|
TIPS ON WRITING A COVERING LETTER
COVER LETTERS
Your
cover letter and resume usually provide all the information which a prospective
employer will use to decide whether or not you will reach the next phase in the
application process: the interview.
While your goal is an interview and,
ultimately, a job offer, the more immediate purpose of your cover letter is to gain an attentive audience for your resume.
A cover
letter provides, in a very real sense, an opportunity to let your prospective
employer hear your voice. It reflects your personality, your attention to
detail, your communication skills, your enthusiasm, your intellect, and your
specific interest in the company to which you are sending the letter.
Therefore, cover letters
should be tailored to each specific company you are applying to. You should
conduct enough research to know the interests, needs, values, and goals of
each company, and your
letters should reflect that knowledge.
Your
cover letter is a
sales pitch. It’s primary purpose is to show why your skills and background are
a perfect match for the position for which you're applying. It is not the place
to present all of your experience, that should already be showcased in your
resume.
Highlight one or two of your skills
or accomplishments that show that you are the right person for this position.
back to top of page
Things To Keep In Mind
Keep it brief
Cover
letters rarely need to be longer than one page. You can usually sum it up
in about four paragraphs:
-
Introduce yourself and explain why you’re
writing.
-
Lay out your key skills and accomplishments.
-
Explain why you want to work for the
company.
-
Thank the reader, invite him/her to contact
you and lay out your follow-up plans.
Personalize
Avoid generic greetings
such as "To Whom It May Concern" or "Dear Sir or Madam". Address your letter to a specific person, and
make sure the spelling is correct.
Sell your skills
Don’t just rehash your
resume. Highlight the skills that are most relevant. Illustrate how they relate
to the position.
Clarity is key
Be very direct; write
clearly and concisely. Don’t make the reader have to work to figure out why
you’re writing or speculate at how your skills match the position.
Be proactive
State how you can be
reached and give specific information about your plans for follow-up. Once
you've said it, do it; follow through.
Review, review, review
Always take the time to
review your letter. Double-check for typos; don’t rely on spell-check. If you
have time, ask a friend or colleague to look it over as well. Make your changes
and review again.
back to top of page
Tips
Before you begin sending any letters, it is important that
you devise some way of keeping track of when and what you have sent. For
instance, if you send a letter to Ms. X asking for an interview and offer to
call her during the week of June 6th, you need to have that date on record so
you can be sure to meet that commitment. Also, if you are sending out 40
letters to various employers, it can be critical to know what you have said in a
particular letter to be able to follow it up with accuracy. Listed below are
two formats for organizing your letter campaign.
Create a chart with columns for the prospective employer’s
name, the person contacted, the date sent, any commitments you made in the
letter and follow-up. Make another chart showing the response you received from
each letter with column headings, such as prospective employer’s name, person
who replied, date of reply, and action taken. Keep these charts up to date and
hold on to letters you receive.
Make copies of all the letters that you send out and file
them in a folder. Keep another file folder for the letters you receive which
call for further action to be taken on your part and a separate file folder for
your rejection letters. This method can be especially helpful because you have
reference to all your letters for use when composing other letters. Also, you
can look back over the letters you have sent and see which ones were the most
effective in generating interviews.
back to top of page
General Suggestions For Letters
Do
·
Follow rules of layout and format of a standard business letter
·
Slant letter toward what you can offer employers, not what you
think
they should be offering
you
·
Address, whenever possible, to an individual, along with his/her
correct
title
·
Spell, punctuate, and paragraph correctly
·
Hand-sign, rather than type your signature
·
Be brief, concise and to the point
·
Close with a direct request for some sort of action (i.e.,
interview
appointment)
·
Take advantage of any link to the employer that can put your foot
in the
door or give you an
edge over the competition (for example, mentioning
the name of someone you know in the
organization)
Don’t
·
Use stiff language or phrasing
·
Be gimmicky in an attempt to be original or clever
·
Load with constant use of the word “I”
·
Be lofty in tone or indicate you will do the employer a great
service by
“considering” a position
·
Be excessively emphatic about your reliability, capacity for hard
work or
intelligence.
back to top of page
-
No spelling
or typing errors. Not even
one.
