In most industries and for most clients, a resume is only one part of a larger personal marketing package. Another critical piece of the resume package is a cover letter. You've probably heard that most people find jobs through personal or professional networking and not through responses to the newspaper's classified ads. That's true, but you may not always be able to hand-deliver your resume and references to a decision-maker at a new organization. Your cover letter is the salesman that goes with your resume when you can't.

Effective cover letters contain only a few elements. First, they should be addressed to a person - get a name whenever possible (there's nothing more dehumanizing than reading a resume addressed to "Dear Hiring Professional"). When in doubt, find out who the CEO is and use their name (you can find information like this on the Internet or at your local library). You may not get special treatment, but your resume will be more likely to get the attention it deserves than if you used a generic salutation.

If you're interested in having Crown Business Services assist you with your resume package, please contact us (see contact information below). We're glad to help! For some examples of our work, visit our Portfolio (click on the right arrow below).

24111 NE Halsey Street • Troutdale, Oregon 97060
Tel. 503.661.1451• Fax 503.667.8253
Debbie@Crown-Business.com