Top Ten Reasons Why You Need a Cover Letter by Peter Newfield Your cover letter presents your intentions, qualifications, and availability to a prospective employer in a succinct, appealing format. It's your first chance to make a great impression, a personalized letter indicates you are serious about your job search. Your resume can give the nitty-gritty of dates, places of employment, and education but your cover letter must entice the reader to take the extra few minutes to consider you when faced with hundreds and thousands of candidates for any one job opening. 1. Do you really need a cover letter? You bet! Just as you would never just show up unannounced at a prospective employer's door, your resume should never just appear solo on a decision- maker's desk. Your cover letter is your first opportunity to introduce yourself, present your qualifications, and show the search committee you are a potential candidate for the advertised position. 2. Personalize it to the company. Anyone can reproduce a "canned" cover letter and hope for the best. Instead, take a few minutes to personalize your letter by showing that you are really serious about working for the companies you are contacting. State the reason that you are interested in working for that particular company. Mention a department, a new project the company is involved in, an acquisition the company has made. Show that you have done your homework. Address the cover letter to a specific individual whenever possible. 3. Why are you sending your resume and cover letter? Cover letters should be clear and to the point. Include the specific job title, two to three reasons why your experience makes a good fit, and a brief outline of career highlights. 4. Highlight your strengths! You may be a great person and never call in sick, but prospective employers really want to know why they should consider you for this position. Brag a little! Give a few facts, list relevant skills, and state accomplishments on your present or most recent jobs that will be impressive. Increased overseas sales by 93%? Negotiated new financial leases/loans? Implemented new training programs which reduced staff turnover by 15%? 5. State your intentions and qualifications right up front. If you expect a senior personnel manager or recruiter to wade through a mish-mash of information on your cover letter before understanding why you are sending your resume, chances are, it will never happen. 6. What makes you different? Emphasize your skills, talents, and experiences to show how you would be a valuable addition to the team. If you have relevant volunteer or professional experience include it briefly in your cover letter. Example: An accountant who serves as volunteer treasurer for a nonprofit community health organization; an international sales rep who has lived in Europe and Asia and speaks several languages. 7. No negative information! Never include personality conflicts with previous employers, pending litigation suits, or sarcastic remarks in your cover letter. If you are bad-mouthing your present place of employment, interviewers may fear a repeat performance if they hire you. 8. When should you include salary/relocation information? The rule of thumb is to always include salary requirements and/or salary history in the cover letter if a prospective employer requests it. For example: My salary requirements are $60,000-$75000 (negotiable). Or: My current salary is $53,000 at XYZ corporation. To eliminate this information from your cover letter may justify your resume getting tossed out. Never include salary and relocation information on your resume, only address this information in your cover letter. 9. Action Steps to Take! Take a proactive approach in your cover letter. State the fact that you are available for a personal interview; give your home, work, e-mail, and/or cell phone numbers where you can be reached; note that you will follow up by phone (where possible) to provide any additional information required. 10. Be direct! A professionally written cover letter and resume can open the doors to your next position on the corporate ladder, as well as a new career in a different field. A clean, error-free presentation combined with strong phrasing and solid facts will encourage the reader to review the attached resume and call you in for an interview.
