Writing an effective cover letter and resume is simpler than many people think – and a lot easier than many “professional” resume writers would like you to believe.

You certainly don’t need a human resources “expert” – most of them are younger than the people they are supposedly helping with very little life experience. And many of them have no idea what it is like to run a business.

The key is to write a cover letter and resume that will convince an employer that they do not need to look at any more job applications and to call you in for an interview.

Your cover letter is often more important than your resume because it is usually the first thing that employers will read.

When writing your cover letter, the most important thing to remember is that the person who is reading it is busy.

The second most important thing is that the employer has a problem – they have a vacancy that needs to be filled. The faster the vacancy is filled, the sooner their problem is solved.

Remember, they have a problem. You are the solution.

With this in mind, our job is simple.

We have got less than 30 seconds to give the reader all the information that they need, which means you have got to convince them with your first three sentences.

For example.

“I would like to apply for the accounting job that was advertised on (website) on (date).

I have more than 5 years of experience working as a bookkeeper and accountant with various small and medium-sized firms.

My most recent job was chief accountant at ABC Pty Ltd.”

With these three lines you have given the reader all the information that they need to decide whether you could be the solution to their problem. If you have a spelling or grammatical mistake in your first three sentences you have probably kissed your chances of getting the job goodbye.

There is no need to stuff your cover letter with qualifications and experience. If the employer is impressed they will look at your resume. Employers are smart. They can work out your skills and abilities by skimming, so there is no need to go overboard. Don’t lie and don’t embellish.

Keep your writing simple and clear. Show how suitable you are fast and effectively and you will be half way into your new job.

One more thing. Be very careful about hiring someone off the internet to write your cover letter and resume unless you can see that they have real skills and experience. Anonymous resume writers, even if they offer “money back guarantees”, are often not worth the risk.

Of course, The Job Factory (www.thejobfactory.com.au) also specialises in finding jobs for clients fast, but creating the perfect resume and cover letter is the first step in a pretty easy path to finding work. If you are unemployed for more than a week you are probably doing something wrong.

If you need to find a job fast, contact us today.