be assigned throughout the years. No one wants to work with Mr. or Mrs. all boring, all the time. In other words, let a little bit of your own personality shine through without being overly informal.



Do not use your cover letter as an opportunity to impress the hiring manager with your impressive vocabulary or make them head for the dictionary in order to translate. Make your cover letter personable and natural sounding. Write your cover letter as though you were actually meeting the hiring manager for the first time and remember that there are rarely opportunities for second chances to make that first impression when you botch your cover letter.

You should also make a point of adding a little bit of ?Wow? factor to your cover letter whenever possible. If you are passionate about your line of work let that show through in your cover letter. Chances are that your passion for the work will be contagious at best and at the very least show through in your words and invite further consideration on the part of those sifting through the cover letters seeking the perfect candidate for those oh so few positions that are available.

Do not limit your cover letter to being a dry run for your resume. Allow your resume to speak for itself and list your skills and accomplishments. Use your cover letter to allow the hiring managers to get to know you as a person. In other words, don't rehash your resume in your cover letter. Tell the hiring manager about yourself, show him how you could benefit his company and that you would be an asset to their organization because of your passion for the product, your sense of humor, or your quick whit to get through those long hours working into the night or endless take out sandwiches instead of a lunch hour. Make him want to read your resume through the personality possessed within the cover letter.

By allowing a little bit of your personality to shine through when writing your cover letter you are not only inviting the hiring manager to read your resume but also giving her the opportunity to gauge how well your personality will fit with the other members of the team or organization you will be joining. For this reason it is important to be as natural as possible when creating your cover letter. You do not want to come across as false, nor do you want to come across as one who is far too serious to lighten the mood when the need arises. You should make sure to keep bawdy humor or references that are in poor taste from coming through as those will definitely have opposite of the desired effect. You do want to maintain a professional level of communication but avoid being too dry.

One other very important thing to remember when creating a professional cover letter is that you want it to be free of mistakes and misspellings. This is your first impression for the hiring manager and you want it to be a shining example of who you are professionally as well as personally. If you turn in a resume that is filled with typos and grammatical mistakes you will come across as sloppy and unprofessional. No one wants to hire someone that isn't going to go the extra mile to make themselves?and by extension the company they work for?look good on paper.

The keys to a professional strength professional cover letter are: conveying the strength of your personality through the language used, make the hiring manager want to read your resume, and proving that you are going to go the extra mile in order to present yourself and the company you work for in the best possible light. Pay attention to the small details, let your personality shine through, and invite further contact (in the form of an interview) in your cover letter and you should be well on your way.