Writing a good student cover letter is an art form, but once you learn the essential points to include, you'll be up there with the pros. Any good cover letter will include certain things, and now that I've been writing good student cover letters for years, I'm passing that knowledge on to help others.

The first thing you should absolutely include is the name of the person you're addressing the letter to. To whom it may concern is so impersonal, and also may result in your student cover letter never making it to the desk of the person who matters most. Take the time to make sure you know the name of the person you're addressing the letter to, be it someone in the HR department, a certain recruitment agency drone, or the owner of the company.

The second thing you must include is some detail about the company you're applying to work for. Many employers say that one of the first things they look for in a student cover is that the applicant knows something about their company and isn't just sending out a generic, cookie-cutter letter. Some say that they can tell this just from the first few sentences! So make sure you do your research and slip in a little something about the company in the first paragraph. Most companies will have a website you can look at to get a feel for what kind of company they are, others may have a blurb in the job advertisement itself.

The third thing you should include is enthusiasm. Be excited about the position you're applying for! Throw in phrases like "I'm ready to be challenged", or "This opportunity is exactly what I've been looking for". You want your words to spring off the page and infect the reader with the enthusiasm you feel for working for their company. A word of warning, though, don't overdo the exclamation marks, you'll look like a teenage texter on crack.

Finally, the last thing you absolutely must include is confidence. Don't ask for an interview, tell them that you're getting an interview. End your letter with something like "I look forward to meeting with you soon for an interview". Don't be too pushy, but confidence and assertiveness can get you a long way in the student cover letter and interview process. Sell yourself with confidence, use a thesaurus to describe some of your more salient attributes and skills and blow them away with your relevant experience and achievements.

I promise you, if you include all four of these things in your student cover letter, employers will be calling you for an interview every single time you apply for a job.

http://studentcoverletter.org for FREE Student Cover Letter templates. Use a professional template to get ideas and write your cover letter quicker! There's no point starting from scratch.

With hundreds of CVs to plough through, an employer won't initially spend more than about 30 seconds looking at each individual CV. The secret of our CV service lies in knowing what to put in, what not to put in, and what kind of a spin to put on your CV, to ensure yours will stand right out from the crowd - to give you the very best possible chance of getting the job you want. There really is no substitute for taking advantage of in-depth professional experience and expertise.

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Resumes
a well-written resume is a powerful marketing tool that can make your career. Competitive positions need high-caliber resumes and cover letters written specifically for executive positions. Professionals, executives, and lawyers get noticed with Shimmering Resumes. Read more about our professional resume writing services.

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a great cover letter is your secret weapon. A well-written cover letter gives employers and recruiters a sense of you as a person and directs them to the high points in your resume. Read more about our cover letter writing services.

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we guarantee you job interviews. And the secret of success in the interview is preparation. We fully prepare you with company background, sample questions, feedback, and a range of special tactics, so you'll interview well. Read more about our interview coaching services.

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Morale is the engine of your search. Good cheer helps you get a higher position, and get one faster. We help you avoid pitfalls of perspective and give you tips for maintaining an even keel. Read more about our morale coaching services. We know what needs to be on the resume. We know what questions to ask, what information should be on the resume, and what to focus on to get your foot in the door. We talk to employers. We know what they need to know about you, and we know how it should look. We can help you identify your personal brand and let it shine through on your resume.

We have been trained by the PIONEERS of the resume writing industry and have honed those skills into creating one-of-a-kind professional and executive resume campaigns and branding strategies.

I have seen many hundreds of Professional resumes during my career in human resources. Very nice, competent, and well intending people sometimes sent resumes in which they made one or more "little" mistakes. Whether it was a misspelled word, the wrong prefix on a word, or fragmented sentence, how many resume mistakes does it take to prevent getting a job? Many hiring managers have a zero tolerance when it comes to such mistakes on a resume. Following are more resume writing tips inspired from things seen on people's resumes.

Tip 1: Resume cover letters must communicate. Review your letter to be sure it does the following:

* Makes the case that you are the solution to the employer's problems.

* Gets to the primary subject quickly.

* Solidly connects employer's job requirements with your background and experience.

