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A majority of hiring executives recently responded to a survey where they concluded cover letters to be as important or more important that the resume alone when screening applicants.

With this in mind here are five tips for writing resume cover letters that will get the recruiter’s attention:

1. Fit: How would you fit into the culture of the organization? A small rapidly growing enterprise is different from a larger more stable company as is a government, educational or non-profit organization.

If you have the right basic qualifications how you position yourself to fit the organization’s culture should be emphasized. For the smaller company you can describe yourself as more “fast-paced,” you can “quickly adjust to changing circumstances.” For a more stable employer you are, “team oriented,” or are skilled at, “developing policies,” and “coordinating between different departments.”

2. Focus: In three or four bullet points list quantifiable achievements that will clearly demonstrate that you could make an immediate contribution. Frame the achievements to match how you would fit into the culture of the organization.

You might say for the smaller fast moving company, “…quickly developed customer service initiative that, in three months, reduced customer complaints by over 65%.” For the larger employer, “…developed program and trained customer service staff that, in first year, reduced warranty claims by over 22% saving over $72,000.” Both achievements are results from the same program, but how they are framed make all the difference.

3. Crisp Counts: Keep the resume cover letter to one page and about four paragraphs. Short sentences and action verbs work best. Start with an action sentence like, “You ad in the XYZ paper for an experienced customer service manger immediately got my attention.”

4. Referrals: If you are being referred to the employer by an employee, lead off the cover letter with the employee’s name. For example, “Mark Martin suggested I contact you as he is familiar with my abilities as a customer service manger and he thought you might have a need for someone with my skills,” is a good opening sentence.

If you don’t have a direct referral but have picked up through your research of the company that they may have need for someone with your experience you could lead off the cover letter with a question, such as, “Are you in the market for a skilled customer service manager with a successful track record? If so, I may be the person you’re looking for.”

5. Essence: Keep the letter professional. Avoid gimmicks. Impress the reader with the substance in the cover letter not the color of the paper or the use of creative fonts.

Your resume cover letter should position you with the right fit. Your focus will be on your skills and abilities. You rewrite to keep it crisp and short. And by avoiding any gimmicks you will move past other candidates with skills equal or greater than your own. This is the essence of a powerful and effective resume cover letter.

John Groth is a Career Coach and former HR executive. On his site find Career Planning Ideas, valuable articles and a Free seven day career planning guide.

Tags: resumes, cover letters