Articles

Let's start with the first order of business which is grabbing the reader's attention. If you fail at the task of grabbing the reader's attention, you can all but forget about them being interested in calling you for an interview. With all that's going on in the world and in our lives, we're all busy. What's the best way to get noticed over the rest of the noise?

There's no shortage of proven strategies to grab the reader's attention. The most effective strategy may well be a well-written attention-grabbing headline. Newspapers and magazines use headlines because they work; and they'll work in your cover letter too. If you think about it, you end up reading the articles with headlines that capture your attention, don't you?

So why not put an attention-grabbing headline on your cover letter? Most cover letters don't have an attention-grabbing opening sentence so the mere fact that your cover letter even has a headline separates you from the pack and draws attention to your message, wouldn't you agree? I've personally sent cover letters with big, bold headlines like you'd see in a newspaper at the top of the page and they flat-out work.

What if you were in a crowded shopping mall and you noticed a close friend on the level below. Maybe your friend's name is Susan. What would you do to get Susan's attention quickly? You might flail your arms above your head and scream "Hey! Look up here!" That could possibly work. But an even better idea would be to yell "Hello! Susan! Look up Here!" Don't you think you'd have a better chance to get Susan's attention that way? If Susan hears her name, she's more likely to notice over everything else that's going on around her. Using someone's name personalizes the message and increases the likelihood of getting noticed.

Let's take that concept one step further as it pertains to the headline on your cover letter. A personalized headline is proven to increase the response rate. Your cover letter is much more likely to be noticed and read if it's personalized. Hiring managers don't normally get cover letters with personalized headlines which means they'll read the few they get out of curiosity. They can't help themselves; it's human nature. Send out a few dozen cover letters with headlines. You'll be shocked at all the attention you get.

Discover "How to Transform a Boring Message into a Killer Cover Letter That'll Make the Phone Ring off the Hook"...includes sample cover letters.