Here's the Best Resume Cover Letter Format

While there's no one set resume cover letter template that will work for everyone, there are some general guidelines about format that work well for any cover letter.

Basically, your cover letter should contain three sections, each with a different purpose.

First Section:

The first section is your introduction and it's best to keep it short and simple.

First, Identify the job for which you're applying. This is crucial because large companies can have many jobs open at the same time and Hiring Managers don't want to have to guess what job you're applying for.

Second, state how you found out about the opening, whether it's by newspaper, Internet or referral. This helps the Hiring Manger determine which job advertisement method is most effective.

Second Section

This is the body of your resume cover letter and contains the sales pitch. It should be no more than two or three paragraphs. This is your chance to highlight your qualifications that specifically match the job opening.

If you're in doubt about what qualifications you should highlight, read the job advertisement again – it's all there. Write down the qualifications from the job ad and make sure you address the most important ones in your resume cover letter.

A bulleted list works nicely to draw the reader's attention to your qualifications, but keep it to three or four bullets at the most. After all, the goal of a resume cover letter is to get the Hiring Manager to read your resume – not to actually contain the resume!

Third Section

This is your closing paragraph. Let the reader know you'd like an interview and that you are convinced you can add value to their organization. Then close by giving a phone number and an email address where you can be reached.

What's that you say? Why don't I advise you to specifically say at the end of your cover letter that you'll follow-up with a phone call? You'll see a lot of advice about ending a cover letter with a statement that the reader can expect a phone within the next two weeks "to see if you require any additional information regarding my qualifications."

I'm now going to tell you a dirty little secret shared by most of the Hiring Managers I know: We hate getting follow-up telephone calls from job applicants. Here's why:

• If I haven't read your resume yet, you've now just interrupted my day for nothing.
• If I have read your resume and you didn't make the cut, I certainly don't want to talk to you on the phone and have to explain that.
• If I have read your resume and you did make the cut, I'll call you in for an interview regardless of whether or not you follow-up.

Now, I'm sure you're read stories about job applicants that got an interview because the Hiring manager forgot or didn't get around to calling them until they were reminded by a follow-up phone call. While that may have actually happened to someone at some time, I can honestly say that in 30 years of hiring people I have never – let me repeat that, never – forgotten to call good job applicants for interviews.

Just be sure to give me your phone number and email address in your cover letter to make it easy for me to contact you without referring to your resume.

But if you're simply dead set on making that follow-up phone call, here's a truly unique suggestion: call the person but do it late at night and leave a message. Most Hiring and HR Managers will have voice mail in today's world. You can say in the message that you purposely called after hours to avoid bothering them. I would LOVE to get this kind of call – it shows the person respects my time.

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