Ten Cover Letter Don'ts by Kim Isaacs Your cover letter is the first thing employers see when they open your materials. Avoid these 10 mistakes, and make your first impression an impressive and lasting one. 1. Don t Overuse "I." Your cover letter is not your autobiography. The focus should be on how you meet an employer s needs, not on your life story. Avoid the perception of being self-centered by minimizing your use of the word "I," especially at the beginning of your sentences. 2. Don t Use a Weak Opening. Job seekers frequently struggle with the question of how to begin a cover letter. What results is often a feeble introduction lacking punch and failing to grab the reader s interest. Consider this example: Weak: Please consider me for your sales representative opening. Better: Your need for a top-performing sales representative is an excellent match to my three-year history as a #1-ranked, multimillion-dollar producer. 3. Don t Omit Your Top Selling Points. A cover letter is a sales letter that sells you as a candidate. Just like the resume, it should be compelling and give the main reasons why you should be called for an interview. Winning cover letter strategies include emphasizing your top accomplishments or creating subheadings culled from the position ad. For example: Your ad specifies and I offer: Communication Skills Five years of public speaking experience and an extensive background in executive-level report writing. Strong Computer Background Proficiency in all MS Office applications, with additional expertise in Web site development/design. 4. Don t Make It Too Long or Too Short. If your cover letter is only one or two short paragraphs, it probably doesn t contain enough key information to sell you effectively. If it exceeds one page, you may be putting readers to sleep. Keep it concise but compelling, and be respectful of readers time. 5. Don t Repeat Your Resume Word-for-Word. Your cover letter shouldn t just regurgitate what s on your resume. Reword your cover letter statements to avoid dulling your resume s impact. Consider using the letter to tell a brief story, such as "My Toughest Sale" or "My Biggest Technical Challenge." 6. Don t Be Vague. If you re replying to an advertised opening, reference the specific job title in your cover letter. The person reading your letter may be reviewing hundreds of letters for dozens of different jobs. Make sure all the content in your letter supports how you will meet the specific needs of the employer. 7. Don t Forget to Customize. If you re applying to a number of similar positions, chances are you re tweaking one letter and using it for multiple openings. That s fine, as long as you are customizing each one. Don t forget to update the company/job/contact information -- if Mr. Jones is addressed as Mrs. Smith, he won t be impressed. 8. Don t End on a Passive Note. Put your future in your own hands with a promise to follow up. Instead of asking readers to call you, try a statement like this: I will follow up with you in a few days to answer any preliminary questions you may have. In the meantime, you may reach me at (555) 555-5555. 9. Don t Be Rude. Your cover letter should thank the reader for his time and consideration. 10. Don t Forget to Sign the Letter. It is proper business etiquette (and shows attention to detail) to sign your letter. However, if you are sending your cover letter and resume via email or the Web, a signature isn t necessary.
Does Your Cover Letter Really Cover the Ground? by Steve Rawling There are two simple rules which I think should apply in almost all circumstances: Never send an application without a cover letter; and never send the same letter twice. The cover letter forms a crucial part of the normal application package, and it is the thing on which you should focus your time when preparing an effective application. It enables you to link your background shown in your resume, and/or application form to the particular job, or the particular employer, to make a specific case for consideration for this job. The circumstances in which a letter might not be needed include on-line applications, and cases where an application form provides an "open-ended" section which enables you to write in the sorts of things you might normally put in a letter. The advent of on-line applications has of course made significant changes in the whole job-application process for some employers, but I would guess that for quite some time the majority of applications will still be paper-based. Mailed, faxed, or emailed, these applications will almost always need a cover letter. Because the letter provides a specific link between your background, and the specific requirements of the job or employer, it is unlikely that you would ever use the same letter twice, unless you have thought about it very carefully. It is possible, for example, that you might be applying to two small or medium sized law firms or accounting firms, whose business is similar, and whose requirements have not been spelled out in detail. You might decide in that case that the same letter will do. Always making sure of course that you change the name and address! (Don't laugh - it has been known for people to churn out identical letters and to forget this small detail). But generally, every letter will be different, and will attempt to address the employer's specific criteria and the requirements of the job, which are bound to be different in various ways. So what should it cover? It should clearly identify what position you are applying for - it is not unknown for people to be considered for the wrong job, because they did not make this clear right at the start. It should state clearly what documents are attached. It should convey a sense of enthusiasm - an effective statement that you really do want this job. It should address the requirements of the job directly, linking things in your resume to the criteria for the job, and reflecting some of the language of the advertisement. Do not waste space in a letter repeating a lot of resume information, but refer to it to back up your claims. And it should always include a firm summary statement of why you think you would be a good choice for the position. No letter should be too long - in a reasonable font size, the above can usually fit on one page. If there is a substantial list of selection criteria, you might include a statement responding to these on a separate page. One last tip - always keep a copy of a cover letter, and refer to it when you are preparing for an interview. The employer knows what you have said - it is vital that you do too!
