You’ve written an amazing intro and compelling body copy that perfectly highlights your achievements, but you’re having a hard time making it through the final stretch — “How in the world do I end this cover letter?” you might be thinking to yourself. The truth is, closing a cover letter is a difficult task for many job seekers. There’s a lot of pressure because, sometimes, the cover letter is the only piece the recruiter will read.

If you want to land an interview with your cover letter, you don’t want to sound vague or wishy-washy. Your cover letter should illustrate why you are the best fit and how you will help the company or organization reach success. However, when writing the closing paragraph of your cover letter, it’s easy to have a passive voice, because you don’t want to appear overconfident. For example, if you say, “I look forward to hearing from you,” that’s great — but that alone doesn’t seal the deal. The closing paragraph of your cover letter must be one of the strongest elements because it is the last impression you leave in the reader’s mind.

Here are five phrases to include in the final paragraph of your cover letter that will help you seal the deal for your next interview.

Examples for How to End a Cover Letter

1. “I am very excited to learn more about this opportunity and share how I will be a great fit for XYZ Corporation.”

Strong cover letter closings are enthusiastic and confident. You want the reader to have the impression you are truly passionate about the position and working for their company. This statement will also illustrate your ability to fit into the company culture and how your personality and work ethic is exactly what they’re looking for.

2. “I believe this is a position where my passion for this industry will grow because of the XYZ opportunities you provide for your employees.”

It’s always a good idea to explain what you find attractive about working for the company and how you want to bring your passions to the table. By doing this, you can illustrate how much thought you dedicated to applying for the position and how much you care about becoming a part of the company.

3. “If I am offered this position, I will be ready to hit the ground running and help XYZ Company exceed its own expectations for success.”

By adding this piece to your conclusion, you will be able to add some flare and excitement to your cover letter. The reader will become intrigued by your enthusiasm to “hit the ground running.” Employers look for candidates who are prepared for the position and are easy to train. Therefore, this phrase will definitely raise some curiosity and the reader will want to discover what you have to offer for their company.

4. “I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss how my qualifications will be beneficial to your organization’s success.”

Remember, you want to make it clear in your cover letter how the employer will benefit from your experience and qualifications. You want to also express how your goal is to help the organization succeed, not how the position will contribute to your personal success.

5. “I will call you next Tuesday to follow up on my application and arrange for an interview.”

The most essential part of your closing is your “call to action” statement. Remember, the purpose of your cover letter is to land an interview. Don’t end your cover letter saying you’ll hope to get in touch. Explain to the reader the exact day and how you will be contacting them. When you state you will be following up with the employer, make sure you do it!

Remember, the closing of your cover letter is the most important element that will help you land your next interview. By crafting a strong, confident and enthusiastic closing paragraph, you will leave the reader feeling like you would be the best candidate for the position.

The post How to End the Perfect Cover Letter appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

“An ideal candidate should have a strong marketing background, five years of experience in the consumer goods industry, a track record of designing and running complex marketing campaigns for new consumer products, proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, and a graduate-level degree with a focus on marketing or public relations.”

How many times have you found your perfect job — and then taken a look at that list of requirements and decided there was just no way you could apply because you didn’t meet every one of the criteria they’d set out?

Well, here’s a secret: You don’t really have to. Think of job descriptions as a hiring manager’s wish list for the ideal candidate, not as a list of non-negotiable requirements. This guide will help you understand what you can (and can’t) get away with when it comes to that intimidating list of qualifications.

Years of Experience

For example: 6-7 years of communications experience

Are years of experience an absolute requirement? Not exactly. Companies tend to specify quantity, but what they’re really looking for is quality. Someone else may have six years as a cog in the machine at a major corporation, but your three years at a smaller company or a startup have probably supplied you with more hands-on experience — and companies will often bear that in mind. Another thing to remember: While a smaller company may want someone with six years of experience, it may only be able to afford someone with three years of experience. This happens all the time, and it can work seriously in your favor if you impress them with the experience and achievements you’ve gathered in a shorter amount of time.

Of course, if they’re looking for a candidate with 10-15 years of experience and you’re a recent grad, that’s probably not going to fly. But, if you’re off by just a couple of years, don’t be afraid to send in that application. You don’t necessarily need to call it out in your cover letter, either — instead, focus your application on the specific experiences and achievements you do have that will offset your lower number of years.

