Have you ever sat down with someone and asked, "How do I
write a cover letter to get more interviews?" If so, what
was the person's reaction? Although it is becoming a better
known part of the job seeker toolkit today, the idea of
cover letter writing as a means of getting job interviews
was largely ignored by many.

Although as a rule, we've given most of the attention to
resume development - and rightfully so - the art of cover
letter writing has not been as well developed. Until now!

We now understand the importance of writing a good cover
letter in getting job interviews. Here's why:

If your cover letter does not catch the reader's attention
right away - even before getting to your resume - you have
just missed out on an important part of the equation. You
MUST get and hold the hiring director's attention right
away - within the first critical seconds he or she picks up
your cover letter! Therefore, asking "How do I write a
cover letter to get more interviews?" is one of the
smartest questions you can have.

To get - and hold your reader's attention, a good cover
letter should contain the two following important
components:

1) A salutation directed to a real person. In other words,
no more "To whom it may concern," or "Dear Hiring
Director." Because you now know the importance of cover
letter writing to get more interviews, the days of the
bland salutation are gone forever!

Instead, you will make sure that you know precisely who
your cover letter is going to. Right? Right! And how will
you get that information? If it isn't listed in the job
posting or otherwise found in your research on the company,
you will find it by calling the company and asking!

That's right! It's really that simple. You don't have to
worry about a "gate keeper" not allowing you to speak with
the person - all you want is the person's name. You can
tell the gate keeper that you are just doing the best job
you can to ensure that your job application cover letter
goes to the right person. All you need is the appropriate
person's name, correct spelling (don't forget that one!),
and title.

2) The other important component of your cover letter is a
powerful opening line or statement that lets the company
know exactly why you are the best person for the job. For
this example, let's pretend that you want a sales rep
position at a computer software firm. Instead of the usual:
"I am enclosing my resume herein as my application for the
position I noted in yesterday's Reporter News," (which -
even if YOU aren't yawning as you read that - will
certainly have your READER yawning), you want excitement,
conviction, and energy in your words!

See how this sounds in comparison: "Your need for an
energetic representative to help Ajax Software's sales
efforts came through loud and clear to me. Here are 2
primary reasons why I believe I am the perfect candidate
for the sales rep position..." and then below, you can
explain what those 2 compelling reasons may be!

So, if you have been asking "How do I write a cover letter
to get job interviews?" then applying these 2 points alone
in your job application cover letter, along with the
confidence and knowledge that you have exactly what the
company needs will instantly improve your cover letter
writing abilities and bring you to the top of the resume
heap!

And because you are writing a good cover letter that grabs
someone's attention right away, you have already received a
"gold star" in the reader's mind and you are one step
closer to getting job interviews!