Mention Who You Know
If you know someone at the company, mention their name in your cover letter. Name dropping works - your cover letter will get a closer look if it mentions someone who works at the company. That's important both from your perspective and from the employee's, especially if the company has an Employee Referral Program and is eligible for a bonus. As an aside, be sure to ask your contact if they can recommend you for the job and help get your cover letter and resume a closer look from the hiring manager.
Mention how you learned about the job in the first paragraph of your cover letter. The company wants to know how the job was sourced, especially when you found the listing on a job board or other site where they paid to post. That sentence can simply say, for example, "I learned of this position from the posting I read on Monster."
Take it one step further and mention something about the company, from the mission statement on the company web site, for example, in your cover letter.
Write a Custom Cover Letter
It can be time consuming to write a custom cover letter for each job you apply for, but it's important to take the time and effort to show the company why you are a good match.
Cover Letter Tips
More Cover letter writing tips and suggestions for writing cover letters to send with your resume, including cover letter samples and examples.
Cover Letter Examples
When applying for a job a cover letter should be sent or posted with your resume. If you are not sure what to write, review these cover letter samples.
