What should the 1st paragraph emphasize?

• A. Describe the company history
• B. Provide your salary expectations
• C. Highlight your skills and abilities
• D. List your references

Answer: (C)

The opening paragraph should immediately show what you bring to the table by highlighting your skills and abilities that align with the job’s needs. This grabs the reader’s attention and makes it clear why you’re a strong fit, setting up the rest of the letter to expand on those qualifications.

Why this works: employers want to see, right away, how you can add value. Focusing on your relevant strengths and a concrete accomplishment or capability demonstrates you understand the role and can contribute meaningfully. Topics like company history, salary expectations, or references don’t show what you can do; they belong later in the process, after you’ve established fit.

Keep it concise and targeted, ideally tying one or two key skills to a measurable achievement. For example, you might lead with your experience in a relevant area and a result you delivered, then hint at how you’d apply that to the role you’re pursuing.