The Art and Science of Writing Cover Letters by Michelle Tullier If you think you don't need to put much effort into writing cover letters -- or don't need to send them at all because nobody reads them -- think again. True, many human resource recruiters, headhunters, and department heads don't have time to read both the letter and resume, so they skip right to the resume. Others are so tired of boring letters saying the same old thing that they simply don't bother to read them. As a result, some job search coaches will tell you, "Oh, just write a few sentences and don't fuss over the letter too much. It won't get read anyway." Well, for every person who says the cover letter is not important you'll find another who says it is. Many prospective employers view the cover letter as a way of getting their first impression of you. The cover letter reveals: how well you communicate what your experience and qualifications are -- briefly your level of professionalism clues to your personality how detail oriented you are (i.e., are there typos or other errors?) To make the best first impression, you need to know exactly what a cover letter is and to put some thought into it before you start writing. You also need to understand what to include -- and not to include -- and to be aware of some cardinal rules of cover letter writing. Five Things to Think about Before Writing If you find yourself struck by writer's block at about the "Dear Mr. or Ms. So-and-So" point, then you probably need to take a step back and put some more thought into your cover letter before diving into it. Asking yourself the following five questions will help you build a foundation for your letter and will make the actual writing go much more smoothly. What does the prospective employer need? Which skills, knowledge and experience would be an asset in the job you are targeting? What are your objectives? Are you applying for a specific job, trying to get an interview, or simply hoping to get someone to spend 10 or 15 minutes on the phone with you discussing opportunities in general at that organization? What are three to five qualities that you would bring to this employer or this job? If you're responding to a job listing or classified, then those qualities should obviously be the job requirements mentioned in the ad. If you're not applying for a specific job opening, then think of which skills, knowledge and experience would typically be valued. How can you match your experience to the job? What are at least two specific accomplishments you can mention which give credence to the qualities you identified in question number 3? Why do you want to work for this particular organization or person? What do you know about them? What is it about their products or services, philosophy, mission, organizational culture, goals and needs that relates to your own background, values and objectives? When you've addressed these five issues, you're ready to put fingers to keyboard and start hammering out that letter.
Anatomy of a Cover Letter If you're bewildered by how you're actually going to write a cover letter, it can help to break the letter down into its various parts and concentrate on just one section at a time. Here's what goes into each of the four main sections of a cover letter: The Opening This is where you tell employers who you are, why you're writing, and how you heard about the organization or the specific opening. The "who you are" part is a brief introduction of yourself with a phrase like: "I am a senior at XYZ University graduating in May with a major in biology." Just mention the basic facts about you and your situation, choosing the ones that will be most relevant to the employer. The "why you're writing" part is where you mention which position you are applying for, or what your job objective is if no specific opening has been advertised. Then be sure to tell them how you heard about the organization or the job. You might say, for example, "I saw your listing for a textile designer at the Career Development Office of the Rhode Island School of Design." Or, "I read about the expansion of your East Coast operations in the New York Times and am interested in discussing entry-level opportunities you might have available." The Sales Pitch In this section, it's best to get right to the point. The objective of this part of the letter is to list -- either in paragraph form or as an actual list of bullet points -- the reasons why the reader should see you as a viable candidate. It's best to start with a statement that provides an overview of your qualifications, then go into them more specifically, using the examples you identified before you started writing. A typical opening statement might sound something like: "As a political science major and former Congressional intern, I offer the following skills and accomplishments." The Flattery This is the "why them" section of your letter. It's where you flatter the reader a bit by commenting on something positive about the organization and letting them know why you would want to work there. You might mention the organization's reputation, sales record, size, corporate culture, management philosophy or anything else that they take pride in. Prospective employers like to know that you have chosen them for a reason and that they're not just one of hundreds of companies you're writing to as part of a mass mailing. (Even if you are doing a mass mailing, you must tailor each letter to "flatter" the reader and show that you've done some research on that organization or that person.) The Request for Further Action Some people think of this final section of a cover letter as the closing, but it's much more than that. The closing paragraph isn't just about thanking the reader for taking the time to read your letter or for considering you as a candidate for a job. It's also about where to go from here -- about opening the door to further contact. It's where you suggest how to proceed, usually by saying that you will call or email the reader to follow up and see if a meeting can be arranged. The important thing is to end the letter in an assertive, but courteous, way by taking the initiative to follow up. Once you've gotten these four sections of the letter completed in terms of content, go back and smooth out any rough edges of your writing and check for typos, misspellings and grammatical errors. Then you're ready for "Sincerely" or "Best Regards" and your signature, and you're off and running on the road to a great job.