Hard Skills

For example: Extensive knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite

When it comes to hard skills, don’t write a job off too fast just because you don’t have exactly the skills listed — you may have similar ones that will suffice. For example, a company might say they’re looking for a Salesforce whiz, but know that what really matters is that they want someone who can manage a complicated CRM. So, if you have skills similar to what the company is asking for, list them — even if they’re not an exact match.

And if you don’t know a program, but you’re confident you’d be able to learn it easily on the job, say so — and give an example of when you’ve done that in the past in your cover letter.

That being said, you should never blatantly lie about what you know (or don’t know), especially in this digital age. A friend of mine once applied for an architecture internship that she was perfectly qualified for — except that she didn’t know CAD II. She bluffed on her resume, snagged an interview, and got along fantastically with the hiring manager. But then, her would-be boss walked her down the hall to a computer lab, handed her an assignment, and told her she’d be back in half an hour. Of course, she had no idea how to even start, so as soon as the hiring manager was safely down the hall, she snuck out of the building and never looked back. Needless to say, she wished she hadn’t lied. She didn’t get the job — and hasn’t dared apply to the same firm again, even now that she has her Master’s.

Specific Accomplishments

For example: Strong track record of managing multi-department projects

Similar rules apply when it comes to industry experience. Often, it’s not an exact match they’re looking for — it’s the right skill set. They want an event planner with a couple of hospital foundation benefits under their belt? Your experience running non-profit fundraisers in the arts world will actually probably fit the bill quite well.

The trick is proving that the experiences you’ve had have given you what it takes to do the job you’re applying to. Do this by using specific examples throughout your resume and cover letter. Focus on the transferable skills — in this case, managing vendors, building relationships with donors, and raising money — and how they translate to the responsibilities in the job description.

Or, if you do have the experience they’re looking for, just not quite enough, you can point to a positive track record that proves you’re ready to take on more. If you’ve never managed a team of six, but you have directed multiple three-person projects and received great feedback, make sure you’ve included that in your application.

Bottom line: if the job looks right, the tasks are (at least mostly) in reach, and you think you have what it takes to do the job — then apply. Prove yourself in your resume and cover letter. That’s your opportunity to sell yourself and explain, in detail, what you’re capable of, whether or not you’re a line-by-line match for the job description. Once you get your foot in the door and land that interview, you can show them in person that you really are their ideal candidate — easily!

The post What You Really Need to Apply for a Job – and What You Don’t appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

When I first moved to New York, I was a cover letter machine. I wrote to every sir or madam with a job opening. I expressed my interest in positions for which I had none. I waxed rhapsodic about companies I’d never heard of. My response rate? A whopping zero percent.

Around the 10th unanswered application, the negative chatter started to kick in – and it sounded suspiciously like Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.

Go home, Lisa, said the small, icy voice in my head. You’re just not cut out for this. Also, you have no sense of style. At my lowest point, while surfing job boards at Starbucks, I actually locked myself in the bathroom and cried.

Here’s the good thing about rock bottom: Nothing is off-limits. I gave myself permission to try any and all tactics in the cover letter playbook, from throwing in a Beyoncé GIF to pretending the hiring manager and I were good friends. Finally, 103 cover letters later, I landed on one that worked.

Within an hour, I had an interview request waiting in my inbox – and then another, and another. Soon, my response rate skyrocketed from 0 to 55%, and I was scheduling interviews with Vogue, InStyle, and Rolling Stone into my calendar. In other words, this letter – fueled by an old copywriting framework called problem-agitate-solve – is powerful stuff.

Here’s how this three-part formula (a.k.a., my secret sauce) works:

1. Identify the Problem

55% of hiring managers don’t read cover letters. Why should they, when we write like modern-day Oliver Twists, begging them to please, sir, give us the job?

News flash: The hiring manager isn’t here to make your dreams come true. They’re in it for themselves. OK, that’s harsh, but the truth is that they’re looking for an awesome candidate to come in and do a kick-ass job that’ll help them run their department (or company) more efficiently and successfully. That’s why, when a friend tipped me off to an opening at the fashion magazine I’d read religiously since middle school, I resisted the urge to gush – and opened with this one-liner instead:

“As a veteran of Details.com and Vs. Magazine, I’ve seen how crazy fashion month can get.”

