Cover Letters and Knowing Your Audience

When applying for jobs, cover letters can make or break your applications. Most employers receive so many applications that they don’t even look at your resume to start with. They will skim through the cover letter to see if what you have written tells them about you and if you are suitable for the position. Without a quality, professional cover letter you may have trouble finding work; even if your resume is of the highest standard. So it is certainly worthwhile to spend some time coming up with a cover letter template that you can use and modify for all the positions that you apply for.

When writing a cover letter you have to tailor it to the job you are applying for. You can certain have a pre-made design and outline but you will need to cover all the points that are valid for the particular job in question. Never generalize a cover letter for multiple roles; employers can see right through this. The goal is to make your cover letter stand out from the rest!

Some points to consider when writing cover letters include:

Knowing your Audience
Get an idea of who will be reading your letter. Will it be the CEO, receptionist, manager? Also know exactly what your role in the job would be and know as much about the company as you can. These days it is easy to research a company in depth thanks to the internet.

Straight to the Point
Don’t babble on in your cover letter. The person reading it just wants to know a brief overview of your experience and why you should get the job. Three or so paragraphs is more than enough for a good cover letter.

Contact Information
Don’t just leave your contact info for your resume. Instead also include it in your cover letter. Include your email, address, phone and any other methods of contacting you. The more the better.

Remember, don’t rehash your resume in your cover letter. Instead, summarize the major points and expand on a couple of important points such as past jobs that are relevant. Relevancy is the key to a quality cover letter.

Having a good cover letter will make you stand out from the crowd and will mean the difference between success and failure when applying for jobs.

If you want to really stand out from the crowd, you need to learn resume basics. Grab resume tips from http://www.careertoolkits.com

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Career Spotlight: Accounting

An accounting career is an excellent choice if you want a stable job with a predictable income. With that said however, there is so much scope to increase your income as an accountant, whether it is by running your own side business, getting a job advancement or working for a high profile company. One thing is for sure - accounting is one profession which will always be required. Unlike other fragile fields like IT which often result in redundancy, accounting is one section of a corporation which can never be removed so being an accountant means that you have very good job security compared with many other professions.

You must become a qualified accountant before you can apply for any jobs or open your own firm. Once you are qualified, provided you are choosing to become employed by a company, you will need to apply for junior positions. Many people who are studying to become an accountant gain a part time job to get experience. In any case, graduate accountants generally start at the bottom but can soon move up the ladder.

After two or three years as a junior accountant you might choose to specialize in a particular accounting field such as auditing, tax, budget analysis, insolvency, analyst, financial controller and more. There are so many options in accounting, so if you don’t like one particular line of work you can modify your skills and education to specialize in something else.

Analysis is one of the most common accounting roles and there are many sub-fields including financial analysts, commercial analysts, contract analysts, finance analysts, costs analysts and more. If you are hired by a large firm you may have the opportunity to gain access to these various types of accounting so that you can make a more informed decision about what you wish to do.

So if you have decided to become an accountant it is time to start looking for a college course that will lead to you becoming a qualified accountant.

An accounting career is rewarding and diverse. You can choose from a number of specialty fields once you are qualified and you can even choose to start your own accounting business.

So what is an accountant anyway? Learn more about this exciting career field from http://www.careertoolkits.com – get the scoop on accounting degrees and much more.

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Make Your Resume Stand Out

Your resume is the first impression a potential employer will gain of you. If your resume is dull and does not grab attention then there is a good chance that your job application will be thrown away, along with hundreds of others. To truly stand out from the pack you not only need the qualifications and experience for the job but also a resume that sells you.

It is so easy to create a resume these days thanks to the power of the internet. Some job search sites have pre-made resume templates that you can simply fill in with your own details and send off to as many job openings as you wish. Whilst it is easy to do this, it is always preferable to take the time to create your own custom, personalized resume. The employer probably receives hundreds of the template resumes and grows tired of viewing them. If a resume pops up that is significantly different from the others then they are very likely to pay more attention to it.

If you are applying for a job online then there is normally no need to print your resume initially. But once you have to attend an interview you must take a printed copy with you. Often the employer will not look at your resume during the interview but you will want to be prepared just in case. Always print on high quality paper so that your resume appears professional and that you bring across a sense of pride. The employer will want to know that you take care and pride in your work. Make sure your resume includes as much detail as possible about previous employment and education, but don’t be long winded. Always keep it in easy to read, point form.

