Here are some quick tips to help make your cover letters grab attention in today's competitive job market:

-- never begin the letter, or any paragraph with the word I. Instead, describe yourself in a more useful way, like As a senior Mechanical Engineering major at XYZ University, I am searching...

-- the entire cover letter should be no more than three or four paragraphs long and no paragraph should be more than about five or six lines.

-- the first paragraph should be a brief introduction of yourself and the purpose of the letter. If someone referred you to this person, state that up-front for immediate attention and added credibility.

-- the second paragraph should highlight your skills and/or experience that are directly related to the job or internship you are applying forif you have a lot of impressive experience, go ahead to three paragraphs.

-- dont spell out details of your experiencegive them the big picture and draw them into reading your resume to get the specifics. -- mention particularly impressive part-time jobs, internships, and co-ops by the companys name and mention the particular work done.

-- in the last paragraph, state exactly what you want: a full-time job after graduation, an internship (state when, for how long, full or part time), an information interview, etc. Then close up with an appropriate action, such as I will see you at the job fair on (date) or Please call at your earliest convenience to discuss...

-- dont mention salary.

-- always close on an appreciative tonesuch as Thank you for your time and serious consideration of my resume for (position).

In todays competitive job market, dont leave anything to chance. Use these quick tips as a checklist before sending out those cover letters in order to give yours the best chance of ending up on the top of the pile.