This sentence, though just 16 words long, tells the hiring manager two things: I understand the problem you’re trying to solve, and I’ve been there. The trick? Zeroing in on the right problem – because it’s almost never spelled out for you in the job description.

When you’re writing your own cover letter, start with the list of responsibilities and ask yourself, Why? Why is this task important to this company? Keep digging until you can’t go any further. The true need is usually the one at the end of a chain of whys.

2. Agitate the Problem

Now that you’ve identified the problem, here comes the fun part.

Because no hiring manager has ever said, “I just love paying employees thousands of dollars every year!” your challenge now is to remind him or her how painful the problem is, and by default, how valuable a solution could be. Don’t be afraid to twist the knife a bit, like I did in my second paragraph:

“If you’re looking for someone who can not only keep up, but also deliver that SEO-friendly, 75-page street style slideshow five minutes ago…”

Notice I didn’t say, “If you’re looking for someone who can turn around projects quickly…” I was specific, and I made sure to use an example I knew would resonate with a stressed-out web editor.

And if you’re new to the industry or the role? Just ask. This is exactly what informational interviews are for. Find someone on the team you’re applying to, let your interviewer do most of the talking, and pay close attention to how he or she discusses the company’s challenges.

In conversation, we instinctively trust people who mirror our body language. On your application, you won’t get the chance – but you can do the next best thing: Pick up on your interviewer’s subtle cues and phrases and then mirror their speaking language in your cover letter.

3. Offer the Solution

By this point, you’ve got the hiring manager squirming at the table. Now, deliver the solution. Hint: It’s you.

Think about what makes you incredibly qualified to solve the problem. In my case, I knew I wanted the hiring manager to think of me and say, “Lisa? Oh, she’s the one who knows our backend systems and seems like a real go-getter.”

Here’s how I made it happen:

“Since TeamSite and I are old friends, I’ll be able to hit the ground running – and whether it’s churning out a dozen blog posts per day or refreshing the homepage with breaking fashion month news, I’ve done it all. Most importantly, you’ll never hear me say, “That’s not my job!”

4. Close With Confidence

After all that work, you aren’t going to dash off a breathless “Hope to hear from you soon!” right? Instead, seal the deal with a sentence that displays confidence, competence, and a genuine interest in the company:

“I’d love to learn more about your production needs and how I can help!”

Boom. That’s it.

Like its contrarian sibling, the pain letter, this cover letter takes some guts to send. I get it – the first time I fired it off, I was so terrified my boyfriend had to hit the enter button for me.

Look at it this way, though: Everyone else will compete on how many buzzwords they can stuff in a sentence. They’ll swear up and down how passionate they are and how hard they work. But you? With this cover letter formula, you’ve already proved it.

You, my friend, play a different game.

The post The Cover Letter Formula That Skyrocketed My Interviews From 0% to 55% appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

Job Seekers Need to Customize Cover Letters for Each Position and Goal

When you are job hunting it’s important to choose the appropriate cover letter for the letter’s goal. There are different types of cover letters including application letters, letters of interest, and networking letters.

The cover letter you use will be determined by whether you are applying directly for a job or seeking job search help.

Select the Right Type of Cover Letter

Be sure to choose a type of cover letter that reflects how you are applying for the job or the type of job search assistance you are requesting. Your cover letter should be designed specifically for that particular purpose and customized for each position you seek.

General Types of Cover Letters:

Application Letter. An application letter is written to apply for a specific job opening. (sample cover letters)

Referral Cover Letter. A referral cover letter mentions the name of a person who referred you to a job. (sample referral cover letters)

Letter of Interest. A letter of interest, also known as a prospecting letter, inquires about possible job openings at a company. (sample letters of interest)

Networking Letter. Networking letters request job search advice and assistance. (sample networking letters)

Value Proposition Letter. A value proposition is a brief statement explaining what makes the candidate unique. (sample value proposition letters)

More specifically, your cover letters should be targeted to the jobs you are applying for. You should choose a different type of cover letter if you are requesting a meeting, applying for more than one job, or sending a cover letter to a company that has not advertised job openings.

