|
|
What is a cover sheet?
Home » Careers » Cover Letters » What is a cover sheet?Posted by Your Guide on October 12, 2005 5:26 PM
A cover sheet (also known as a cover letter) is like an opening speech you would give at an interview. In just one page, you outline your interest in the job, your qualifications for the job, and your plans for seeking the job. Along with your resume, a cover sheet is the first thing an employer sees from you, so it is your first chance to pique an employer’s interest.
Cover sheets are always accompanied by a resume. The resume provides your contact information, education, and work experience, and the cover sheet expands and clarifies the information that is in your resume. In addition, the cover sheet offers employers a de facto writing sample, which can be especially important when applying for certain positions.
As opposed to a resume, however, cover sheets add a personal touch and reflect on you as an individual. Your resume will almost always look basically the same, regardless of where you send it, but in a cover sheet you are introducing yourself in light of a particular company or position, and your cover letter will define how a company perceives you. A professional and interesting cover sheet implies that the writer is also professional and interesting—and thus worthy of an interview.
Cover sheets also serve as explanatory tools. Resumes give raw data on your career, but a well-constructed cover sheet explains how your work history has benefited you or prepared you for this new position. In other words, cover sheets give you the chance to explain who you are.
Related Articles
- What is a cover sheet?
- What information should I give in a cover sheet?
- What are the common cover sheet errors?
- How can I tailor a cover sheet to a specific job opening?
- What format should I use in a cover sheet?