To apply for any job you must submit a cover letter and a resume. These two documents tell the recruiter about your background and help them decide whether to recruit you or not. A cover letter introduces yourself to an employer. It also tells the employer why you are the best fit for the particular job. A resume, on the other hand, provides an objective overview of your qualifications.

Things to Include in a Cover letter

A cover letter is 300 to 500 words in length. In a cover letter, you must introduce yourself to the human resource manager or potential employer and tell them why you are interested in applying for the job. At the same time, you must tell them why you think you are the right candidate for the job. Resumes are often very long. The cover letter gives a sneak peek of your resume. Here you will mention your qualifications in brief. If you have any job or academic gap, or other issues you may state them in the cover letter. You must remember that a cover letter is actually a 'letter' or an 'application'. So, its format must be like that too. You should start with a salutation and then give your details in the body followed by a professional closing. You can start the cover letter with 'Dear Sir', or 'Dear Mr. X' in case the contact person's name is mentioned in the job posting or advertisement. Sometimes, the company tells you to send your resume to the HR department. In such case, you can write, 'Dear HR team' or 'Dear Hiring Manager'. You must include your contact information, date, and the contact details of the potential employer ( if you have the details).

In the introduction paragraph, you should mention the position you are applying for and where you got to know about this vacancy. You should state that you are interested in applying for the job. You must also introduce yourself in short here.

In the body paragraphs of the cover letter, you should highlight a few important qualifications of yourself that match the job descriptions. You must also talk about any academic, professional, or other noteworthy achievements in life. If you have done any voluntary work, you should mention that as well. Having membership in professional organizations also strengthens your resume. So, mention that as well, if you have any. You can write how your contribution can help the company to move forward. Like a typical letter or application, you must finish the cover letter with a closing statement like 'Sincerely', or 'Best regards' followed by your name or signature. Before writing the cover letter, you should do some research about the hiring company. You can mention a few positive things about the company in your cover letter to show the recruiter how interested you are in working for them. This information will also set your cover letter apart from others. Lots of cover letter templates are now available online. You can use them to make your cover letter structurally correct. You should proofread your cover letter before sending it. Look out for clarity, tone, relevance, grammar, spelling, and overall formatting of your cover letter.

Things to include in a resume

You should design your resume according to the type of job you are applying for. If the job is in the academic field, then you should highlight your academic experience and achievements. If it's in the corporate field then your focus should be on your related experience.

Once you know which information to highlight in your resume, decide on the resume format. You can choose the chronological resume format which showcases your experience in chronological order starting from the latest one. The functional resume format focuses on your training and skills. If you have limited experience or employment gaps, then you should choose this format. In the combination resume format, you can highlight both your training and experience. If you have many years of work experience then you can choose this format.

A resume has several sections. Contact details a vital information that you must include in your resume. After all, your prospective employer will contact you if they like your resume. You must include your full name, phone number, email address, home address, and a link to any professional website.

Next, write 'objective' or 'profile'. It's an introduction that tells about your career objective and a summary qualifications. After this start writing about your academic qualifications, work experience, and achievements using a suitable resume format. You will find free or paid online resume templates. You can use those as well. You should include a 'skills' section to showcase your various skills.

You shouldn't leave out any significant achievement in your life in your resume. You must remember that your resume must stand out from others to secure that job position. So, include your training, credentials, certifications, and volunteer work to make your resume stronger.