For cover letters I try to summarize my CV in a couple of paragraphs, but generally more focused. So if you are applying for a supervisory job you would want to highlight that kind of experience. If you were applying for a burial job, you would highlight that. For an entry level or general job you should state an objective, willingness to relocate to that job location, summarize your experience, and be clear about the position you are applying for if it is clearly defined. Overall, the cover letter is where you sell yourself, whereas your CV is more of a list of what you've done. Some employers may only look at your cover letter, some may not even read it.

Ya, Prisoner has the gist of it down. What I try to do is put into prose what is in my CV, in a couple of paragraphs, and tailored to the job in question. CVs tend to be rather dry factual (hopefully) data, but the cover letter is your introduction. I often use names that may be helpful here, such as "my colleague, or my professor so-and-so let me know or advised that you are seeking a (position) that I feel I am qualified to fill. Please review my resume..." etc.

Word of advise. Call the place in question and get the correct spelling of the person you are directing you resume to, as well as the correct address of the place it is going. First impressions on paper can be a factor. I see this a lot, particularly coming from the other direction (business to me) and it shows a lot of disregard in my book that you couldnt take 10 seconds to insure that you spelled a person's name correctly. It may seem petty to some, but a person's name is part of their identity. If you chose not to care here, where else are you not going to care?

Cheers, and best of luck,
Richard

Thanks for all of the tips, they have been a great help in getting me started.

If its a local job, deliver your CV in person, being able to put a face to a name pays dividends. And do it every time you apply... everything else being equal, people will pick a familiar face over a stranger every time.

Use regular paper -- I had a friend apply for a field job with a CV printed on handmade paper with little dried flowers in it. It really didn't convey the message "I'm a dedicated low maintenance person who doesn't mind getting dirt under my fingernails."

[quote:="trast"]If its a local job, deliver your CV in person, being able to put a face to a name pays dividends. And do it every time you apply... everything else being equal, people will pick a familiar face over a stranger every time.

Use regular paper -- I had a friend apply for a field job with a CV printed on handmade paper with little dried flowers in it. It really didn't convey the message "I'm a dedicated low maintenance person who doesn't mind getting dirt under my fingernails."

Second the advice above.

Professional looking paper is classy without being artsy. The above example is indeed over-the-top for archaeology; just fine for the Flower Shop or Wedding Planners Inc.

If it's not too late to chime in here, if you are working in California or the Great Basin, I might recommend putting down what counties you've worked in. That seems to be more of a sticking point as agencies require staff of a certain level of local experience...

[quote:="FireArch"]First impressions on paper can be a factor.

I wanted to emphasize this point. I often get resumes from people with misspelled words or incorrect grammar and it is a big turn off. When I was coaching I would get emails from high school students that wanted to play at my school, again with poor spelling and grammar. To me it shows both a lack of professionalism as well as a bit of laziness to allow these mistakes. So first impressions are big and since your resume and cover letter may be the only thing a prospective employer sees of you it is important to have a friend proof read your documents before they go out.

Absolutely Prisoner. Same with me.


There's a standard bit of advice that people should follow, particularly with a resume - let someone else read it. Often they will catch these errors and nonsense sentences that we become blind to. It happened to me on a resume I was using for staff qualifications in a submitted report. It was a stupid error that I should have caught, but because I had read that sentence so many times before I didnt really read it.

Another trick is to read the work starting from the end up to the beginning. This helps to catch those sorts of spelling and grammatical errors. Best on short works though, not War and Peace.

I pretty much agree with all of the previous recommendations regarding cover letters. However, depending on the job you're applying for you may wish to send out a traditional resume over a CV.

I've seen CVs for recent college graduates that were 4 or 5 pages long. Many employers (especially if you're applying for a field crew position) will only look at the first page and ignore the rest due to the sheer quantity of applicants.