Cover Letter Tutorial
Cover Letter Tutorial
- Employers receive thousands of resumes and cover letters in response to openings
- The cover letter can be thought of as a sales pitch.
- Keep it brief - ex: 3 or 4 short paragraphs.
- the writing must be concise.
General Tips
- Emphasize the 2 or 3 strongest reasons why you are the best candidate.
- Do not restate your resume.
- Draw parallels with previous work experience.
- Demonstrate interest or knowledge about the firm or industry.
Paragraph Construction
- Never begin a paragraph with "I".
- No sentence should be longer than 12 words.
- Use proper English and avoid slang or abbreviations.
- Use action verbs such as "designed" or "implemented"
- Use the active voice whenever possible.
- Personalize each letter.
Before you begin writing
- Answer the question "Why should I hire you?"
- Respond to the need of the company and the person who is hiring for the position.
- Answer the following questions
- How do I get my message across?
- What do I want to communicate to the reader?
- construct a "grabber" at the beginning and a "closer" at the end.
- Be honest and factual.
- Do not make your problems someone else's problems.
Writing the Cover Letter
- Place at the top and center of the letter.
- Include name, address, and phone number.
- Work number, fax or email are optional.
Example: Chris Smith
178 Green Street
New York, NY 09998
Date
- The date should appear two lines below and to the right of your header.
- Do not abbreviate the date.
Example: March 4, 1995
The Addressee
- Confirm the spelling of the person's name and company to whom you are addressing the letter
- List addressee two lines beneath the date on the left-hand side of the letter.
- Be sure to include full name starting with Ms. or Mr.
- Then write in the person's title, company name and address.
Example:
Ms. Joan Jones
Vice-President of Marketing
Norville Software, Inc.
335 Winding Block Road
Suite 500
New York, NY 09998
Salutation
- Should be typed two lines beneath the company's address.
- Use a colon instead of a comma at the end of the salutation.
- Always use "Dear Mr." or "Dear Ms." unless the individual is a friend or relative.
Example: Dear Ms. Jones:
First Paragraph
- State your interest and purpose for writing to the company.
- State why you feel you are the best candidate for the position.
- Reference the name of the publication if you are responding to a classified ad.
Example:
Seeking a new challenge, I was pleased to notice your advertisement for a Senior Product Manager in the May 17th New York Times. Over the last four years, I have consistently delivered new and innovative products to market.
Second Paragraph
- Use accomplishment statements and link them to the employer's needs.
- Detail how you can contribute to this company.
- Demonstrate your qualifications.
- use terms that the employer uses in the advertisement or that are industry specific.
Example:
As a product manager for Allied Software, I managed three product launches within 12 months. This included organizing and implementing a direct mail campaign, a product tour, and trade show presentations before industry analysts. As a result of these marketing efforts, revenues exceeded goals by 35%.
Third paragraph
- Focus on the company. Show your interest in their products or services.
- Display enthusiasm for the industry.
Example:
Your company recently announced plans to move into networking software linking desktop personal computers to mainframe computers. With my success in bringing this type of software to market, I am confident that I can help Norville become a market leader in this fast-growing (about 65% annually) market.
Final paragraph
- Go for the close by stating your intent to call for an appointment.
- Take the initiative and state when you will follow up this letter with a phone call.
- If you are responding to an advertisement which asks for salary requirements, give a range instead of a specific number.
Example:
Recognizing that your schedule must be quite hectic, I will call you on Thursday to see if we can arrange a time to meet. Thank you for your interest in my request.
Closing
- Place closing two lines beneath the body of the letter right-aligned.
- Use "Sincerely" as a salutation.
- Four lines underneath the salutation, type out your full name with middle initial.
- Sign your name in black ink.
- Be sure to type "Enc: resume" as your enclosure line.
Formatting
- Body text should be in a standard font. (Example: Times New Roman 12 point).
- Headers should use a sans serif font (Example; Helvetica 12 point).
- Use italics only to highlight.
- Do not underline and bold the same text.
Example:
You Require _______ I offer
Paper and Envelopes
- 20 weight bond is acceptable for most letters.
- Paper and envelopes should match resume.
- Color should be conservative such as white or ivory.
Printers
- Laser printing provides high quality output as high as 1200 dpi (dots per inch).
- Inkjet is an inexpensive solution which provides near laser quality (300dpi).
- Dot matrix is dated and does not provide adequate quality for a resume.
Editing Tips
- When printing copies, check print quality for bleed, jagged or crooked edges and overall readability.
- After running a spell checker, visually edit the cover letter.
- Then give it to three friends or family members to review and edit.
- If possible, have a hiring manager who works in your area of interest to review the cover letter for content and structure.
Cover Letter Summary
- Always mail a cover letter with a resume.
- The cover letter is a sales pitch.
- One page maximum.
- Proof! Proof! Proof!
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