1. 7 New Rules For Writing The Perfect Cover Letter
By Alison Griswold | Business Insider – Thu 10 Oct,2013 10:48 PM IST
John Moore/Getty Images
It used to be that your cover letter was all about you. But things have changed.
The modern cover letter shouldfocusfirst and foremost on the company it's directedto, career
expertssay. Gone are the dayswhere youcouldspend a few paragraphs detailing your own
accomplishments. Today, youalso need to demonstrate a genuine interest in the company and prove
youknow how to help it.
" People need to focustheir cover lettersonthe company they’re applyingto, not on themselves,"
saysDan Schawbel, author of best-selling book "Promote Yourself" and managing partner of
consultancy Millennial Branding . " Show how youcan make a difference for that company."
That'seasier said than done, especially when you're tryingto distinguish yourself among dozens or
hundreds of other applicants. Below, career expertsweigh in on the new essential guidelines to
writing a successfulcover letter.
1. Keep your letter short enough for someone to read in 10 seconds.

2. Three paragraphs is the ideal length, says VickiSalemi, a career expert and author of "Big Career in
the Big City." Use the first paragraph as an intro, the secondfor the meat, and the third to wrap up.
The hiring manager giving a first read to your letter is probably going to spend 10 seconds or less on
it, Salemi adds. They want to read something succinct.
2. Hook your reader's interest in the first sentence.
"It is with great interest that I write to apply for the position of..." is a great first line if youwant to
lose your reader'sinterest. It's dreadfully boring. Assuming youapplied to the job online, the hiring
manager already knows what the position is and that you're writing to apply. Instead, try a
professionalbut bold statement that catchesthe reader'seye. Salemi suggests opening with a pitch,
such as: "Looking for a dynamic marketing guru? Look no further. Here I am."
3. Pick two or three skills from the job description and show you have them.
Read the job descriptioncarefully and identify the top two or three qualities the company wants in a
candidate, Salemi says. Then use your cover letter to demonstrate youhave those skills, giving
examplesof when and how you've usedthem in the past. Show that you're equippedto make a
difference fromday one.
4. Use numbers and statistics to back up your claims.
It's goodto say you're experiencedwithsocialmedia. But it's much, much better to say youled a
successfulsocialmedia campaign that generated 3.2 million followersand increasedrevenue by 3%.
The goal, Schawbel says, is to present yourself asa provenresults-getter and show that youcan
replicate your past successesat a new company.
4. Don't just rehash your résumé in paragraph form.
The cover letter is designed to showcase your interest in the company and your best attributes for the
position. That doesn't mean it needs an itemized list of your every job and achievement. To be sure, if
youwon an exceptionalaward or executedastunning project, then make sure to highlight it in the
letter. Youshould also discuss previouswork that relates specifically to skills and experiencesthe
hiring manager is looking for. But as a general rule of thumb, if it doesn't jump off the page, leave it
out.
5. Address your cover letter directly to the hiring manager or recruiter.
Nothing says "I don't care about your company" like an opening of "To WhomIt May Concern." That
may have been OK before the advent of modern technology, but today it generally takes as little as a
Google searchor a phone call to figure out the name of the hiring manager. Addressing your letter to

3. the correct person(and spelling their name correctly!)will automatically ingratiate youto the reader
and show that you've spent some time researchingthe company and position.
6. Customize your tone for the company culture.
Youmight be applyingto a Fortune 500 company, a startup, or something in the middle. No two
companies are alike, not just in mission but also in culture. An important part of tailoring your cover
letter to the company is striking the right tone, Schawbel says. If youknow the place you're applying
to has a casual vibe, then your letter can reflect that with pithy sentencesand fun anecdotes that
show an easygoing side of your personality. On the other hand, if the company seems to have a
formal culture, it's probably best to use traditional phrases like "Dear Mr./Ms." and straightforward
prose.
7. Proofread carefully, and consider getting a second pair of eyes.
How youabsolutely don't want to be rememberedis as the person that submitted the sloppy cover
letter. So proof, proof, and proof again, or enlist a friend to look at your document with a fresh set of
eyes. A typo, grammar mistake, misspelling, or other error can "leap off the page in a bad way,"
Salemi says, and is the easiest way to let a hiring manager knock your applicationstraight from their
desk to the trash bin. Don't give them the chance.
The best jobs in 2013
 Event Manager If youhave a creative bent, are goodwith delegating work and have a vast
social network. Thisjob is ideal for you. Whether they are corporate parties, events,
seminars, concertsor culturalfestivals, India Inc is abuzz with bigger and better events.
 Researchand Development India is being increasingly viewedas a R&D hub and several
organizations are investing in R&D centersacrosspan India. R&D professionals are
engineering technicianswho use their knowledge to assist engineers and other scientiststo
create, design and construct new productsor equipments that will be then marketedand sold
to the consumersor specific industries.
 Accountantsand AuditorsThe need for financial and commercialmasterminds in the big
corporate housesis increasing at an alarming pace in India. The report suggests 37,123 jobs
have been added since 2010, a3% growth.
 Customer Service Indiais one of the most favoreddestinations for BPO servicesbecause of
the quality rendered among other factors. The BPO industry is the fastest growing segment of
the ITES sector in the country. There are a few factorslike economic advantage, economy of
scale, superior competency whichmakes the BPO industry more viable when comparedto

