Next lets look at opening paragraph;

It was with interest that I recently found details of your company in a local publication and it occurred to me that my previous experience may be a close match for any positions you may have available now or in near future.

By using language like "with interest that I recently found details of your company" is a subtle compliment and leads them into letter. The rest of paragraph is a polite way of say "any jobs going?" :-)

The second paragraph is real key paragraph;

"As you can see from my enclosed resume" is an invitation to read resume, in fact reader should at this point stop reading letter and start looking at resume, but just in case they don't, it continues to build a desire to read resume....

"my experience with COMPANY NAME as a JOB TITLE would be suited to a similar position within your company." At this point they should be trying to find those key skills in your resume.

Now we come to something called third party credibility. That is to say, we want to suggest that other people think you are good at your job;

"Previous employers have found my skills coupled with my ability to work as part of a team or on my own initiative to be a useful combination."

The wording here is critical, if you say "I am an expert at xyz" then you are blowing your own trumpet, bragging etc, but that does not help anyone believe that it is so. If you imply that someone else thinks you are good at your job then they are much more likely to believe it.

This is a commonly used technique in advertising, for a quick example look at sales pages on internet, most have "testimonials" because you are more likely to believe product or service is good if someone else says it is so.

We should never be afraid of using these techniques because they actually work.

The covering letter and resume should be a combination that work together to sell your skills and abilities, they are your sales copy with sole purpose of getting you to an interview.

Therefore to be professional in your approach you need to sell features and benefits that you have to offer company. Horrible idea you are thinking. I agree! But we have to get job done in best way possible and that means selling your skills.

Next;

"Should you have any suitable vacancies now or in near future, I would welcome opportunity to discuss my suitability with you."

Is a polite request that you be considered for any up-coming vacancies, if you are lucky they are about to start a recruitment campaign and you can save them trouble and cost. If you are unlucky you may be put on file for a 2 or 3 months, that is not a bad thing in short term.

Finally;

"I look forward to hearing from you in near future." Is a straight forward request for them to contact you. You could substitute it with:-

"Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me."

And of course if you are actually looking for a job in sales then you have to prove you are a sales person:-

"I look forward to hearing from you in near future and will call to discuss any forthcoming vacancies with you in a few days time."

How pushy is that? Please don't use that if you are not applying for a sales post. But if you are looking for a sales job it is a good line so long as you follow it up with a phone call to prove you are good at your job.

For most people traditional ending is plenty good enough.

So, take some time to run through this again tomorrow after you have had time to think about it, write out a similar letter in your own words and see if you are happier with your own words. But what ever you decide, take action and use speculative approach. It really is a very effective tool in job search toolbox.

So there you go! A great start for your job search. It's important to use keywords (like above) so that you have a better chance at weeding out scams