Paralegal Cover Letter
Want to be a legal professional? Believe me, a career as a paralegal is too good an option to get started with. And in order to getting a particular job happen, your paralegal resume should be supplemented by a brilliantly written paralegal cover letter. In the professional world, as the domain of paralegals continues to grow and diversify, ever-widening array of career gateways are opened up at every level of working experience. Paralegals are essential to the day-to-day functioning of a busy law firm. They execute varied duties ranging from gathering info to researching the same and even analyzing it. Even the lawyers are dependent on paralegals for all areas of practice, be it civil, criminal, government or medical.
For many in the profession, cover letters are often mistaken to be afterthought. Budding professional tend to be done with it quickly, just to make an introduction; while in some cases paralegals are being literally trained to write proper cover letters that tend to exaggerate a lot, yet the worst being that a group of professionals do not even bother to attach a cover letter to their application package! For them a one-paged cover letter is an absolute waste of time!!
Opening Section
Craft the cover letter in such a manner so as to capture the attention of the attorney at the very first go. Mention the position that you're applying for and also do mention the source that may either be an advert or any person or even the internet i.e. how did you come to know about the job opportunity. Mention it in the very first paragraph before you move on to discuss your skills and qualifications.
Identify your Skills & Persuade
Once you are done with the opening section, move on to the letter body and the persuasion section. Mention your skills and qualifications, working experience and level of expertise out here. Be clear about your certifications and training courses and also do clarify if you had an on-the-job-training, or attended a formal course in any of the community colleges to become a paralegal. Showcase the employer how you can prove to be an asset to the law firm. DO NOT MAKE YOUR COVER LETTER A REPLICA OF YOUR RESUME. Cover letter is just for highlighting and focusing your skills and your capabilities to serve as an expert witness apart from performing all kinds of paralegal duties. Persuasions in case of paralegal cover letters are quite essential.
An example of persuasion: "My experience in working with in-house counsel and law firms and corporations can definitely benefit your bottom line by helping you cut your outside legal costs. Following are additional qualifications that I can bring to your organization:"
Research
Very often, employers tend to get impressed when they come across a candidate who has taken out time to get specific info about their organizations. It conveys the message that you're a selective person when it comes to taking up job opportunities and that you're not willing to work for just anyone. After stating your reasons or writing, follow it up with your research in just a couple of sentences to highlight the same. An example: "I have meticulously followed your organization's success graph over the last few years and needless to say, the growth rate of 55% over last year is quite impressive." Conclusion
Wrap up your deal now. Tie the loose ends o your letter and close with an open-ended statement that shows you're expecting an interview (say something passively like, "I'll wait for you to call me up.") An example: "I would like to further discuss my knowledge, experience and demonstrated results that match your organization needs. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to a personal meeting to discuss this opportunity further."