4. other outsourcing countries. The BPO sector which took root in India in the mid-90s has
grown in leaps and bounds ever since.
 Software Developers(Applicationsand SystemsSoftware)70,872 jobsadded since 2010, 7%
growth
 Market ResearchAnalystsand Marketing Specialists31,335 jobsadded since 2010, 10%
growth
 Computer SystemsAnalysts26,937 jobsadded since 2010, 5% growth
 Network and Computer SystemsAdministrators 18,626jobs added since 2010, 5% growth
 Computer Programmers11,540 jobsaddedsince 2010, 3% growth
 InformationSecurity Analysts, Web Developersand Computer Network Architects15,715
jobs added since 2010, 5% growth
 Public Relations Specialists 8,541 jobsadded since 2010, 4% growth
 Sales Representatives(Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technicaland Scientific)17,405jobs
added since 2010 – 4% growth.
4 easy steps for interview prep
Meet Steve, a job hunter attending a networking group of his peers. As we enter the room, we
overhear his conversationwith Sally, another job hunter: Steve:"...my oldcollege roommate got me
fixedup with a job interview in a few daysat ABC Company."
Sally: "That'sgreat news, Steve!"
"Maybe," he responds. "I don't know much about the company and I'm going in with an open mind
to let them tell me more about the organization and the job. I'm open to seeing if this is a good
opportunity for me."
The good news: Steve has sought out and attends networking meetings for job hunters. They exist all
over, and oftentake place in local librariesor houses of worship. In these groups, people build
relationships to support each other, share their needs and offer leadsand suggestions of what to do
next. People practice their elevator speechesand gain supportive suggestions frompeers who are
going through the same processof ever sharpening their message and its delivery.
Steve has apparently done a great job of networking. He has motivatedpeople from much earlier in
his life to be involvedand helpful with his current job hunt, and through them he's thereby beenable
to get his foot in the door to meet with the hiring manager. Kudos to Steve for all this.
The problem: Having come this far, Steve won't likely be successfulif he goes into a job interview
expectingto be courted, without first demonstrating his interest in the company and the value he
represents.
Here are four things that Steve and every other job hunter should do to prep for an interview:

5. Thoroughly researchthe company. Check out its website, as well as its reputation on sites like
Glassdoor.comand Vault.com. Check out its financials, business issues and competitorsusing sites
like Yahoo! Finance, Google Finance and Hoovers.com. Hooversissubscription based, but many
localpublic libraries subscribe and allow their patrons to browse the site free of charge. Follow the
company on LinkedIn, and see what people are saying.
2. Take time to carefully reviewthe job description or advertisement. Prepare short narrativesof how
and when youhave done each thing that is mentioned. Be preparedto talk about obstaclesyou
encounteredand how youdealt with them successfully. Andby all means, be preparedto talk about
past achievementsthat youhave attained which in any way relate to the work necessary for the job.
3. Do an advancedpeople search on LinkedIn for current employeesin the area of the company
where youwould be working, and reviewas many of their profilesas possible.Whenyouare doing
this, it is best to be in stealth mode. Go into the Privacy andSettings menu, adjust what otherssee
when youhave lookedat their profilesand click on the "Youwill be totally anonymous" button.
Look for points that youhave in common with individuals whose profilesyouare reviewing. For
example, youmight have worked at the same company, attendedthe same school, developedsimilar
skill sets, etc. Also seek out anything that will give youa tip off about the kinds of people the
company likes to hire and the kinds of achievementsthat are most valuable to the company. Inshort,
seek out anything that will give youa tip off about the kinds of people that the company likes to hire
and the kinds of achievementsthat are most valuable to the company.
4. Prepare as well to subtly mention any points of commonality that youshare, whether it is a past
city, company, school, etc. It can be as simple as saying in one of your answers to an interview
question, "When I worked at XX we did such and such ..." if youknow that severalpeople in the
department also workedat that company.
Prepare to ask intelligent questions. Never ask a question that youwould know the answer to if you
had done your homework. Instead, show your engagement and backgroundby asking, "Do youdo X
this way or that way?" Show your desire to go above and beyondby asking, "What are the most
important contributionsI can make in the first six months on the job?" And include this killer
interviewclosing question: "If I'm hired and yougive me a stellar reviewa year from now, what will I
have done to earn it?"
If a job seeker approachesan interviewwith an attitude that suggests, "tellme why I should want to
work for you," that person is not likely to get to the point of having to decide whether or not to work
for the company. But if that same job hunter adopts the right attitude, does effective researchand
practicesinterviewingwith others, he or she can sharpen the points to be made in the interviewand
maximize the chancesof hitting the bull's eye.