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Cover letters. That great mystery. Should you or shouldn't you. If you do, what do they
do for you? Cover letters are another advertisement for you. As your resume is. As any form of
marketing material, you might use is.
What does a cover letter do? A cover letter gives you a chance to talk directly to a hiring
manager about why you would be a great person to talk to for their opportunities. And that
means you need to tailor your cover letter to the specific organization and to the type
of opportunity you're seeking. When you do a cover letter, you need to be sure that you
address it to an actual individual person. You do that by research. You do that by networking.
But, you're finding the right person. If you're answering an ad the cover letter should parallel
the ad. Pick the top two or three things that they're looking for and show how you match
those things or better yet, exceed them. But a great cover letter tailored to the organization.
Tailored to show you at your best in a brief amount of words. Great ad for you. Great ad
gets you more attention.