Articles Submitted to the Blurbosphere

Grabbing the reader's attention is of paramount importance whether you realize it or not. Failing to attract and keep the attention of the reader most likely will result in failing to get an interview. Hiring managers are inundated with cover letters and resume and we all have busy personal lives. So how do you stand out from the crowd and get noticed?

There are several ways actually. One way is to create an attention-grabbing opening sentence or headline as copywriters call it. Think of it like the headlines in newspapers and magazines. You choose which articles to read by quickly glancing at the headlines, don't you?

So why not put an attention-grabbing headline on your cover letter? Most cover letters don't have an attention-grabbing opening sentence so the mere fact that your cover letter even has a headline separates you from the pack and draws attention to your message, wouldn't you agree? I've personally sent cover letters with big, bold headlines like you'd see in a newspaper at the top of the page and they flat-out work.

What if you were in a crowded shopping mall and you noticed a close friend on the level below. Maybe your friend's name is Susan. What would you do to get Susan's attention quickly? You might flail your arms above your head and scream "Hey! Look up here!" That could possibly work. But an even better idea would be to yell "Hello! Susan! Look up Here!" Don't you think you'd have a better chance to get Susan's attention that way? If Susan hears her name, she's more likely to notice over everything else that's going on around her. Using someone's name personalizes the message and increases the likelihood of getting noticed.

Take that idea and apply it to the headline on your cover letter. Personalizing any message, including a headline, is an effective strategy. Put the person's name at the beginning of the headline. Doing so will personalize your message and increase the probability your cover letter is read. Cover letters and resumes with personalized headlines are so different, the reader can't help but notice them. And even better than that, the reader will be so engaged that he or she won't be able to stop themselves from reading it to fond out more. Give it a shot. You'll like the results.