Your cover duplicates what is on your resume: You already have a lot of valuable information on your resume. Why not tell the reader something different? Something that makes you unique? You can even exercise some creativity in your cover. Did you do something outside of the work environment that presents you as committed, motivated, and focused? Talk about it! What better place than a cover letter? Did you do something out of the ordinary? You can tie this to your professional life. This will entice the reader to keep going. Certainly you can reference something critical that you did for your company. You will need to be careful here though; you want to avoid repetition while conveying a meaningful message.

It’s boring and uninteresting and boring: Blah, blah, blah; blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda. Your cover letter needs a hook. It needs to embrace your reader and get someone excited to look at the resume. A bad cover letter can be used as a substitute for Ambien. A good cover letter? Well that will get you writing praise and definitely contribute to getting you the interview. Reveal your key attributes and provide a brief but compelling look at how you applied them in a work setting. Think about the results of your efforts – make sure to include examples.

The cover doesn’t demonstrate your unique value proposition: Your unique value proposition is the benefit your background will provide to the company. It describes who you are and what makes you unique. Make sure you draft a clear statement – how you can overcome challenges. Differentiate yourself from the competition. Know your strengths and convey them in your cover letter to help establish your unique value proposition.

If you are going to include a cover letter and you should better, make sure the tree did not die in vain – make your cover letter work for you and not against you. I find it interesting that many of my clients have a difficult time with their cover letters – if you find yourself in the same boat take a look at my blog on the anatomy of a well-written cover letter.

The “carbon copy” cover letter is not recommended because it lacks authenticity. Even worse, it forces you to turn your back on cover letter etiquette. If you want to make sure that your cover letter is unique and appropriate, let’s take a look at some cover letter etiquette tips to consider.

Tip #1: Keep the Cover Letter Personal

The first tip to keep in mind when writing a cover letter is that you want to make sure that it’s personal. You may have read in a business writing book at some point that it’s common to address the reader as “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern.” While these terms can be appropriate when absolutely necessary, it’s better to track down the hiring manager at a company so that you may address him or her directly (ex. Dear Mr. Smith) in your salutation.

Tip #2: Focus on the Employer’s Needs

Another etiquette tip to keep in mind when creating your cover letter is focusing on the employer’s needs. This concept goes back to the “carbon copy” cover letter that looks just like the last 15 you’ve written. It’s always important to keep in mind that no two jobs are exactly the same, which is why your cover letters shouldn’t be the same either. To honor these differences, it’s good to focus on the specific needs of the employer and afterward addressing your own strengths and how they can help the company achieve their desired success. This way, you can help the hiring manager more easily align the company’s goals with your qualifications, which in turn can increase your chances of being hired.

Tip #3: Dot Your I’s and Cross Your T’s

Another aspect of cover letter etiquette is making sure that you proofread every word, ensure all grammar is correct, and most importantly, make sure that every bit of information you offer is 100% honest. You don’t want the employer to run a background check only to find out you’ve lied on any of your documentation. So before submitting your cover letter, it’s important to ensure every I is dotted and every T is crossed.

Tip #4: Keep it Short and Sweet

The fourth tip to consider when writing your cover letter is length. If you become passionate about what you’re writing, you can easily say too much, which can frustrate the hiring manager who has many more to read. So in the writing process, your job is to explain why you’re qualified and why you want the job as concisely as possible. This way, the hiring manager won’t trash your cover letter before getting to all of those great qualifications that would have otherwise gotten you hired for the job.

Now that you’ve learned a little about cover letter etiquette, it’s time to get started on your own. What are you waiting for? Your next job is just a great cover letter away.

Sometimes, when writing a cover letter it’s good to think in terms of what information is wanted from you; this is a great way to ensure you give an employer what they need to know. So to help you get started, let’s take a look at a few common cover letter questions, and their answers.

Who Are You? Let the Employer Know …

One question that it’s good to ask yourself when writing your cover letter is: What do you want the employer to know about you? This answer is most likely going to be broad at first as you sit down and think about who you are as a person and why someone should choose you as an employee.

However, some good information that you can consider including is whether you’re team player, self-motivated, easy to train, highly organized, and able to work well on individual projects. Also, it doesn’t hurt to mention something about your personality and how easy you are to get along with. The specifics of who you are should be tailored to the job you’re applying for and how you think you can fit into the equation. Just keep in mind that no manager wants someone narcissistic or too “showy,” so it’s good to keep “self-talk” simple and brief.

How Can You Suit the Employer’s Needs?

Another question that is good to ask yourself is, how can you suit this employer’s greatest needs? This is slightly different than the previous question because it takes into account what the employer is ultimately looking for to fill the role. So while you can definitely take this time to supply more information about who you are, you also want to make sure to let the employer know that you understand what they need.

