Cover Letters

Introduce yourself to the employer

Keep in mind your cover letter should change for every application. This is not the space to reiterate everything from your resume.

Look at the skills desired and show that you have them. Incorporate the company culture. In one page, the cover letter should convey your specific knowledge of the employer and position, highlight relevant skills and experiences, and demonstrate your genuine enthusiasm. If submitting an electronic application, you should save your cover letter with your name in the file name so employers can find it easily.

Letter Structure

A well-written cover letter is professional, concise and focused on the needs of the employer.

Heading/Date

Use the same header you have for your resume: include your contact information, the date, then the company contact information.

Greeting

Find out the recruiter's name and great that person with a professional tone. Use LinkedIn and the company website to find his/her name. When all else fails, you can use a general professional title (Dear Hiring Manager).

Body

A cover letter contains three kinds of paragraphs:

Introduction- Think about your audience and make your content and writing appealing to that individual. You should include:
- Why you are writing
- Where you saw the job posting or who referred you if possible
- What makes you the perfect candidate
- What about the company/organization excited you

Introduction Example

Body- Next, you must prove the skills you mentioned in your first paragraph. Think about the job description and company culture, then describe why your experience(s) make you more than capable of fulfilling the responsibilities and working well with your co-workers. You should use the STAR (Situation, Task, Actions, Results) method to describe accomplishments; this creates an excellent framework to tell a story.

Body Example

Conclusion- Thank them for their time and consideration. Also, reiterate why they should hire your, and emphasize that you would like to meet them in person.

Emailing a Cover letter

Some job postings require the applicants to email their resume and cover letter.

In the subject line, be sure to include the job title and your name.
Paste the cover letter into the email body.
Attach a copy of the cover letter to the email in PDF format, so the employer can easily print it out for review. Include your name in the file name: sarah smith_cover letter.pdf.