There is little dispute about the value of a well written and focused resume cover letter. Sending out resumes has only one purpose; to generate interviews. A well written resume cover letter is written to introduce the resume and motivate the reader to look closely at the resume.

The sad fact is that many job hunters still slow up their job hunting progress by using letters that directly hurt their job search. They think a one size fits all or a "form" letter will get the job done. Hardly; it's only a recipe for the resume to be discarded and not read.

Here are three mistakes to avoid in using and writing your resume cover letter.

1. Failure to understand the needs and purposes the recipients will be looking for in the cover letter. Your resume and cover letter will be sent to three distinct individuals.

First is the hiring manager; the person who can make a decision on hiring. Second is the Human Resource office; their job is to screen out candidates who fail to meet the qualifications of the job. And third are third-party recruiters; are looking for specific skills to help sell your candidacy to an employer.

To be a strong candidate for the hiring manager they are looking for someone who can have an immediate positive impact. Focused accomplishments go a long way to sell this individual.

The HR screener is looking for a close match to the listed qualifications. Your letter should then be crafted to address this requirement.

The recruiter is searching for candidates who will wow the client. If the client is looking for an operations manger with three years experience and you have six years, with program management experience it becomes a rather easy sell.

Knowing your audience for your cover letter will allow you to craft the letter to meet the needs of the reader.

2. Failure to introduce your resume but repeating the same things you wrote in the resume. You worked hard on your resume and are proud of the effort. Repeating what is in the resume will announce to the reader that you are wasting their time if they begin reading the same thing twice. Maybe you think the creative well is dry; you have nothing further to add. Well think again, because the letter to be effective must be creative.

The first sentence must grab the reader and motivate them to read further. After the first paragraph they want to read the second paragraph, and so forth. The cover letter is a document meant to sell; and sell you effectively.

You are in business to sell your skills and provide benefits to the employer. Make sure that every word and every sentence speaks about the value you are about to bring to the company.

3. Failure to focus the cover letter to the proper story line. Every time you talk about yourself in the cover letter that means less space in the one page letter to selling what you can do for the employer.

Edit out the "I" and "Me" from the cover letter as much as possible. Do the research and focus on how you can make a difference for the prospective employer. The employer doesn't care about advancing your career but the bottom line and your enthusiastic commitment and interest in the job. The story line is about the employer and not about you.

Carry this off and eliminate the other mistakes and you've got a winning cover letter.

John Groth has changed careers seven times during his working life. Learn more about changing careers, creating winning resumes and cover letters and career planning at http://careersafter50.com/. Discover how others over age 50, built winning career plans and found the right careers by effective job hunting and career planning after 50.

Job hunting is a marketing project. You are marketing, "You," and the prospective employer is the, "Buyer." In any selling proposition you need to get the buyer's attention. How you craft this critical action in your resume cover letter will determine if you make it to the next step in the job search process; the job interview.

You probably never fully read the tabloids you see near the checkout counter at the supermarket but you've got to admit the headlines are really designed to get your attention. How about the headlines on the covers of popular magazines? They have the attention grabbing headline process honed to a fine science. They have to get this right as their continuing existence depends on getting writing headlines that grab your interest.

In writing your resume cover letter headline we are not suggesting you put up something like, "Internet inventor can save you millions!" First it's a lie you did not invent the internet and you are likely not going to be able to save anyone millions. So your headline should be something you can back up in your resume or in the job interview.

Your cover letter headline should either be the first sentence of the letter or a centered statement above the salutation. (You always address the letter to a specific person, never to "Dear Sir/Madam.")

Now let's get creative on writing your headline. Before we do another thing you should also avoid never start a cover letter with the bland opening like, "Enclosed is my resume for consideration for the Project Manager position listed in the 5/29/11 Post Dispatch." This is what almost everyone else is saying, and you definitely want to stand out from the crowd.

An effective headline in your cover letter should motivate the reader to read the balance of the letter and then move on to read your resume. You have very little time to get the employer's attention and the right headline will create curiosity for them to read further.

Great headlines include the following type of examples:

"My interest in structural engineering started at age 14 when I build a tree house. It's still being used in the back yard at my parent's home. Let me put my engineering passion to work as your new (job title)"

"Using initiative, I generated in the past year over $210,000 in tax savings for my employer. Can I show you how I can do the same for you as your (job title)?"

"My customer service and business skills were honed by building a lawn cutting service that financed all my college expenses. Let me show you how these and other skills will generate value as your (job title)"

"Jack is the finest event planner I've every come across. And I've been going to events for over 30 years and he is the best at what he does. We were sad when circumstances forced us out of this aspect of the business and we had to let him go. He has my highest recommendation." This approach is a bit out of the ordinary but by leading off with a strong endorsement and the name of CEO of your previous employer; you will make a strong first impression.

Be creative, show a number of proposed headlines to a friend and have them rank them in attention-getting power. Be sure to back up any claims in the balance of the cover letter.

Don't you think that a headline like one of the above will grab the reader's attention and definitely make you stand out from the competition?

John Groth has changed careers seven times during his working life. Learn more about changing careers, resume and cover letter writing tips and career planning at http://careersafter50.com/. Discover how others over age 50, built winning career plans and found the right careers by effective job hunting and career planning after 50.

There is little dispute about the value of a well written and focused resume cover letter. Sending out resumes has only one purpose; to generate interviews.

The sad fact is that many job hunters still slow up their job hunting progress by using cover letters that directly hurt their job search. Here are three mistakes to avoid in using and writing your letter.

1. Failure to understand the needs and purposes the recipients will be looking for in the cover letter. Generally you send your resume to three groups: hiring managers, resume screeners and recruiters working for a third-party.

The hiring managers are searching for candidates who can solve a problem for them. Resume screeners will select candidates who closely match the skills and qualifications listed in the requirements for the job. Third party recruiters are primarily interested in selling your qualifications to a prospective client.

Keeping these three different interests in mind when you write your letter will increase your ability to catch and hold the attention of your specific audience. This in turn will clearly establish that you appear to be one of the strongest candidates.

2. Your cover letter should not be a rehash of what is in your resume. The letter's primary purpose is to introduce your resume rather than repeat what you've written in the resume.

This mistake leads the reader to go over the same information twice and you've lost a great opportunity to more effectively communicate the skills and accomplishments you have to offer. Effectively selling your skills to match the needs of the employer requires some research and creativity. Your letter should motivate the reader to want more and move them to read your resume.

3. The cover letter is boring because it's all about you. The employer wants to know what's in it for them. They are buying and you are selling. Get this right and you are well on your way to writing a compelling letter.

Get rid of the "I" word. Write about the needs of the employer. Show your interest in the company and in the job. Sell the reader in what you can do for the company. Answer the question: How can you make a difference?

A well crafted letter will get your resume read and possibly you get moved to the next level. On the other hand a poorly focused cover letter will be ignored and your resume will never be read. This is one of those times where to have to make a good impression and a well written cover letter will do just that.

Don't think a generic cover letter will cover all the bases, take the extra time to effectively communicate and introduce your resume. The presentation made by your cover letter can make all the difference in you job search. Take the time to get it right. It will pay off in generating additional interviews.

John Groth has changed careers seven times during his working life. Learn more about changing careers, writing resumes and cover letters and career planning at http://careersafter50.com/. Discover how others over age 50, built winning career plans and found the right careers by effective job hunting after 50.