Letters

Your cover letter should include a similar heading, if not the same, that is on your resume.  Include the following parts in the body of your letter:

• Opening - Tell employers who you are, why you are writing, and how you heard about the organization or specific opening.
• Sales Pitch - Get right to the point! List in either paragraph from or bullet points - the reasons why the employer should see you as a viable candidate. Start with a statement that provides an overview of your qualifications, then go into each qualification more specifically as they apply to the job opening, using examples you identified before you started writing.
• Insight - This is the "why them" section of your letter. It is where you interest the reader by commenting on something positive about the organization and letting them know why you are a good fit.
• Request for Further Action - Do not think of this last paragraph as a closing, but more of an opening to further contact. End the letter in an assertive, but courteous way by taking the initiative to follow up.

Back To Top

Ask yourself the following questions before you begin writing your cover letter...

1. What does the prospective employer need? 
   Which skills, knowledge and experience would be an asset in the job you are targeting?

2. What are your objectives? 
   You are applying for a specific job and trying to get an interview.

3. What are three to five qualities that you would bring to this employer or this job? 
   If you are responding to a job listing or classified ad, then those qualities should obviously be the job requirements mentioned in the ad.

4. How can you match your experience to the job? 
   What are at least two specific accomplishments you can mention which give credit to the qualities you identified in the prior question? 

5. 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? Do your research.

Once these five questions have been answered, you are ready to begin creating your cover letter!

Back To Top

•  Tailor your letter to target the reader, industry, and job opening.
• Write to a specific person using his/her title.
• Research the company thoroughly.
• Communicate your capabilities in ways that describe how you will meet the needs specified in the job description.
• Always refer to the accomplishments on your resume that relate to the immediate benefits that you can contribute to this employer.
• Use action words to relate your accomplishments.
• Use proper spelling and grammatically correct sentences.
• Make sure the letter is well organized and carefully worded.
• Use appropriate language.  Avoid the use of clichés, slang, contractions or contradictions.
• Emphasize concrete reasons why the employer should be interested in you and avoid flowery phrases describing growth, challenge, advancement, etc.
• Avoid sounding desperate.  You want the employer to know that you are interested in a particular job, but not that you cannot live without it.
• Be honest and sincere; try to give an impression of modest confidence.
• Avoid using the personal pronoun "I".
• Create your letter on a computer.  Using a professional business style.
• Proofread and sign your letter.  Typographical errors are not acceptable.

Back To Top

Resumes look pretty much the same, so a thank you note can set you apart and do wonders for your profile.  I appreciate thank you notes, don’t you?  And, a well-written, well-timed thank you letter could land you a second interview and give you a second chance in case you did not interview well.

Back To Top

• Name the job you interviewed for and the date of the interview.
• Help the interviewer to remember who you are.  Bring up something positive that happened or was said in the interview.  Make it personal.
• Show your strong interest in the job.  Be enthusiastic
• Did you forget to add something at the interview and only remembered it after you left the building?  Do you have qualifications you did not mention to the interviewer about?  Do it now.
• Sell yourself.  Work on what you know to be the employer’s needs.  Tell the interviewer of your ability to answer these needs.
• Offer to give more information and to come in for another interview.
• Thank the interviewer for the interview, for their time, and/or for considering you for the position.

Back To Top

Use plain white paper or paper that matches your resume and cover letter.  Use the same letterhead you created for your resume.  Type it or write it in black ink.  It should have a neat and clean appearance.  There should be no mistakes in spelling, grammar or punctuation. As with all of your documents, have someone read it to check for errors before you mail it. 

The basic rule of thumb is that each interviewer gets a thank you letter which should be sent within 24 hours.  If that is not possible, send the thank you to the highest ranking interviewer and ask that your appreciation be passed along to the others.  A good idea is to collect business cards from each interviewer so that you have their correct position, job title and spelling of their name, etc.

Back To Top