Cover Letter

1
Cover Letter

• Employers receive thousands of resumes and cover
  letters
• Cover letter can be thought of as a sales pitch.
• Keep it brief - ex 3 or 4 short paragraphs.
• Writing must be concise.

2
General Tips

• Emphasize 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.

3
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.

4
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.

5
Writing the Cover Letter

• Include name, address, and phone number.
• Work number, fax or email are optional.
• Example
• Chris Smith
• 178 Green Street
• New York, NY 09998

6
Date

• The date should appear on the 1 line
• Do not abbreviate the date.
• Example March 4, 1995

7
The Addressee

• Confirm spelling of the person's name and company
  to whom you are addressing the letter
• List addressee at the 2 line
• Be sure to include full name starting with Ms. or
  Mr.
• Write in the person's title, company name and
  address.
• ExampleMs. Joan JonesVice-President of
  MarketingNorville Software, Inc.335 Winding
  Block RoadSuite 500New York, NY 09998

8
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

9
First Paragraph

• Reason for letter
• Specific position
• Resource where you learned of position

Second Paragraph

• Your qualifications

10
Third paragraph

• Refer to resume or application

Final paragraph

• Indicate your plan for follow-up

11
Closing

• Place closing two lines beneath the body of the
  letter.
• 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.

12
Formatting

• Body text should be in a standard font. (Example
  Times New Roman 12 point).
• Use italics only to highlight.
• Do not underline and bold the same text.

13
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.

14
Printers

• Laser printing provides high quality output as
  high as 1200 dpi (dots per inch).
• Inkjet is an inexpensive solution which provides
  near faster quality (300dpi).
• Dot matrix is dated and does not provide adequate
  quality for a resume.

15
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.

16
Cover Letter Summary

• Always mail a cover letter with a resume.
• The cover letter is a sales pitch.
• One page maximum.
• Proof! Proof! Proof!