Cover Letter Examples for Job Applications:

Each cover letter that you write for a specific job opening should be targeted for that position. Be sure to include details about how your professional experience relates to the qualifications and requirements listed in the job posting. This makes it easy for the hiring manager to determine that you’re a good candidate.

• Job Application Letter
• Letter of Application
• ​Customized Cover Letter with Career Highlights
• When You’re Applying for More Than One Job
• Cover Letter for a Job Promotion

Example Letters to Inquire About Openings:

Your dream company may not advertise a job opening and there is a chance that they’re always seeking talented individuals. Take the initiative and send a letter with your resume to let them know that you’re available and interested in working for them.

• Letter of Interest (or Prospecting Letter)
• Value Proposition Cover Letter
• Cold Contact Cover Letter
• Letters That Sell Your Skills and Experience

Sample Letters Asking for Job Search Help:

The people you know can be your greatest resource when it comes to seeking a new job. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from family, friends, colleagues and successful business professionals. Most will be happy to help you if they can and they may know of the perfect opportunity for you.

• Writing Letters to Ask for Job Search Help
• Requesting an Informational Meeting

The post 5 Types of Cover Letters for Your Job Search appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

For each new person you meet, you can assume that he or she is connected to at least a few other people who would be useful in your career or job search. Sales leads. Potential recruits. People who work at your dream companies.

So, how do you ask for an introduction to those people – without being annoying?

First, figure out exactly who you want an intro to, and why. Then, use our email template to make the ask as politely as possible.

Subject

Introduction to [target name] for [1-2 words describing purpose]

Body

Hi [name],

I hope all is well with you. As you know, I’ve been [context: looking for a new job, raising capital, working in sales at XYZ company]. I noticed that you’re connected to [target name] and was hoping that you could introduce us for [reason] if you feel comfortable doing so.

I’ve included an easy-to-copy blurb below, to provide context, but let me know if there’s any other information I can provide. I appreciate your help!

Pro Tips

• Including a blurb below about you for the context of the introduction (just 1-2 lines saying who you are and why you want to be introduced) makes it super-easy for your contact to pass along your information. (And thus, more likely that he or she actually will!)
• Be sure to be respectful of your contacts’ time and ask for only the introductions that really matter. Ask for too many too often, and you could be at risk for wearing out your welcome.

The post How to Ask for an Introduction: An Email Template appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

Many job seekers spend countless hours writing, polishing and blasting their résumés to dozens of companies. Then they wait, and wait, and never hear a thing.

That’s because human resources people and hiring managers receive heaps of résumés for any given job opening, and they end up missing, skipping or tossing a lot of them. However, it turns out there are things you can do to help ensure your résumé is seen.

Career experts and a spokesperson for Glassdoor.com, a jobs and career community where people share information and opinions about their workplaces, weigh in.

“I think résumés end up in the résumé black hole if the person just responds to a posting or ad and does nothing else,” says Anita Attridge, a Five O’Clock Club career and executive coach. “Today companies are receiving hundreds of résumés for each position and, due to the volume, are not acknowledging receipt of them. Most large and medium-size companies are using applicant tracking systems to screen résumés before a person looks at them. Smaller organizations many just review the ones they receive until they find enough qualified candidates and then set the other résumés aside.”

Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at the jobs site CareerBuilder.com, says she suggests that candidates use the job posting to their advantage. “Use some of the same words and phrases that appear in the job posting in your résumé,” she says. “The computer will then recognize them and move your résumé toward the top of the pile because you will be a match. But don’t just cut and paste the job posting into your résumé or cover letter. If the computer doesn’t catch it, the hiring manager definitely will, and it could hurt your chances of moving forward with an interview.”

Ruth Robbins, a certified career counselor with the Five O’Clock Club, agrees that using buzz words and key phrases that demonstrate you are a perfect fit for the job will help you get on the employer’s radar—but even with a perfectly tailored résumé, there is no way to know if or when it will be reviewed by the hiring manager.

“The best way to make sure your résumé is seen is by networking into the company,” Attridge says. “Let your networking contact know that you have applied for a position, and ask that person if he or she would send your résumé to the H.R. department with an endorsement of you as a candidate. Another way is to try to determine who the hiring manager is and send a résumé directly to that person, with a letter asking for an informational interview.”