* Is written such that all sentences and paragraphs are short and easy to read.

* Makes a solid connection with the needs of the prospective employer.

* Has repeated use of the word "you" (i.e., remember that the theme of your resume is what you can do for them, not the other way around).

* Minimizes number of fonts used. One is preferable to me, with sparing use of italics and "bold."

* Uses a clear and easy to read font that is no smaller than a size "10" or "11."

* Makes a simple but clear case that you would like to work for them.

* Expresses a reason why they should contact you.

* Factors in a reason to act sooner rather than later.

* Starts the letter by stating your conclusion upfront.

* Supports your position by presenting a quantifiable objective(s) and briefly mentions why is/are relevant.

* Restate major conclusion in a sentence or two at end of letter.

* Makes it easy to reach you: provides multiple ways that you can be contacted (i.e., home telephone, email, street address, and/or cell number at minimum).

Tip 2: If in doubt, keep it simple. Use an English word equivalent rather than French or Latin terms, and single-syllable words rather than multi-syllable terms. Examples include: "per day" instead of "per diem," "per year" instead of "per annum," "essential" instead of "sine qua non," "genuine" instead of "bona fide." An exception is if such terms are common in your industry.

Tip 3: Use specific, measurable terms versus those that are unclear. Examples: "we received numerous inquiries," versus "we received 170 inquiries."

Tip 4: Eliminate use of repetitive and unnecessary words. Example #1: "assisted in the preparation of...," versus: "assisted in preparing." Example #2: "responsible for the directing of...," versus "directed."

Tip 5: Use first-person and second-person words (e.g., "I", "we," "my," "our," "you," "your," "yours," etc.), as appropriate, to personalize your resume and cover letter.

Tip 6: Sometimes it is possible to be too familiar with a document to see it objectively. Consider having someone else review your resume for you, such as a close friend, family member or a resume service.

A golden CV Writing Secret: Everywhere online you would find resources and comments talking about drafting a winning Job application, CV writing techniques, resume secrets that work and all other important career advise. The CV Writing topic is always in demand in forums, on job boards among CV and Resume writers and those still comfortable in current employment.

Is all the available advice valuable? Certainly, does the advice given always work, no.

The reason I say this is because many times after all the advice tips and tricks are followed to the latter, six months down the line the Job seeker is still on the market without a single interview offer.

OK, how then should a discerning job seeker approach the Job market in today competitive market? My advice is simple, it has been for years, if you are looking to compose a winning interview generating CV, start with your industry sectors Job Adverts and Job criteria assessment.

What do I mean? Follow these simple yet highly effective CV Writing Rules:

Copy 10 Industry sector Job adverts related to your targeted Job titles, cut and paste the 10 job adverts suited to what you want to do next and analyse them in details.

If the Job titles are the same as your past Job titles analyse the 10 job adverts content and responsibilities against the content and work responsibilities of your most recent CV. For example if some of your sample adverts are vacancies for a "Sales Customer Services Executive" and you were once employed as a Sales Customer Services Officer. Assess your current CV or Resume and compare its content with the content of the sample Job adverts you have.

Hopefully you should see some STRONG similarities in the job adverts duties with your our own past responsibilities.

Do not rush the previous step because what this is telling you is for that Job title, companies will not employ anyone who can not convince them beyond a strong reason of doubt that they can deliver on those duties.

Do they look different? if they do, there is a high possibility that you may not be shortlisted for an interview for these Job adverts.

What is the remedy?, revisit your work responsibilities that you have genuinely undertaken in the last few years perhaps the last 1-3 years, compare the details to the sample Job adverts you have.

If there is not some similarities, re-write your CV application using words and phrases related to those you have in your sample Job adverts.

The main point is the stronger your sentence structure and expressions are to your Job adverts sample, the higher the chance of getting shortlisted for the role.

Recruiters and HR Managers favour CV and Resumes that match the jobs they are short listing for, your CV will be compared against an advert, so provided you have the experience, you want it to shine forth. This is not encouraging you to write sentences and responsibilities that you have not genuinely undertaken, do not do that as you will get caught, but if you have undertaken the roles and work responsibilities let it be very obvious within your CV.

