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When writing a cover letter for your job search, most people don’t even think about one of the most powerful tools at their disposal — the headline.

You can call it what you will, headline, title, whatever, but it is this bolded piece of copy at the top of your cover letter than can determine whether your letter is read or not.

Put your headline directly above the salutation and make sure it is in bold letters. You don’t have to put it in all caps, but a word or two can be all caps if it add better emphasis. Here are some examples of great cover letter headlines: Read more »

Writing a cover letter doesn’t have to be tough — if you know what benefits you offer a potential employer and can match them to what the employer says they want. “Benefit” is at the crux of this discussion. Many job seekers take bits and pieces of information from here and there and create a mess of a cover letter.

Always remember that a cover letter works only when you have compelling offer to make. A cover letter should not be an introduction of what you’re looking for in a job. Every word is important — do not waste a single one to distract your potential employer’s attention. They are not as interested in the features you bring to a position (a degree, experience, etc.) as they are the benefits these features bring to them. Think from the employer’s point of view and ask yourself, “Why should I read this letter? Is there any benefit or offer to me which cannot be refused? Can you convince me that it is really a good offer?”

HEADLINE

Keeping these things in mind, you should apply thought in writing your cover letter. Remember, this is, at its core, a sales letter. And what part of the sales letter comes first? The header or the headline. This very crucial to any sales letter, and can make or break your cover letter, too.
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