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Then show it to someone who will bring a fresh perspective and who knows you well enough to ask “Is this really what you wanted to say?” “Is this relevant?” or “So what?”

The Letter That Gets Your Resume Read

Never send a resume without a covering letter. It takes time to go through a resume. Employers decide from your covering letter whether your resume is worth that time — and might ultimately lead to an interview.

Your letter is your opportunity to focus on the chief attributes you want to fix in your reader’s mind. It’s worth putting thought into what you say in your letter, and taking care with how you say it.

Here are some points to keep in mind:

1. Think about the reader

What can you offer that will benefit the prospective employer? Do you have relevant experience, training, or education?

Consulting with a young law student, we were struck by his draft letter applying for a job in the Environmental Protection Agency. Almost every paragraph started with “I,” as it outlined his impressive credentials. A better letter — starting with the needs of the reader rather than the virtues of the writer — began by stating:

According to press reports, your agency is under enormous pressure in staff and budgets, and it is obvious that you must have people who can move fast and carry a heavy load. Here are several reasons why my background should be helpful to EPA in exactly those ways.

Try to single out a benefit to the organization that will accrue from your joining it.

2. Identify the sort of job you’re looking for

State it clearly and at once. Say what led you to apply — a want ad, a recommendation from a friend, the reputation of the firm.

A letter applying for a job as a research analyst started in this mysterious way:

Dear Mr. Ball:

It’s spring already — a time to think about planting seeds. Some seeds are small, like apple seeds. Others are bigger. Coconuts, for example. But big or little, a seed can grow or flourish if it’s planted in proper soil.

The applicant would have done better to start like this:

Dear Mr. Ball:

I understand that you are looking for a research analyst.

Better straight to the point, however trite, than roundabout, however ingenious. Mr. Ball wants to know what the letter is about; he doesn’t have time to play guessing games.

Here’s a direct approach that led to a job:

This letter is in response to a recent conversation with Mary Brown, in which Mary suggested that my background in continuous process improvement might be a good fit with your current needs.

In my current position as Consulting Quality Leader/Master Black Belt at General Equipment Systems, I am responsible for using my process improvement and team facilitation skills to support a wide variety of quality projects.

Don’t emulate the fellow who had his tonsils removed through his belly button, just to be different.

Pique the interest of the reader

You can often get to the point in a way that adds an extra element of interest.

According to the grapevine, you’ve been looking for an experienced research analyst for three months. If so, then it’s strange that in such a small community we didn’t know each other until now.

That is not the same as trying to attract favorable attention by buttering up a potential employer, which doesn’t work:

I have long admired your firm as one of the most reputable and professional in the country. It is clear that your success cannot be attributed to accident or coincidence.

Flattery may still have its uses in business, but introducing yourself as a flatterer won’t impress most employers.

Here are two openings that go straight to the point in interesting ways:

Dear Ms. Page:

Do you need an exceptionally fast accountant? If so, I may be your man.

Dear Mr. Kilgour:

Our mutual friend Charles Hartigan has urged me to write to you about your plan to create a publicity department. I would like to help you set it up — and I know how to do it, as you can see from my resume.