For example if a particular roles wants a candidates that has worked and liaised with clients in New York, if within a past role, you have spoken to clients in New York through emails, conference calls and even face-to-face meetings let this point speak for you upfront and very clear.

You may think CV writing and Resume success depends on selling personal qualities, career ambition, CV layout and up-front profiles, all these are the minor elements of getting an interview offer. The major element is "the closeness to the Job Specification factor" what is in the employers mind is can you deliver on the daily Job responsibilities", from my recruitment experience 90% of hiring managers will not bend on this single criteria. If a solid candidate can prove themselves against the Job daily responsibilities they are in. Other supporting job criteria are secondary.

Focus on key industry skills, terminology and keywords related to your Job Titles, let that shine through your sentences within your CV or Resume. For example if you are an IT programmer in Java, let your technical Java competencies be clear within your CV above everything else, that is what will matter at the end of the day, and will count for 70% of the final decision to see you face-to-face.

Get your CV as close to job adverts as possible in line with your truthful 100% honest career experience.

This is one of the golden secrets to effective CV Writing that enhances a job seekers career prospects.

Zzzzzz.oh! Excuse me. I was just dozing from reading one of the most boring resumes submitted by one of my clients.

Why was it boring? Well, there were no accomplishments referenced anywhere within a mile of the document, and most of the bullets started with the dreaded 'Responsible for'. How am I supposed to be engaged or excited by that? It was also a good four pages long. Right there I want to take a snooze. I am really not interested in reading a four-page document. I am looking for a quick impact - something that provides me with a quick hit of information. Four pages? Yikes! He's interesting, but not that interesting. I say that lovingly, of course.

There is also an entire section dedicated to personal things like number of children, including their ages, and what he enjoys doing with them. Not being a part of his family unit, do I really care about that? Sure, I'm glad he's happy and has 'three great kids'. Since they will not be applying with him for the job, and more importantly, won't impact his performance that can be backspaced out of the entire section. Overall the resume is filled with hyperbole that I really don't want to see; there's simply no excitement or interesting information on there.

There are a few hallmarks that represent a good resume.

A strong document should have the following:

Strong Opening Summary: A summary sets the tone of the document and quickly provides the reader with a peek about what you bring to a new position. If someone is only going to spend about 10 seconds looking at the resume, the first thing you should do at the top is lead with some hard hitting evidence of your ability to produce.

Core Competency Section: A grouping of words that will provide a hiring manager with key words about your overarching skills. This area is also important if you are uploading a document to a company's database. If there is a system that is scanning for key words, yours will be picked up immediately.

Ample Use of Action Words: Lead the bullets with strong action-oriented words that engage the reader. Spearheaded, Championed, Drove, Initiated, Led are all words that help someone understand that you mean business.

Metrics: Draw attention to your document by supplying the reader with strong results. Use the SAR method to provide information: Situation - Action - Result. This will allow you to quickly define what you did, how you did it, and the results produced.

KISS Factor: Keep It Simple Silly. You cannot get everything you have ever done on the resume; more importantly, you should not try. The resume is designed to 'show a little shoulder' not give away the entire store. You simply want to get the reader interested in you enough to call you for the interview. You can then blow them away during a face-to-face meeting with how you can make an impact for the company.

Leave Off Extraneous Information: It is not necessary to include 'References available upon request' at the bottom of the resume. I am sure the reader knows that if asked, you would certainly supply them. Additionally, unless your hobbies are things like rock climbing and jumping out of planes, it is not necessary to include hobbies on the document. Reading is a hobby, but not an icebreaker in an interview.

Whether you're looking to find a new position all together or "upgrade" to a different position with your current employer, the results of the National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook 2010 survey may surprise you... and your resume.

The Job Outlook 2010 survey of employer organizations holding NACE memberships was conducted from mid-August through October 2009.

Test Your Resume Against the Top 5

The Job Outlook 2010 study's Top 5 Candidate Skills/Qualities summarize the skills employers report as essential for candidates to possess. Does your resume demonstrate these characteristics that employers report are essential to on-the-job-success?

First, review your resume. Think it sells all you offer? Presents a compelling "hire me" story?

