The Best Tips For Using Email Cover Letters
January 31, 2010 by Kimberley Fernandez
Filed under Business
In the case of email cover letters, the tone of the text is as formal as it would be for paper-based employment cover letters. The chief difference between these two correspondences, however, is the signature block is placed below your name in the email and on paper it is positioned at the top of the page.
Most people often make the mistake of treating anything sent be email requires less formality. Unfortunately, this normally results in something that is hastily written. A received message with a casual, even sloppy, opening can be interpreted as unprofessional. To help avoid making this kind of lackadaisical mistake, refer to templates of email cover letters, as they can be good in showing you what format your application needs to take. However, it\’s still important to follow the employer\’s instructions on how to submit your job application (including your resume), so to ensure that it\’s written as well as any other correspondence.
Preferably, you should format anything electronically sent in plain text rather than in HTML. This is because many email clients may not be set up to see an HTML formatted message the same way you do. If you do intend to use standard word formatted text, as a precaution, send the message to yourself first as a test to check that everything looks good. If it looks OK, then resend to the employer.
While there are no hard and fast rules, the following are some basic suggestions that should at least form the basis for creating your own email cover letter templates:
- Introduce yourself and explain what job you\’re applying for. Make them aware where you saw or heard about the job listing. If a contact within the company or someone referred you to the job, let them know this in the opening paragraph.
- Particularly focus on the parts of your background, such as education, leadership, experience or anything else that you feel is most pertinent to the job. Be as specific as possible and illustrate example of how they relate the post.
- Your correspondence should run less than a full page. You want to be brief yet specific, ideally with three to four paragraphs with no more than three sentences in each. Review as many times as you feel is necessary, removing any superfluous words. Preferably, email cover letters should fill on the computer screen at one time.
In addition to the use of email cover letters templates, specialist software such as the OneClick Cover Letter and the Breakthrough Cover Letter systems contain a vast range of pre-formatted correspondences (including ones especially designed for sending via email) that provide excellent examples of the kind of compelling language your should be using in order to create an impressive and customized job application.
Undoubtedly, email cover letters have made it incredibly easy to apply to many jobs, however be careful not to come across as too informal and use inappropriate wording. One way to avoid falling into the trap of informality is to attach your correspondence along with your resume and any other required information.
Stop by coverletterguidelines.com to learn more helpful cover letter guidelines on other employment covers letters as well as watch video cover letter tutorials.




