CAREER PATH : RIGHT COVER LETTER MOVES EMPLOYERS TO EXAMINE RESUME.

Byline: Carol Kleiman Chicago Tribune 

There's an important communication tool that can help you get the job interview you seek.

No, not the resume. It's the cover letter.

``The employment cover letter is, in most cases, the very first contact that you will have with an employer,'' writes Richard H. Beatty in ``The Perfect Cover Letter,'' (Wiley, $10.95). ``If the letter is poorly written, many employers may never even bother to go as far as to read your resume. . . . A poor cover letter can screen you out of the employment selection process before you even get started. You may never have an opportunity to compete.''

Beatty heads the Brandywine Consulting Group in Malvern, Pa., an executive search and outplacement consulting firm. He describes the cover letter as a sales tool, a business letter, a letter of introduction and a way ``to generate employer interest in you.''

Most job seekers, however, spend so much time creating their resumes that they tend to brush off the cover letter as inconsequential.

But in today's job market, where employers are flooded with job applications, the cover letter assumes tremendous importance because it helps create the good impression you need to get that highly prized job interview.

And when done correctly, it will make the employer interested enough to take a look at the job interview clincher: your resume.

Some helpful approaches to the cover letter come from veteran resume consultant Marsh Brill of Chicago, owner of her own consulting service.

For the past 10 years, Brill has been helping job applicants write resumes and cover letters. Her fee is $30 an hour.

The purpose of the cover letter, she says, is to ``highlight skills, accomplishments, positions and titles that are pertinent to the particular job you're responding to. It's a summary of your entire job background, probably for the past 10 years.''

Job applicants should include a cover letter with each resume submitted, she says, even on the Internet, and should tailor each to the particular company.

Though Brill creates individual resumes for clients, she encourages them to write their own cover letters, which she critiques.

``The important thing to remember is to keep it simple,'' Brill said. ``No gold borders, no fancy stationery, no heavy-duty paper. Just your regular letterhead.''

She also warns to ``avoid typos, poor grammar and trite phrases.'' When you don't have a name, use ``To Whom It May Concern,'' or ``Dear Sir or Madam'' as your salutation.

To create a cover letter that ``establishes a connection'' between you and the company, introduce yourself and explain why you're responding to the ad or applying for the job, Brill suggests. ``Briefly mention your skills and background. Express your personality, attitude and writing style.''

Doing so will take more than one paragraph, she says. In fact, Brill advocates at least three. And the very last sentence should say, ``I look forward to the opportunity to meet with you.''

``A cover letter is important,'' she said. ``Take time to do it right. It's worth it.''