Picture yourself walking into one of those huge video stores to rent a movie only to find thousands of films displayed in unmarked cases. Instead of the usual plot synopsis, photos of exciting scenes, and lists of glamorous stars, all you see is the title of the film and a few boring statistics like length and rating. How in the world would you choose one to rent? You'd have to watch a few minutes of each movie to try to find one that was right for you, but with a such a vast selection available, that would be impossible.

Well, employers find themselves in a similar situation if they have to pore over stacks of resumes or interview hundreds of people as a first step in narrowing down pools of job applicants to a manageable number. They don't have the time--and that's where the cover letter comes in.

A cover letter tells a prospective employer who you are, what your story is, what you've accomplished, and why they should talk to you. When done right, a cover letter can encourage a prospective employer to read on to your resume, and maybe even go on to the next step of picking up the phone to schedule an interview. While a cover letter alone can't get you a job, it can open doors for you. That's why it pays to learn the most effective strategies for writing cover letters.

Surefire Tips for Effective Letters
While there are many ways to write a great cover letter, there are some things that everyone should consider:

• Tailor your letters as much as possible to the target reader and the industry as a whole.
• Talk more about what you can do for your reader than what she can do for you.
• Convey focused career goals.
• Don't say anything negative.
• Always be honest, but not necessarily too modest.
• Use lists of bulleted points or sections delineated with bold type or underlined headings rather than long paragraphs.
• Cut to the chase - don't ramble.
• Don't say anything that you don't back up with evidence.
• Talk about problems you've solved in the past for other employers or organizations.
• Consider cultural differences if you know the target reader; some cultures are more formal than others.
• Make your letter visually appealing.
• Get others' opinions of your letter before sending it out.
• Keep a notebook of all letters you send out with a log of follow-up efforts.