Some say finding a new job when you’re unemployed is the hardest job you’ll ever have. It takes drive and commitment to go out and find the an opportunity that’s right for you. The first step is knowing what kind of job you want… that’s going to make the next step easier — knowing where to look.

That being said, you’ll need to do all the networking you can because you never know where the next job lead will come from. Keep your eyes and ears open at all times and gather as many leads as you can. In this tough economic climate you’re going to need every edge you can find. A critical task you should complete before anything is to write your cover letter and resume. It’s basically your calling card and without one, you’re dead in the water — most employers won’t even consider a candidate without a cover letter and resume. Contrary to popular belief, these two documents are designed to get you an interview, not the actual job. An employer will hire people based on how they perform in the interview… And no employer in their right mind is going to hire someone based solely on your cover letter and resume.

If you’re like most people, you may think a good cover letter and resume will land you a job. Wrong. The purpose of these two documents is only to secure an interview. And an employer will only hire you based on your performance in the interview. Think about it: If you were an employer, Would you hire someone based solely on two sheets of paper. I didn’t think so. You’d have to be out of your mind. What a good cover letter and resume will do is move you to the head of the line for an interview. This is where you really get the chance to sell yourself and persuade the employer you are the right person for the job.

Provide information that will allow the employer to know you are qualified and at the same time want to know more about you. That way you will be called in for an interview and that is where you really get to sell yourself and persuade the employer you are the right person for the job.

If you plan to land that interview in the first place, Your initial contact with a cover letter and resume must be convincing. If you design them correctly you will raise your odds at being called in for the all important interview. Make sure to have a fresh pair of eyes proof read your documents because sometimes other people will catch mistakes we’ve missed due to the stress of job hunting. There you have the beginnings of using a resume and cover letter to take the first step towards your dream job.

To discover more up-to-date, job-getting, cover letter and resume tips, visit http://www.coverletterandresume.net… where professional resume writer, Michael Smith, shares his hard-fought and battle tested cover letter and resume writing secrets he’s tested and proven in the real world.

In the case of email cover letters, the tone of the text is as formal as it would be for paper-based employment cover letters. The chief difference between these two correspondences, however, is the signature block is placed below your name in the email and on paper it is positioned at the top of the page.

An assumption that is sometimes made when making an emailed application is treating it with less formality. While emails may appear less formal than actual letters, such a casual fashion should not be applied when creating an email covering letter. When you reader opens your application, your opening paragraph is always important. The message not only has to both entice hook the reader, but sell them on your abilities. Templates of email cover letters can be quite useful in showing how to present yourself and help avoid careless mistakes and minimize you chances of your message being trashed.

One caveat. Some employers may not accept attachments and so in this situation you’d have to place the contents of your resume and letter into the body of your e-mail message. Ideally use plain text font rather than anything using HTML. This is because some e-mail software packages may not be configured to read HTML formatted messages. As a safeguard, send the message to yourself first to make sure you can see it.

The following are some basic guidelines that should you should think about when you begin composing your own email cover letter templates:

- Always mention how you heard about the position or the organization, and if possible (and appropriate) mention the name of the person who suggested that you apply.

- Particularly focus on the parts of your background, such as education, leadership, experience or anything else that you feel is most pertinent to the job. Be as specific as possible and illustrate example of how they relate the post.

- Try and keep your cover letter to two or three paragraphs within the body of the email. They should be well written for maximum impact, as you only have a few seconds to peak the interest of the employer.

In addition to the use of email cover letters templates, specialist software such as the OneClick Cover Letter and the Breakthrough Cover Letter systems contain a vast range of pre-formatted correspondences (including ones especially designed for sending via email) that provide excellent examples of the kind of compelling language your should be using in order to create an impressive and customized job application.

While email cover letters are convenient, it’s recommended that you also send a formal formatted version of your letter, simply because the employer may want to produce hard copies of the applications of the short-listed candidates for further review. Moreover, you’ll also want to have a printed version of your resume along with your correspondence to take to interviews.

Stop by coverletterguidelines.com to learn more helpful cover letter guidelines on other employment covers letters as well as watch video cover letter tutorials.