General Advice On Cover Letters
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The cover letter should explain your interest in a particular company and may determine whether your resume gets read. Here are some general guidelines:

1. Personalize the letter. A "Dear Sir" letter sends the message that you are not familiar with the company, and it is not likely to get read by a person with the authority to hire you. If necessary, make a phone call, visit the library or use the Internet to find out the name of the person who does the hiring and get spelling and title right.

2. The letter and envelope should be neatly typed and error free. Typos and grammatical errors say a lot about the kind of work you do.

3. Beware of the dangers of word processing. If you are sending out a similar letter to several companies, make sure that you change all customized statements accordingly; no company wants to read how much you would like to work for a competitor. Carefully read each letter before you sign it.

4. Be brief and to the point. Do not repeat your resumé but draw attention to relevant experiences and activities.

5. Indicate what reaction you expect from your letter and how you will follow up.

6. Don't profess to know more about the company than you really do. Explain why you find the company attractive (there must be some reason or you shouldn't be writing) and leave it at that.

7. Send your resumé to decision-making people. By using CareersInHouston, your resumé and cover letter will automatically go to the right people.