The development industry is extremely competitive and it can be difficult to get a hiring manager to review your resume. Here are some tips on creating an outstanding cover letter that may help you.
Stand Out Above the Crowd
I’m not talking about the hit song from A Goofy Movie (but that is a great song!). If you are a recent college graduate – congratulations, you are now competing against hundreds of thousands of ASP.NET Web Developers just like you. If you did not go the college route – congratulations, you are now competing against hundreds of thousands of ASP.NET Web Developers just like you.
My point is that either way, you are going to have a lot of competition. So, how do you get potential employers to read your resume? As someone who has been both the interviewee and interviewer, I know it all starts with the cover letter.
Your Cover Letter
A well written cover letter goes a long way to getting an employer to read your resume. You should have the following things in a cover letter:
- The position title and company
- Highlights from your resume that match the job description
- Your availability for both an interview and a potential start date
- Your contact information
You should always keep a general cover letter template for yourself and then tailor it for each and every position you are applying for. If you send a generic cover letter to every employer then it will look like you are spamming employers from job boards. To make the process easier, I highly suggest creating a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet listing each position, resume highlights, etc, and then using a Microsoft Word mail merge to easily automate your cover letter. Luckily for you, I have a sample that you can get for free by subscribing to the HoffsTech newsletter!
I hope you found this article helpful! Stay tuned for more tips on job searching for developers!