The Art of the Cover LetterJanuary 22nd, 2007
One of the most important, yet often overlooked, aspects of resume sending is the cover letter (or these days, the e-mail). The cover letter is your chance to make your first impression. A properly written letter should grab the employer’s attention and help set the stage for a personal interview.
Here are simple instructions and a few tips and suggestions for writing a quality cover letter.
How to Write a Cover Letter
The first paragraph of your cover letter should explain why you are writing and what position you are applying for. This paragraph should be concise while at the same time showing your knowledge of the position and the company. Use this opportunity to make a connection to the reader.
“I am writing to apply for the Jr. Typist position. I first learned of XYZ, Inc. after reading the ‘Top 100 Left Handed Work Environments’ in Forbes magazine. Being an advocate for left handed rights, I decided right away that XYZ, Inc. would be a perfect match.”
The second paragraph of your cover letter is generally the “meat and potatoes.” This paragraph should explain to the employer why you are qualified for the position. The first sentence should be your power statement on why you are a match for the position. Follow the first sentence with 2 to 3 specific accomplishments or traits that support your argument. This is not the time for your life story, so list your most relevant, impressive experience. Do not copy these statements word for word from your resume, instead take the opportunity to craft a more conversational tone. The final sentence of this paragraph should summarize your argument while mentioning the position again. Bring it all back home.
“My uncanny ability to find solutions to common left-handed issues has made me the ‘go-to’ member of our local Left Handers Community Center. I have been published in three of the last four quarterly newsletters, and have recently been awarded member of the decade. Next fall, I will graduate with a masters in Left Handed Literature. With these experiences, I feel that I would instantly be able to contribute to your Typist division at XYZ Inc.
You have opened the door and walked through it. Now it is time to shut it behind you. The third paragraph should be just a few sentences to wrap things up. Thank them for their time, inform them of any enclosures (i.e., your resume), request a personal interview and set a time table. Never end a letter without this call to action, and make sure that you hold to it on your end.
“Enclosed is my resume for your review. I will contact you on the week of July 15th to discuss my qualifications and interest in the Jr. Typist position. Thank you for your time and consideration.”
Print the letter on professional looking paper that matches your resume. Sign the document in ink and smile. You have just separated yourself from countless other applicants!
Cover Letter Tips and Suggestions
- Keep it short and simple.
- Avoid contractions (Won’t, I’d I’ve, etc.)
- Spell check and grammar check. Twice. Have a friend or loved one read the letter to make sure it flows nicely.
- Use active descriptions, make yourself the subject of the sentence and avoid writing in the passive voice.
- Do not justify or otherwise offer a reason for leaving your last position. Keep things forward looking.
- Avoid the use of heavy industry jargon. Many times, the folks reviewing the letter are not specifically trained in the position you are applying for.
- Address the letter to the person reading it. Do a little bit of research online and try to figure out who will be reading the letter.
- Consider faxing a resume and cover letter to differentiate yourself from all the incoming e-mails. If you really want to get attention, fed-ex your resume and cover letter to the employer.
Have another tip? Disagree with a tip given? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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If you were applying for a senior position with the above company this would be a great coverletter. Even if there was no position posted for this company this letter would be a great non-solicited coverletter to get them to read your resume and potentially get an interview where you might even create your own job. However, you are applying for a Junior Typist position. If I were the employer, I would see no work experience or acheivements (e.g. 60 wpm.) related to typing and indeed I would say to myself that this person, with their upcoming MA, would only be parking themselves in this position until something better came along. I would be a fool to even consider hiring you for the stated position though I might want to consider you for an eventual need in management. You should consider following the advice covering the ‘Second paragraph’:”explain…why you are qualified for the position…” (i.e. qualifications for typist)
January 22nd, 2007 at 11:14 pm
Great thoughts james!
The idea was to construct a completely ridiculous position in order to focus on the overall structure of the letter, not the real world quality of it.
If this were a real letter, you are absolutely correct — the qualifications should be more specific. Unless of course the candidates wpm is significantly lower than what would be impressive. Focus on the strongest, most relevant evidence that you have. Avoid weak supporting statements (let’s say, “10 wpm”… probably better to leave it off).
Then again, if it were a real letter, I’d probably stop reading Forbes as well
January 23rd, 2007 at 12:05 am
Excellent advice; I have but two minor points of criticism. One SHOULD use contractions when appropriate. This is a matter of style and linguistic gracefulness. The notion of not using contractions is commonly offered writerly advice, but it’s outdated. It’s like telling people not to end a sentence with a preposition. It’s amazing to see the level of stylistic contortion which people undertake just to avoid ending a sentence with a preposition. The important thing is to use contractions correctly. Nothing makes a writer look less literate than using the possessive “its” in place of the contraction “it’s,” or confusing “your” with “you’re.” If the overall tone and style of a letter is accomplished, clear, and confident, the use of contractions will not be a hindrance. Not using contractions, however, may come across as awkward, forced, and amateurish. As the chief editor of a book publisher, I confess a bias in this regard; I confess that I’m a bit of a snob about this, but I feel very strongly about this very matter.
January 23rd, 2007 at 6:54 am
The above opinions only irritate and frustrate me as a job seeker. I am an I.T. professional that has bumped heads with many recruiters that suggest my cover letter and resume needs tweeking. Everyone has an opinion. How do I know what style the eventual hiring manager likes. I have a one page resume and an eight page resume (suggested by a recruiter). My current resume has been able to get me six figure jobs and gets attention when I focus it towards what I want. But I am writing this because I do listen to other opinions.
January 23rd, 2007 at 11:32 am
[…] 2nd, 2007 · No Comments The cover letter is as important as the resume itself. Alex Rudloff has some instructions in hisThe Art of the Cover Letter […]
March 2nd, 2007 at 6:17 pm
I would recommend offering some contact information(phone number and time to call)to invite the potential employer to get a hold of you. This allows the company to get a hold of you on their own time.
As an aside, you can’t end a sentence with a preposition. Prepositions mean that there is more info to come. There is a short list of prepositions all of them describe something like across, around, at, through, etc.
For example: “I am trying to get my point across.” This sentence begs the question across what? the street? town? to you? It is simple to fix this by clarifying: “I am trying to get my point across to you.”
April 8th, 2007 at 10:27 am
[…] many ways email has replaced the traditional cover letter. While many employers may not initially read it, a poorly written or missing cover letter may […]
July 12th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
In response to the comment above about missing/poorly written cover letters being the cause for not being considered by certain employers. While I think “The Art of the Cover Letter” is a great topic of advice, it seems a bit of basic advice about “how to write professionally.” It’s probably more practical to think about how the body of your e-mail to a hiring manager or recruiter should be a shorter yet equally informative version of a more traditional cover letter. Definitely don’t consider sending a resume attachment without any information in your e-mail body, but also, make it worth reading, to the point. The reader probably won’t want to scroll down.
July 13th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
[…] Alex Rudloff ’s The Art of the Cover Letter […]
July 29th, 2007 at 6:12 pm