-
Address it to
the person who can hire you.
Resumes sent to the personnel department have a tougher time of it. If you can
find out (through networking and researching) exactly who is making the hiring
decision, address the letter to that person. Be sure the name is spelled
correctly and the title is correct. A touch of formality is good too: address
the person as "Mr.," "Ms.," "Mrs.," "Miss," "Dr.," or "Professor." (Yes, life
is complicated.)
-
Write it in
your own words so that it
sounds like you--not like something out of a book. (Electra gets in trouble
with libraries when she says things like this.) Employers are looking for
knowledge, enthusiasm, focus.
-
Being
"natural" makes many people nervous.
And then even
more
nervous because they are trying to
avoid spelling errors and grammatical mistakes.
-
Show that you
know something about the company and the industry.
This is where your research comes in. Don't go overboard--just make it clear
that you didn't pick this company out of the phone book. You know who they
are, what they do and you
have chosen them!
back to top of page
Response Letter To Help Wanted
· Thoroughly read and reread an advertisement to aid you in
determining what the potential employer is looking for. Try to speak to the
“needs” of the organization evidenced through the ad - some reading between the
lines may be necessary so that you can tailor your response.
· Answer the ad as soon as possible after it appears. However, make
sure that you allow yourself enough time to prepare adequately.
· Be as innovative as possible to aid your letter in standing out
amidst the wave of response letters the organization is sure to receive.
· Follow the advertisement’s instructions carefully regarding where
the response should be directed and what to include (i.e., resume, statement of
geographic preference, etc.). Answer all questions, with the exception of
responding to a request for salary requirements. In this case, it is advisable
to avoid a direct answer and simply indicate that it is open or negotiable.
· Be brief! Letters should be individualized, concise and factual.
· Always consider the reaction of the employer by putting yourself
in his/her place. Try to determine what accomplishments and skills would be
most attractive to a particular employer.
· Be straightforward, professional and businesslike - remember you
are selling yourself. As with the resume, stick to the facts.
· Remember that the primary purpose of the letter is to get you in
the door for the interview - make sure the letter has impact.
back to top of page
Interview Appreciation Letter
Interviews should always be followed up with a thank-you letter expressing
appreciation for the interviewer’s time. Not only is this an accepted
courtesy, your letter can also serve to refresh your session in the mind of
the interviewer. When an on-site visit to the employer is involved,
the appreciation letter may accompany your expense account for the visit.
back to top of page
Sample Cover Letter
Outline
Your Present Address
City, State, Zip Code
Date Of Writing
Ms. Jane Blank
Title
Organization
Street Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Ms. Blank:
1st Paragraph
Tell why you are writing; name the position, field, or
general career area about which you are asking. Tell how you heard of the
opening or organization.
2nd Paragraph
Mention one or two of your qualifications you think would be
of greatest interest to the organization, slanting your remarks to their point
of view. Tell why you are particularly interested in the employer, location, or
type of work. If you have had related experience or specialized training, be
sure to point it out. Refer the reader to the enclosed application form, resume
or the fact that the XYZ Career Placement Office has or will send full
credentials to provide additional information concerning your background and
interests.
3rd Paragraph
Close by making a request for an opportunity to visit the
employer. Indicate that you will follow up with a phone call about the
possibility of a meeting. If, instead of wanting an interview, your request is
for further information concerning openings, it would be polite to enclose a
self-addressed, stamped envelope. Make sure your closing is not vague, but
makes a specific action from the reader likely. Thank the employer for his/her
consideration of your application materials.
Sincerely,
(Your Handwritten Signature)
Type Your Name
back to top of page
|