One way that you can get this done is by researching the position being offered. You can study what they listed in the job posting and also look at the company’s mission for insight into what they are looking for in an employee. Once you’ve gathered everything, you can compile it to create details that let’s them know how much you know about them – and can contribute based on what you know.

What Extras Can You Bring to the Table?

A third question looks at what skills and accomplishments you have that make you stand out against your competition? Have you received awards or recognition that proves that you’re the right person? Or are you just confident that you’re the perfect match? Don’t be shy about letting them know why they should hire you. By doing so, you can increase your chance of being hired for the position.

Knowing what may be expected in your cover letter can help you decide what information to include. Of course, no two cover letters are alike, but hopefully these answered questions can give you an idea of just what you can tell your prospective employers in order to seal the deal.

A good way to make sure you create the cover letter you want is to spend time prepping and organizing it before actually writing it. So to get you started, here are some great organizing tips:

Create a Cover Letter Prep Sheet

One way to get yourself organized when creating your cover letter is to mock up a prep sheet. On the prep sheet, you can create two columns: one that allows you to make a bullet-point list of the employer’s requirements for the job you want, and another list in column two that matches your specific qualifications to their requirements. While you won’t need to mention everything you list in the cover letter, doing so can help you prioritize those skills you feel are best to highlight when sculpting your story about why you’re best for the job.

After you’ve selected a few qualifications that match their requirements, on the back of your prep sheet, you can think of specific examples related to your qualifications that showcase your skills well. For example, if one of your qualifications is that you are highly proficient with your use of Adobe Illustrator, you can provide an example of how you trained an entire department over a 2-day period to use this program. After doing so well, you even received a leadership award. Creating in-depth explanations like this of your top skills can help you create that first impression you want.

Ask Yourself Some Important Questions

Another great way to prep and organize your cover letter is to ask yourself some important questions in relation to the job and your qualifications. For example, asking yourself “What does the reader want to know about me?” can help you think from the perspective of the employer. You can do this by imagining what you would want from a job applicant if they were coming to work in your company. What information could the employee give you to make you feel confident that he/she was qualified?

Another good question to ask yourself when organizing your cover letter is “What do I want the reader to know about me?” This question is slightly different than the first one because it requires that you think about specific qualities you’re bringing to the table. What makes you unique? What type of motivation and drive do you have that helps you beat out your competition? How well do you work with others? Answering these questions can help you give the reader more insight into who you are while still addressing the question at hand: Why are you qualified for this position?

The process of creating a cover letter can seem quite daunting. But if you take time to organize your thoughts through prepping, and ask yourself important questions along the way, you’ll find that your cover letter will be more thorough than you could have ever imagined.

But even if employers are understanding, it’s a good idea to acknowledge multiple short-term jobs carefully. So to help you better explain your circumstances in both your cover letter and resume, here are a few tips to consider:

Tell the Truth in Your Cover Letter

Instead of feeling down about an obviously unfortunate situation, this is a good time to turn your attitude around, and create a great cover letter at the same time. When writing your cover letter, you’ll want to avoid sounding bitter about the layoffs. Instead, you can focus on how these times have made you a stronger person and more motivated employee.

You can explain how the difficult economic times resulted in your previous employers having to make some hard decisions – one of which resulted in you losing your job. Then you can use this opportunity to transition into how excited you are at the prospect of making a difference at their company – and staying with them for years to come. Your good attitude and fighter spirit will likely appeal to a prospective employer looking for a strong “go-getter.”

“Blame” the Company When Listing Them In Your Resume

Okay, now don’t get the wrong idea about “blaming” the company. It’s more like giving credit where credit is due. If you were a good employee at your company and they ran out of money, leaving them unable to keep 1/3 of their workers, there’s really nothing you could have done about that. So to avoid placing the blame of jumping ship after a few months in your lap, give the company the credit.

Probably the easiest way to explain this situation is to list them as a former employer as you normally would, then simply note that “the company underwent financial layoffs.” Or if they’re no longer in business, write “the company is no longer in business.” Pretty simple, right? This way, you don’t have to spend your time biting your nails in fear of how employers will view you in relation to your short-term stints.

A Few Additional Tips

If you’re submitting a resume to a prospective employer and don’t want to mention being laid off, you can create a section titled “Consulting and Short-Term Assignments,” or similar, to bring light to your layoff. Also, you can move from the chronological format to a functional one, which will allow you to focus more on your skills and less on dates of employment. The more effort you give to acquiring the job you want, rather than focusing on the jobs you lost, the easier it will be to explain your short-term jobs without bringing negativity into the equation.

There is no doubt that finding a job in a tough economy can be a daunting task – especially after having been laid off. But if you keep the right attitude and move diligently through the job search process, you’ll see that in no time you’ll be right back in the workforce with another great job under your belt.