When applying for a job you should embrace every opportunity to stand out. Often, your first point of contact with potential employers is through your resume and/or LinkedIn profile. A cover letter may be optional. If you have the option of sending a cover letter, DO IT!

A good cover letter can:

• Grab the recruiters’ attention
• Showcase your personality
• Demonstrate effective communication skills
• Explain employment gaps and career transitions
• Highlight why you are the right fit for the job
• Demonstrate your level of interest in the position

If your resume did not pass the first scan, likely your cover letter will not be read. BUT, if your resume is a maybe, or looks like a possible fit, recruiters and hiring managers will take the time to carefully read your cover letter. Here is your chance to move the dial towards the ‘invite to interview pile’ rather than the ‘no pile’.

If you are really interested in the job, why would you not invest the time in writing the cover letter? Or think about it from the employers’ perspective, if you did not bother to write a cover letter, should they assume that you are not really interested in the role?

Join Kimberly Wittenberg Lurie co-founder of Tearless Writing, and myself on Tuesday December 4, 12:30PM EST to learn strategies and tips to write a killer cover letter.