The Purposes of a Cover Letter, Resume, and Interview

These words of wisdom from The Career Encouragement Blog:

Years ago, my boss told me that the purpose of a cover letter is to get them interested in looking at your resume.  The purpose of the resume is to get them interested enough to invite you in for an interview.  The interview is where you get the job.

Let's go through those steps again:

• The purpose of a cover letter is to get them interested in looking at your resume. 
• The purpose of the resume is to get them interested enough to invite you in for an interview. 
• The interview is where you get the job.

Simple and truthful. And yet many people don't understand these facts. That's why some people try and get a job with a resume -- and end up with a multi-page monstrosity that won't work.

For details on how to make the most of each phase in the hiring process, see the sections and links below.

Cover Letter

• Eight Rules of Direct Mail that You Should Apply to Your Cover Letter

Resume

• How to Write a Winning Resume

• You Need a Great Resume

• Stick with a Classic Resume

• How to Make a Minor Accomplishment into a Major Resume Success

Interview

• An Interview is a Test You Can Study For

• Don't Ask Stupid Questions in an Interview

• Do You Send a Thank You Note After a Job Interview?

Comments

[ToughMoneyLove]

I see a lot of resumes. Many of them are arriving by email. In that case, the email is the cover letter. In that case, you have about 2 seconds to get me to read further.