Let's start with the first order of business which is grabbing the reader's attention. If you fail at the task of grabbing the reader's attention, you can all but forget about them being interested in calling you for an interview. With all that's going on in the world and in our lives, we're all busy. What's the best way to get noticed over the rest of the noise?

There's no shortage of proven strategies to grab the reader's attention. The most effective strategy may well be a well-written attention-grabbing headline. Newspapers and magazines use headlines because they work; and they'll work in your cover letter too. If you think about it, you end up reading the articles with headlines that capture your attention, don't you?

So why not put an attention-grabbing headline on your cover letter? Most cover letters don't have an attention-grabbing opening sentence so the mere fact that your cover letter even has a headline separates you from the pack and draws attention to your message, wouldn't you agree? I've personally sent cover letters with big, bold headlines like you'd see in a newspaper at the top of the page and they flat-out work.

Let's say you're walking along a crowded street and you spot a friend of yours on the other side of the street. Let say his name is Joe. How do you get Joe's attention? You could start jumping up and down and yelling, "Hey! Over Here!" That might work. A better way would be to yell "Hey Joe! Over Here!" That would be more likely to catch Joe's attention, wouldn't it? Because he hears his name. Personalization increases response dramatically.

Now let's take that thought and apply it to your headline. Adding personalization to your headline is a great idea. Use the recipient's name right there in the headline. It makes the message more personal and increases the chance the message is read. With a personalized headline your cover letter will instantly stand out from the crowd. The reader will be so curious to learn more about you that they'll immediately read the rest of your cover letter. Try it. It works.