Let's start with the first order of business which is grabbing the reader's attention. If you fail at the task of grabbing the reader's attention, you can all but forget about them being interested in calling you for an interview. With all that's going on in the world and in our lives, we're all busy. What's the best way to get noticed over the rest of the noise?

There's no shortage of proven strategies to grab the reader's attention. The most effective strategy may well be a well-written attention-grabbing headline. Newspapers and magazines use headlines because they work; and they'll work in your cover letter too. If you think about it, you end up reading the articles with headlines that capture your attention, don't you?

And that's exactly the reason you want to use a headline on your cover letter. The fact is that most cover letters are dull and hiring managers are bored stiff going through them all so a cover letter with a headline will jump out of the pile and get read which is exactly what you want. When you see the results you get from sending cover letters with well-crafted headlines, you'll wish you started sooner.

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.

Powerful & proven cover letter examples. "...Robert sent me a 10 word email with a message so powerful I contacted him before 7AM the same morning to schedule an interview.I highly recommend Robert's Killer Cover Letter System to anyone who's serious about getting a job quickly." - Greg Hyde