Poorly written cover letters are like letterswithout stamps – they won’t get you anywhere.

While there are nohard and fast rules about how to write cover letters there do arestandard and generally accepted practices to write a notable coverletter.

Firstly, it isimportant to remember that a cover letter is not a job application.It is short note that accompanies your resume or portfolio andshould include:

(1)A briefintroduction about yourself

(2)Give the hirerenough confidence to read further

(3)Provide a call toaction as to what you’d want to be done further – fixing an interviewetc

Secondly, it is veryimportant to tailor-make your cover letter as per the job. Thismeans you will have to do some research on the company, address theletter to the concerned person (most preferably include their name). This research can be easily and quickly done on theweb.

Thirdly, it isimperative as well as logical to establish your expertise in thecover letter. Talk about your skills and show why &how you can be a good fit for the job. You can also mention howenthusiastic about the job position and how can fit the corporateculture perfectly.

Last but not the leastit is absolutely necessary never to write the same letter toanother company. This can prove to be a greater waste of time onyour part than the employers. In fact, writing a cover letter afterdoing your research and customizing it to fit the specific companycan be the spark that gets the fire going. It is always a betteridea to write bespoke cover letters to a select few companies (andwait for their response) than to write cover letters “in bulk” asthey will hardly evoke a response.