I need tips on writing a great cover letter. How can I "wow" potential employers?

1 I'd like to follow up on one of PenguinSage's comments. S/he said "do proofread". I'd make this #1.As an employer, I'm taking my valuable time to read your cover letter and resume.

You've had as much time as you needed to write what you're sending me. If you couldn't be bothered to run a spell checker on your document, or read through for mistakes like saying "pails in comparison" instead of "pales in comparison," all I can do is assume you're sloppy and that your work will reflect the same lack of interest. Why should I waste any more of my time on what you have to say, when you couldn't waste your time on fixing your mistakes?

Proofread! .

2 codepoet, regarding your answer "Don't use a form letter":I respectfully disagree with your take on having someone else write it for you (or even in some cases using a form letter). I don't know what field you're in, so maybe you have a different agenda. But generally it is not important for a cover letter to "sound the way someone speaks".

Cover letters are meant to be pieces of formal writing. If they sounded like someone spoke (even in a formal interview context), then it would be too casual, and even insulting to the potential employer. As someone with a LOT of history in both casual and formal writing, please let me be clear that formal writing should really be "by the book".

If you want to express personality, the interview is the place to do it. Maybe the only exception I can think of is in an industry where personality is at the forefront of qualifications (maybe for a performer of some sort for example). I'd worry far more about sounding too casual than too formal!

3 As someone else who is more often on the hiring side than the hiree side, I have to agree with codepoet - having someone else write your cover letter is like having your parents do your homework. Actually I pretty much agree with everything codepoet had to say. PenguinSage, it is interesting that you comment on codepoet having an agenda when you are doing quite a hard sell on your own resume-writing service here - codepoet has no incentive to lie to this user, however someone who runs a resume-writing business could possibly be seen as attempting to create a market for his/her business.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.