Although you can benefit from a sample resume cover letter, which can help you learn the concepts of a higher quality letter.

However, there are some dangers in doing so …

If you have been sending tons of resumes and cover letters and not getting interviews, you might be asking yourself why?. After all, you have the required qualifications and work experience.

You are both sending a resume and cover letter as requested, why not get requests for interviews?

The answer probably lies in the type of letter you send. Many hiring managers are quite keen to copy and paste from a sample resume cover letter. If your thinking about doing it, just imagine how many others are doing the same thing.

Certainly, there are countless websites that can provide a sample resume cover letter, but there are some things to consider before you copy and paste a sample letter and make it your own.

The purpose of a resume cover letter

The goal of a successful letter is to make the employer want to know more about you, to feel the need to meet you in person and discuss the job opening, to get an interview!

A sample resume cover letter will not highlight your unique skills and experience and meant only to get inspiration.

Potential employers can spot a cut and pasted letter from a sample resume cover letter that often ends up in the trash instead of the “call for interview” pile.

What a sample resume cover letter will not do for you

You do not have many opportunities to show your personality on your resume, after all, is only a recitation of your education and work experience. In the competitive job market of today, many people share similar skills and training, what distinguishes them is their work ethic, personality, and yes, the same passion for the job!

Before the interview, your unique qualities can only come in the letter. A generic sample resume cover letter will not give the employer what their looking for in a job candidate but can be a good start.

When a hiring manager looks at your resume and cover letter and sees the same thing as before it will simply get thrown away. They want to see uniqueness and not just the same cover letter copy that everyone else does.

It is no secret that more and more these days trying to find a new job is a hard thing to do. This is why it is so important to have a resume and cover letter you get interviews. Many people use a sample resume cover letter for avoiding the laborious process of writing a letter for their resume. As simple as can be, not taking into account that there are dozens of other applicants out there with it. From the perspective of human resources director, everything looks like a sample letter is a sign of laziness and lack of initiative. Since you will not be part of this group its a better idea to make yours stand out and be unique.

A letter accompanying the sample is appropriate to use as inspiration for your letter, and nothing more. Copy must be unique. If not, it is likely that a hiring manager has seen something a bit like it before. Make use of the white space at the top of the letter. Most letters in the sample have much space on the top, but this does not mean you should do the same. You can use the title of your letter, adding a title is a unique feature that few people use.

To add a title, just think about a problem the hiring manager may be having with hiring someone and address it, if you can make their job easier the better you will look. For example, you can use something like “Need a trusted person in accounts payable?” Or “Are looking for experienced elementary school teacher?” Grabbing the attention of the hiring manager is the key here.

Most of the time using a template from the Internet or that someone else has written may set the wrong ton . For example, many will speak in third person with sentences ending in “has been reached” or “it was achieved” or other similar statements. Hiring managers want to know what can be offered and not what is done in the past. Leave your resume to talk about past jobs and experiences, your cover letter should state what you can do for the company and add future value.

There is nothing wrong with the samples or templates, but you must understand you have to do some work to make them stand out and be unique. You do not want to be the fifth person in turn, in the same letter to a hiring manager. Take the time to implement these steps and you will see better results next time you are applying for a job. Remember, a cover letter is nothing more than a sales letter selling yourself. Don’t copy everyone else.