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What is a Cover Letter?*Sample
Letters |
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KEY POINTS in COVER
LETTERS
*
Address it to the person you are sending
the letter, NOT “to whom it may concern”. Use "Dear Hiring Manager", if you're in doubt.
* When emailing your resume, paste your cover
letter into the body of the email, and attach your resume.
* Send a cover letter when your resume is not
linked to a specific job. You do NOT need cover letters when you are
delivering your resume in person (like career fairs).
* The
second & third paragraphs of your letter can often be re-used if they are
for positions within the same field.
* Avoid starting most of your sentences with
“I”.
* IF the employer gives qualifications desired in
their advertisement, address the criteria that they are seeking.
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When looking at the big
picture of job searching, there is a different level of information and
disclosure required for each type of interaction. The resume is the most
basic level of disclosure. More information is revealed with the cover
letter, and there is a culmination with the interview, where you say things
like: “I’m a great team player, for example, there was one time when…”.
Give more and more detail with each level of communication.
Cover letters are used to
introduce your resume to the employer. They are your first chance to really “make an argument” to an employer about why
you are the top candidate for their position. Your resume is a brief
document, and doesn’t allow you to “tell your story”. The cover letter is
truly a letter, and allows you to go into more detail than on your resume.
Your personality should be more apparent in your cover letter.
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1st
paragraph instructions-
* What position are you applying
for? *
Where
did you hear about the position? These first 2 statements help the
reader understand why they are receiving your resume and cover letter.
These statements should be tailored to your specific situation. For
example, if you have previously spoken to the employer about the position,
you should cite that conversation, or if an employee of the company has
referred you to the position, state that employee’s name in your sentence.
* Why are you interested in this
company/position? This statement should let the employer know that you
have done research on this particular company and are not sending out a
generic cover letter to many companies. It’s nice to state specifics in
this case, i.e., “I’m particularly interested in your innovative rotational
leadership program that allows new grads a chance to learn about multiple
units within your company.”
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2nd
paragraph-
PROVE skills stated in objective on your resume…do this by
providing examples of past use. Make a direct connection between the
skill & where it was obtained/used. It will usually take between 1-2
sentences per skill to provide this broad example. These sentences might
sound like this, “My position as a server at the Oceanic required me to
utilize my interpersonal skills on an everyday basis as I interacted with
customers.” The employer should clearly understand that you have truly used
this skill/strength in the past.
Communicate the
way in which your skills and experience can be of value to this particular
employer. Highlight special accomplishments and show your enthusiasm, but
don't merely repeat your resume. Explain how your qualifications and the
company's needs are a good match.
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3rd
paragraph-
Wrap it up! Direct the employer to what the next course of action should
be. You should state, “I’ll call you to set up an appointment” OR “Please
call me to set up an appointment”. You should finish with courtesies
thanking the employer for taking the time to read and consider your resume. |
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