DO
- address your cover letter to a named individual. If necessary, call the company or visit their website and find out who to send it to
- do some research and find out as much as you can about the company - again, the website is the best place to do this in most cases
- express confidence, but not arrogance
- send a neatly formatted and printed letter on A4 (or US letter) paper in a plain white envelope, the same color as your resume (preferably also white)
- keep it brief, no more than one page in easily read paragraphs
- answer the employer's question; "Why should I hire this person?"
- use simple, uncomplicated language and sentence structure
- clearly express your objective, and state what sort of position are you applying for
- request action and follow up
- provide a reachable address and phone number or e-mail if possible
- make a copy of each cover letter to use for future reference
- write a second time after a reasonable time, if you didn't get a response
DON'T
- ever send your résumé without a cover letter
- write your letter by hand
- be negative or humble
- be over-boastful or self-aggrandizing
- use clichés or vague, meaningless phrases
- send a cover letter with misspellings, grammatical errors or smudges
- send letters that are obviously photocopied or mass produced
- list hobbies or personal interests unless they are related to the position you are applying for