Now run it through the Top 5 list below as a filter. Is your resume too focused on technical skills and industry-specific knowledge without spending enough time on these skills employers are looking for? Have you linked these Top 5 skills to tangible results that demonstrate the value you bring to an organization?

To say that you possess "excellent [fill in the blank] skills" is not enough. To set yourself apart from the hundreds of other candidates applying for the same position, you must demonstrate your unique strengths in these Top 5 areas through real examples with successful, measurable outcomes.

When your resume answers "what's in it for me if I hire you?" in these five areas, your resume is more likely to land at the top of the pile of candidates to call for in-person interviews.

Top 5 Candidate Skills/Qualities

The Top 5 along with a few action phrase starters as examples of how to prove your skills in these essential areas:

1. Communication Skills

• Facilitated group discussions...
• Detailed accurate information...
• Delivered engaging presentations...
• Summarized plans concisely...

2. Analytical Skills

• Strategically considered options...
• Interpreted data to back up...
• Surveyed target audiences...
• Validated through trend research plans to...

3. Teamwork Skills

• Collaborated with colleagues to...
• Fostered a culture of... in the team by...
• Participated as member of...
• Built trust within team to accomplish...

4. Technical Skills

• Engineered new unit...
• Installed hardware...
• Programmed customized IT solution...
• Integrated systems...

5. Strong Work Ethic

• Businesslike
• Dependable
• Flexible/adaptable
• Productive

Match Them to Your Strengths

Yes, ideally you will prove your worth to a new employer by including these Top 5 throughout your resume with strong examples of measurable results.

CAUTION: Be aware that you are always selling YOUR strengths, talents and abilities vs. simply saying what you think they want to hear. If you're an introvert with excellent written communication skills tout that not your "powerful public speaking presence." That's not you. If using your analytical skills means you gather information by interview and talking with members of the right audience, don't spend time talking about your preference to be closed away for hours at a time hunkered over spreadsheets.

Well, you could do the opposite (any Seinfeld fans out there?) of what is true to you, and yes you may even get that job. But I guarantee misery will set in right about that 90-day "probationary period" deadline.

Bottom line: Include these Top 5 while making sure they are authentic to your personal brand.

Meredith J. Masse, founder and owner of MPOWER Consulting, is a professional development consultant, career coach, speaker and trainer who empowers individuals, teams, managers and leaders to do what they do best... every day. She works with individuals, teams and entire organizations to escape the trappings of traditional professional development and career management - "Fix your weaknesses!" - in order to focus on the fastest way to achieve performance excellence and efficiency: through the optimization of innate strengths, inherent talents and natural instincts in the workplace. Visit http://www.MPOWER-Consulting.net

NET 85% OF YOUR INCOME: www.tarpon-uk.com 0845 6431580 I'm looking for a contract job -- but the first thing recruitment agencies ask for is my CV. Why is my CV so important? Getting an interview can depend on how good your CV is. It is your opportunity to show an employer that you've got the skills and experience needed and that you are the right person for the job. So, how long should my CV be? Your CV should be no more than two pages long & easy to read with spaces between each section. & What should I include in my CV? You need to start with your Personal profile This section should only be a few lines long, but must spark the reader's interest. Be brief as you can highlight examples of your skills in later sections. You may include the following: Name, address and contact details. Skills and qualities Then there's your Employment history Start with your present or most recent job and work backwards, ideally using bullet points as these are much clearer. You may include the following: Each employer The dates you worked for them The job title Your main duties You then move on to Education and training Start with your most recent study and go back to the qualifications you got at school.. You may include the following: The university, college or school you went to The dates the qualifications were awarded and any grades Any other courses, if they're relevant You will also need to mention Hobbies and interests Employers like to read about your interests, as it can give ...

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A curriculum vitae, or CV, are for professionals that are in the academic field and there are specific details on how to complete one. Follow the correct format of writing a CV with advice in this free video from a career adviser here to help people get the job they want.Expert: Pat Goodwin Contact: www.PatGoodwinAssociates.com Bio: Pat Goodwin is a certified personnel consultant and a career transition consultant who has worked with hundreds of individuals over the past 20 years. Filmmaker: Todd Green

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