Cover Letters: Not Extinct, Just Evolved

The paperless world of electronic job boards means you don't need a cover letter any more, right? Well, actually, no.

So you can just send your cover letter as an attachment with your resume?

Again, no.

But you can send the same cover letter for every posting you answer?

No, no, no. And once more for good measure: No.

While the medium has changed, the message is still the same: Cover letters - even electronic ones - have to be carefully constructed, well-written, error-free, customized to the criteria of each job, and addressed to a specific person. Avoid fancy typefaces, crazy ink colors, exuberant punctuation and emoticons. Sound well-educated (but not pompous), professional (but not uptight) and enthusiastic (but not chatty).

No one said this would be easy.

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