AboutKathleen MacNaughton Expertise As an experienced healthcare recruiter and manager, as well as owner of one of the most popular resume help websites on the Web, I can answer questions about how to write a resume and/or cover letter, job interview tips, and other general job hunting and career topics.
Experience As a health care senior executive, I recruited hundreds of staff for a home care agency, both professional and non-professional. I also own a successful website about writing resumes and related job hunting topics that has more than 100,000 unique visitors a month. I am a freelance writer specializing in the areas of resumes, cover letters, and job interviews.
Education/Credentials BS degree in Nursing from Syracuse University
23 credits completed towards a Masters in Nursing Administration at Villanova University
Numerous seminars and conferences dealing with recruitment, resumes, job interviews
Question I'm a college graduate in the market for a job and have been looking through newspaper classified ads. Some of the ads that interest me only ask for a resume to be sent to the listed email address. When responding to these ads, should my email message be a cover letter of some sort? What should I say in the email other than indicating that my resume is attached?
Answer Hi Friedrick,
Any time you send someone your resume, a full-fledged cover letter should accompany it, if you hope to get a positive response. In the case of an emailed resume, the cover letter can be a secondary attachment, or it can be the email itself. Either should work.
A cover letter should be targeted to the position and company you're applying for. It should also highlight your unique strengths, abilities, and accomplishments.