Robbins agrees. “H.R. managers are often avalanched with résumés, so if you can find someone who works at the company who would be willing to hand in your résumé directly to a hiring manager or interested influencer in the selection process, your chances of landing in the black hole [will shrink significantly],” she says.

Mary Elizabeth Bradford, an executive résumé writer and author of the bestselling eBook series The Career Artisan, offers some alternative advice. “From what I have seen, what works best in any market is for the job seeker to take a pure, entrepreneurial approach to their job search process,” she says. “I think it would be futile to call H.R. and leave repeated voice messages. A better way is to contact a key decision maker through hard mail and follow up with a phone call. Go around H.R. That’s provocative, right? Well, it works.”

Samantha Zupan, a spokesperson for Glassdoor, agrees that it’s smart to look for more than one way to apply. “In addition to sending your résumé through a company’s online job portal, also take the time to do some research and try to identify who the hiring manager may be. If you send a personalized note to the likely hiring manager, a good e-mail may get your resume pulled out of the stack.”

Zupan offers some additional advice:

Have someone proofread your résumé. Sometimes it can be something as small as a typo that may turn off an employer and land you in the black hole, she says. “Before sending your résumé, have at least one person you trust review it so that it can have a better chance of catching the eyes of the employer.”

Keep it simple. Avoid graphics and logos and other things that may “clog” how an applicant tracking system reads your résumé, Zupan suggests.

Research the company’s hiring process. “Companies like Google and Facebook include specific insights into their interview process,” Zupan says. “For example, on the Google careers page, they let you know that one of their recruiters is the first to review your résumé and that they look first at your qualifications and experience.” Thorough research can help you properly prepare to avoid the résumé black hole.

The post 6 Tips For Avoiding The Resume Black Hole appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

• Personalize your cover letter. Avoid “To whom it may concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam” whenever possible. If possible find out the recipient’s name; call the company. If there’s only a fax number and no title for the person to whom it is going, then you probably have no choice.
• Write a compelling cover letter that makes recruiters want to read on. Don’t make it a repeat of what you wrote in your resume.
• Be brief and quickly make a strong point. The individual reading your cover letter will scan, not study it.
• Highlight pertinent information and provide relevant data that may not be covered in your resume;. In fact, if you see an advertisement that requires certain skills or experience you have, but it’s not strongly emphasized in your resume, this is the place to tout it.
• Be positive and confident. Let them know how you’ll make a valuable contribution or be a real asset to the company.
• Make sure you tell them where and when to reach you.
• Let them know that if you don’t hear from them by a certain date you’ll follow up with a call to schedule an appointment.
• If you’re sending out your information by mail, match the cover letter and envelope paper to that of the resume. It makes a better presentation.
• PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD!!!!!!!!!!!

DON’T…

• Rewrite your resume in your cover letter. That is what the resume is for.
• Bore the reader. Make your point in the fewest words possible.
• Hand-write the letter. After all, this is a business letter.
• Use first names; Mr. or Ms. is more appropriate.
• Forget to sign the letter.
• Use your company e-mail address for replies. You never know who is reading your e-mail.

The post Marty’s Cover Letter Do’s & Don’ts appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

When you need to write a cover letter, it’s sometimes the small things that make a big difference. Mentioning a name (referral cover letters) of someone who works at the company, for example, can get your cover letter and resume a closer look.

Noting what you know about the company helps, too. Taking the time to write a custom cover letter for each job you apply for probably is the best value you can add your to candidacy for a job, on the chart of what’s most important in cover letter writing.

On the flip side, of course, are the mistakes you shouldn’t be making like spelling the company name wrong or even transposing your own phone number. I know someone who did that and didn’t realize it until she after had applied for a ton of jobs. That’s why it’s important to check, double-check, and triple-check your job application materials before you send them out or upload them to apply for a job.

Review these cover letter tips and techniques for writing top notch cover letters to send with your resume, including cover letter format and presentation, choosing a type of cover letter, writing custom cover letters, and cover letter examples and templates.

The post Cover Letter Writing Tips appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

After you have had a chance to look over the resume, please give me a call.

I am beginning to put some “feelers” out in advance of the completion of my degree in December.

I do not intend to target any specific type of job. I am open to most anything that my qualifications will fit. My only criteria are the following:
I would appreciate any advice and/or referrals you might be able to give me.

I am looking for a position in management and would appreciate any assistance you could provide.

