About Cover Letters | Career Advice

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the most widely used and best researched measure of occupational interests in the world. It has been used in educational settings, public institutions, and private organisations for nearly 80 years...

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A career test with thousands of career options With well over 35,000 kinds of careers our career assessment will suggest more career possibilities than you ever knew existed.

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Used by Career Counsellors Used by career counsellors around the world it is the gold standard in career interest assessments and unlike many career assessments is based on solid research making it a valid and reliable tool.

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Lowdown on cover letters

Kate Southam, Editor of CareerOne.com.au

Ask Kate Column: I've met managers who throw resumes in the bin if they don't come with a cover letter. I've also met one recruiter who doesn't like cover letters but he certainly wouldn't dismiss a candidate for writing one. Moral of the story is: Write a cover letter. The job of the cover letter is to make the reader want to read your resume. A cover letter should be three to four paragraphs long. First and last paragraphs need only be one sentence each. Don't just regurgitate your resume. Zero in on the most relevant information to the job on offer. First sentence should mention the job you are applying for. Second paragraph should read something like: "Please find a copy of my resume enclosed/attached for your perusal but of particular relevance is ..." Then concisely list the specific skills relevant to the role such as years of experience doing a similar job, trade or IT certifications, software proficiency or highlights of your sales achievements. This can run over a couple of paragraphs. Close with a final paragraph/sentence: "I would welcome an opportunity to meet with you to discuss how I could contribute to your team." Also, try to find the name of the right person to address it to. It's not always possible but "Dear Mr Brown" sounds better than "To whom it may concern" or "Dear Madam/Sir". Read the other tips and check out the sample cover letters templates in this section. Just click on the small image to enlarge. These were prepared by experts at Wise Recruitment, Galileo Consulting and Chandler Macleod - and me - in direct response to requests from Ask Kate readers.