Always ensure to tailor your resume to the particular job you are applying for. There is little point sending the same resume to many different types of jobs. Even jobs within the same industry will call for different skills and education. So changing your resume on a per-application basis is the only way to ensure that it best matches what the employer is looking for.

Microsoft Word and other similar programs all come with resume templates that you can use a base. Or you can download templates from the internet or even buy professional, custom made resume templates to use.

A well formatted and clean looking resume is the only way to make a fantastic first impression upon your potential employer.

Do you want to learn about high salary careers? If you’re undecided about the right career for you, check-out the career profiles available at http://www.careertoolkits.com

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Career Spotlight: Physician Assistant

A Physician Assistant has the honorable job of helping physicians in patient care and advice. It is an occupation that is more than just a mere job; it is a lifestyle. To become a successful Physician Assistant you should be an empathetic person, know how to relate to people and of course; have an excellent understanding of health and medicine.

A physician’s assistant is also known as a PA. They can practice medicine under the supervision of a physician. They should not be confused at all with medical assistants as an MA performs more clerical tasks and can work under the supervision of a physician assistant.

Getting education to be a Physician Assistant is similar to going to medical school. However Physician Assistant training does not last for four or more years like a doctor must go through. They instead train for 3 years maximum, sometimes only two years. There is classroom and lab work and it covers a range of medical topics like microbiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, anatomy and more. There will also be clinical rotations in various medicine fields like surgery, paediatrics, gynaecology, internal medicine and more.

Physician Assistants are not required to complete residencies like physicians once they have finished at medical schools. However if a Physician Assistant wishes to undertake a residency program there are some available.

Graduate programs will lead to a qualification of Masters Degree in Physician Assistant Studies, Medical Science or Health Science. Other entry requirements are a Bachelors degree as well as GRE or MCAT. There are now also some programs for Physician Assistants that have an option for a doctorate qualification. This can include the Doctor of Science Physician Assistant (DScPA).

In 2006 the Physician assistant position was named as the 5th best job in America. This was based on salary ad job prospects as well as job growth which is expected to increase by almost 50% in the next 10 years. There will never be a shortage of work opportunities for a physician’s assistant.

Once you have experience in general practice as a PA you may choose to specialise in a medical field like dermatology, cardiology, surgery or others.

The mean income for a full time PA in 2007 was over $86,000. Specialist PA’s can earn up to $200,000 per year.

A physicians assistant is an excellent job and one that is highly rewarding for the right person.

Want more information on physician assistant careers? Learn about online physician assistant certification and physician assistant salaries from http://www.careertoolkits.com

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Career Spotlight: Becoming a Police Officer

Becoming a police officer is without a doubt one of the most noble and important jobs in our society. But it is not a job for everyone. You have to have a certain personality to become a police officer. Of course, anyone can try out for the role and you will be adequately trained in all facets of the job, so even if you don’t feel ready yet; you will be by the time you finish training!

You will need your high school diploma to have a chance as a police officer. In most states and countries some college study or special police university study is required. The Police Academy is somewhere that future officers train in order to learn the skills (both practical and in theory) that will be required for the role.

Due to the huge amount of competition amongst applicants, a large percentage do not make it. To give yourself the best chance of becoming a police officer make sure you put 100% into your application as well as any fitness and theory tests required of you. You will need to show why you are better than all the other applicants - just like with any other job.

Once you become a police officer you will stay as a detective for the first year or two. After that there is room to move and move your way up the ranks. You can also choose to specialize in certain times of crimes once you have been a detective for several years. You may wish to focus on drug crime, gang crime, corporate crime or any one of the many fields of work in policing.

Police officers are highly respected members of the community and once you have been accepted you can expect people to look up to you. you will be a role model to everybody you know, especially children so it is vital that you have good communication skills and great people skills so you can answer any questions that may arise - you should also be willing to listen to concerns of the people in your local police command area.

Once you have decided to become a police officer you should endeavour to become as fit as possible whilst also concentrating on the studies that lie ahead. You will be able to experience things that most people never do in their jobs because being a police officer offers something exciting and new every single day.

So what are the tasks of police officer? Learn more about this exciting career field from http://www.careertoolkits.com – get the scoop on how to become a police officer and much more.

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