Tip of the Day

Cover letters and resumes work best as a package, with the cover letter acting as an introduction to the skills and experience described in your resume. Every hiring manager is different, but for what it's worth let me share how I use the two in combination: I scan the cover letter quickly, then go on to the resume and give that a quick read. Then I go back to the cover letter and read it more carefully. Then I go back to the resume to see how it backs up the arguments made in the cover letter. I do look at resumes that come without cover letters, but I never feel I’ve got a sense of the person in those cases, which makes it less likely I’m going to want to talk to them. My point: If you don’t send a cover letter, your resume better show me a spot-on perfect match. It's the two of them together that give me the real idea of what each candidate is all about.

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