Be your best advocate
What do you need to do to have your resume noticed? they should be neat, on white paper with black ink (because it is easiest to read - you want that, right?) The best thing about cover letters is to let the reader know what position you are interested in, what you have worked as, and very importantly, what you have achieved. If you helped to develop a faster system to do your job, let them know. If you had the best productivity record for the year, tell them. Let them know why they want you - basically tell them what you can do for them.