10 Cardinal Rules of Cover Letter Writing 1. Tailor your letter as much as possible to the target reader and industry. 2. Talk more about what you can do for the prospective employer than about what they can do for you. 3. Convey focused career goals. Even if you'd be willing to take any job they'd offer you, don't say so. 4. Don't say anything negative about your employment situation or your life in general. 5. Cut to the chase -- don't ramble. 6. Don't make empty claims that aren't backed up with examples. 7. Don't write more than one page unless the prospective employer has asked for a detailed or extended cover letter. 8. Check, recheck and triple check your letter for typos and other errors. 9. Get other people's opinions of your letter before you send it. 10. Keep easily accessible copies of all letters you mail, fax or email along with a log of when letters were sent so that you can follow up on them
Suggested Cover Letter Format Your address Date Contact person Title Department Employer's name Address Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms./Dr. (Contact Person): First paragraph - introduction (2-4 sentences) Establishes the purpose of your letter, attracts attention, and arouses interest. State why you are writing by naming the specific position or type of job. Tell how you heard about the position/employer and why you are interested in it. Insert a brief sentence that gives your degree, major, university, and graduation date. Second/third paragraph - body (1-2 paragraphs, depending on your background) Generates interest with content by indicating how much employer research you have done and how your skills/background match the employer's needs. Indicate how you can help the employer achieve organizational goals in your specialty. Focus on what you can do for them rather than why you want the position. Highlight your most significant accomplishments, abilities, and experiences that are specifically relevant to the employer and job requirements. Sell your credentials - your mission is to prove you should be invited to an interview. Make reference to enclosures. Do not simply repeat your resume but point out important experiences and key assets - show some of this to demonstrate to the employer your personal qualities which cannot be indicated on a resume. Fourth paragraph - closing (4 sentences maximum) States your commitment to action. Take the initiative to make clear what happens next - you will be calling to arrange an appointment, and/or ask for additional information. State your availability. Let them know if/when you will be in the area. Mention that you have an enclosed resume or sample work, if applicable. Indicate that you will call to inquire about the possibility of an interview and/or the timing or the selection process. Restate contact information so the employer can contact you. Thank the employer. Sincerely yours, Your signature Your name, typed
SAMPLE COVER LETTER 2842 South Plaza Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N5 March 12, 2010 Mr. Harry Johnson Director of Personnel Prairie Bank 490 Laurier Avenue Mentor, OH 44046 Dear Mr. Johnson: The accompanying resume is in response to your listing in the Calgary Herald for a security officer. I am especially interested in this position because my experience as a senior security professional in the financial district has prepared me for a disciplined, secure work environment and the challenges associated with unexpected events. I'm looking forward to using this experience for enhancing the security of a growing and community-conscious bank. I would appreciate an opportunity to meet with you to discuss how my experience will best meet your needs. My ideas on how to improve your bank's security posture may be of particular interest to you. Therefore, I will call your office on the morning of March 17 to inquire if a meeting can be scheduled at a convenient time. I look forward to meeting you. Sincerely yours, Joyce Annalia