As always, it was good to talk with you. Your positive outlook is catching. I’ve been called the eternal optimist, but I always feel more upbeat after a conversation with you.

Many thanks for the words of encouragement and taking the time from your busy schedule to help me. It truly is appreciated. I have never faced an unemployment situation like this before.

It was a pleasure to speak with you on the telephone recently and, even more so, to be remembered after all these years.

For your information, enclosed is my resume, if any situations come to mind where you think my skills and background would fit, or if you have any suggestions as to others with whom it might be beneficial for me to speak, I would appreciate hearing from you. I can be reached at the telephone numbers listed above.

He assured me that he would pass my resume along to you; however, in the event that it has not reached you yet, I am enclosing another.

Perhaps you know of a company that could use this scope of experience. In this regard, I enclose a copy of my resume outlining a few of my more significant accomplishments.

My objective is to find a _________ level position at a marketing driven company where my skills can contribute to the firm’s growth and profitability.

I am not limited by location and would consider the opportunity wherever it presents itself.

First of all, let me sincerely thank you for taking the time and trouble to return my call last Monday. I found our conversation informative, entertaining, and (alas) a little scary. Needless to say, I genuinely appreciate your prompt response and generous, helpful advice.

The post Power Phrases For Your Networking Letters appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

Do you enjoy writing resume cover letters about as much as you relish root canals? Dread isn’t uncommon when it comes to resume cover letters.

“It’s an area where job-seekers could do the most to improve, because it does require a certain amount of heavy lifting,” said Anna Ivey, a career counselor based in the Boston area. “Most people just write generic resume cover letters, and it’s the resume cover letter that’s really going to open or close that door, that will decide whether they [employers] bother to read on and look at your resume.”

But dread shouldn’t get the best of you. Instead, try thinking of resume cover letters as jalapeno peppers – small, but packing a wallop – and heed the following tips on how to write a cover letter from career experts Ivey, Laura DeCarlo, Bernadette Kenny and Deborah DeCamp.

1. Keep it short.

Ivey suggests resume cover letters stick to one page, with about three paragraphs total. “Once you roll over onto a second page you’re really taking a risk,” Ivey said. DeCarlo, executive director of Career Directors International in Melbourne, Fla., said writing should be punchy and crisp. “Resume cover letters are a form of marketing. Make it easy for recipients to be interested and find what they’re looking for, and easy for them to find reasons to keep going,” DeCarlo said.

2. Draw the reader in immediately.

The first paragraph of a resume cover letter should be an attention-grabber, DeCarlo said: Use an interesting fact, ask a question, or mention a personal connection to someone at the company. Learn how to write a cover letter that engages the reader.

3. Pack it with a “wow” factor.

DeCamp, a Chicago-based regional director for Manpower Professional, said you create the wow factor by highlighting accomplishments on your resume cover letter. “You’re not just stating what you did in your last job, but what you achieved, created, that you saved the company money, blew out a budget, exceeded expectations,” she said.

4. Write well!

Resume cover letters are a prime place to demonstrate that you have strong grammar, writing and communication skills, said Kenny, the Melville, Long Island-based chief career officer at Adecco Group North America.

5. Don’t recreate your resume.

You might underscore one or two points on your resume, but be selective and don’t turn the resume cover letter into a laundry list, Ivey said. Learn how to write a cover letter that is unique.

6. Have someone else read it.

A second set of eyes is always a good idea, Kenny said, and after someone reads your letter, ask if he or she thinks it’s effective.

7. What about responding to ads that ask for salary history?

While this is a difficult question to address in a resume cover letter, DeCarlo said it’s best not to ignore it. Be broad and vague, giving a general salary range, and stress that you’re negotiable.

8. Finish with a statement that keeps the conversation rolling.

“A good resume cover letter has an action close, that asks to take the next step,” DeCarlo said. She explained that many job-seekers aren’t interested in coming on too strong, so she suggests a phrase such as “I look forward to hearing from you.”

9. Follow up!

Ivey encourages job-seekers to follow-up. “I think when it comes to your own job search you need to take more control,” she said. If you’re hesitant because an ad reads “No phone calls,” Ivey suggests sending an e-mail to follow up your resume cover letter.

The post How to Write a Killer Resume Cover Letter appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.