“Dear Hiring Manager,

Please accept this application for the administrative assistant job . . .”

Here are a few tips on writing cover letters:

Address the Hiring Manager by Name
Unless you are applying to blind ad, you probably know the name of the company. Using LinkedIn or making a couple of phone calls to get the name of the hiring manager can make your cover letter memorable to the hiring manager. Also, the fact that you took the time to find out the name of the hiring manager shows initiative.

Use Keywords
Many companies are working with a skeleton crew and you shouldn’t overlook the possibility that one person may simply be scanning over your cover letter, searching for certain important words. Look at the job description carefully and use the same words.

Follow the Instructions
Look carefully at the instructions given for how to apply for the job. Does it say to put certain words in the subject line if you are applying by email? Does it specify which kind of attachments you should use? Does it specifically say “No Phone Calls”? Not following specific instructions can cause your application to be lost, deleted or tossed aside.

Be Creative
Finally, make sure you aren’t using the same tired clichés in your cover letter. Cover letters can be boring to go through, especially if they all sound the same. Make sure they stand out! For advice on creative cover letters, check out this article.

Title
The job title will probably be the first thing that the candidate sees when applying for a job. It should accurately describe the position level within the company. Words that would be useful in a job title are “Manager” , “Assistant”, ‘Representative” or “Executive”.

Duties
The job duties should accurately reflect the title, so don’t say that a position is management to attract more candidates if it’s not actually a management position. To accurately reflect the duties of the position, you may want to consult with someone already in the position to find out exactly what they do on a daily basis as well as what kind of tools or software they use . If this is a brand new position, consult with department managers and find out what they actually want from this new hire.

Requirements
This section should include the education and experience level required and preferred for the position. You want to be flexible in this section as you don’t want to alienate potentially great candidates from applying. For instance, you might want to say “2-5 years of experience” rather than just 4 years. Any kind of specialized training or software experience should also be included in this section. Be sure to indicate the level of experience if you need a candidate with specific software knowledge. For example, if a position requires some use of Photoshop, but not very high level, you can say “Must be familiar with Photoshop”.

Compensation
To incentivize candidates to apply, you should include as much information as you can about the compensation. Salary information and benefits are just 2 examples what could be included here. You may want to brag about the relaxed work environment or flexible schedule here. Be honest though. Don’t make promises you can’t keep!

Instruction for Applying
If you only want applicants to apply electronically, give them the email address, along with what they need to submit (resume, cover letter, etc.). It is also helpful to tell them what kind of file to send, such as a Word or PDF file. To avoid being flooded with phone calls, faxes and mail, state in the ad that only resumes submitted in the requested fashion will be considered.

Here are some tips on how to land a job using LinkedIn:

Build Your Network
Add colleagues, managers and friends to your network, but be sure they are people that you actually had interaction with on some level. Hiring Managers do look at potential candidates on LinkedIn and it’s possible that they could contact anyone you list in your network to inquire about you. Be sure that they have something to say and that it’s good!

Who’s Hiring?
Check to see where people in your network are working and where they have worked in the past. You can click on these companies’ profiles to see if they have any recent hires. Be sure to save the company’s website, because that’s where their jobs will be listed. If you have people in your network that work for these companies, reach out to them and let them know that you are interested in the company and see if they will give you any inside information. LinkedIn also has job listings on their site.

Use the Recommendations Feature
Ask former colleagues to write recommendations for you and be sure to return the favor.

A Basic LinkedIn account is free, but you have the option of upgrading to Business account which includes better search and organization tools, but perhaps the biggest draw for a business account is InMail. With a Basic account, you can only send messages to those in your network, but with Business accounts, you can send messages to others outside of your network, such as a hiring manager. Currently, LinkedIn is offering a 50% discount on Business accounts. For hiring managers, they are also offering a “Buy One Get One Free” for job postings. Now is a great time to take advantage of LinkedIn!