King's College
Office of Career Planning and Placement
Phone: (570) 208-5874
Fax: (570) 208-5941
2003-2004
Anytime
you mail your resume to a potential employer, a cover letter should accompany
your resume to serve as an introduction and to interest the employer in learning
more about you. Cover letters are
written for applications for jobs, to inquire about job openings or to request
an interview. Cover letters are one
of the most important components of job search correspondence.
Many job candidates spend a great deal of time preparing an outstanding
resume only to lose out on opportunities due to a hastily prepared cover letter.
Develop a draft of a cover letter by following the guidelines in this
information sheet. Then have a
career counselor review it so you will have a first-class cover letter.
The
following tips can help you put together cover letters that will make sure you
get noticed.
¨
Address your letter to a specific person with his or her correct title
and business address. Ideally the best person to
receive your resume is the person who has the capability to hire you in the
department or field of the job you are seeking. Targeting this individual may take some investigative work
and a few phone calls. If you are
unable to identify the department manager, you can address the letter to the
director of personnel or human resources.
¨
Individualize your letter. Highlight
your interests in working for this particular organization.
¨
Catch your reader’s attention. In the
opening paragraph you will want to stimulate the interest of the employer.
Reference the advertisement you are responding to or your knowledge of
the company’s products and services. If
you have been referred by someone specific, mention the name in the opening
paragraph.
¨
Relate your qualifications to the position. In the body of the letter you will want to elaborate how your
qualifications, skills and abilities suit the needs of the organization.
If you are responding to an advertisement, draw attention to how your
background and personal characteristics match the position description.
You can choose to highlight experience, knowledge or personal
characteristics that demonstrate your qualifications.
¨
Request an interview. Make
arrangements for the next step in the process by requesting an interview and
advising the readers as to how to get in touch with you.
¨
Bring your cover letter in for a review. Have a professional staff member critique your cover letter
to provide you with advice on enhancing your content and form.
You can schedule an appointment by stopping by our office in the Lower
Level of the Administration Building or by calling (570)208-5874.
¨
Introduce yourself and clearly define “who” you are and your interest in the
position and organization.
¨
Highlight your most notable qualifications, experiences, credentials, skills and
achievements.
¨
Identify the value you can bring to the organization.
¨
Capture the reader’s interest in you, your resume, and your availability.
¨
Motivate the reader to call and offer you the opportunity to sit for an
interview.
A cover letter should always accompany your resume.
Few employers will seriously consider a resume without a letter.
A cover letter tells the employer exactly what kind of job you want to do
and tailors your qualifications to that job.
Given the screening process, a cover letter may have as few as 20 seconds
to grab an employer’s attention. A
well written, interesting cover letter that opens a window on your personality
and qualifications has a much better chance of helping gain that all-important
interview.
2.
2.
Should I include references in my cover letter?
Unless an ad specifically requests references, they belong in the
interview phase of the job search. Most
companies won’t check references until they become seriously interested in
hiring a candidate. The one
exception is the field of education. These
references are typically separate letters sent directly to the employer prior to
even being scheduled for an interview.
1.
3. How long should the cover letter be?
Only in the rarest of circumstances should your letter be longer than
one page and a bit less than one very full page is best.
About four paragraphs should do the trick.
Your letter should be not only fairly short, but also concise.
Let the employer know that your qualifications match the position
requirements. Edit your letter
mercilessly. Follow the
journalist’s credo: Write tight! Cut out all unnecessary words and jargon.
Then go back and do it again. Apply
the kiss formula: keep it straight forward and simple.
Use short words that tell your message more effectively. Make one major
point and support it in different ways.
2. 4. What’s the
difference between a letter of application and a letter of inquiry or
prospecting letter?
A letter of application is written in response to a specific job opening
you become aware of through an advertisement or personal referral.
A letter of inquiry or prospecting letter is written when you are not
aware of a specific job opening but are interested in inquiring about
opportunities with an organization. The primary difference between the two types of letters is in
the wording of the opening paragraph. Samples
of both types of letters are available in the Office of Career Planning and
Placement.
Some effective techniques to add pizazz to your cover letter:
¨
You can
visually call attention to your qualifications by underlining them, boldfacing
them, or indenting them in a list with bullets.
¨
You can
quantify by telling the employer how many employees you have supervised, how
many customers you handled, how much money you saved the company, and most
importantly, by what percentage you increased productivity.
¨
You can
demonstrate your creativity and potential for innovation by revealing one or two
ideas for how you would improve the employer’s operation or bottom line.
¨
If using
paper correspondence, use good quality paper measuring 81/2” by 11”. It
should be the same color and texture as your resume. Preferred colors are white, ivory, or light beige.
¨
Use the
language of the employer. Reflect
your knowledge of your field of preparation by including terminology in your
descriptions of your qualifications and desire to work for this particular
organization.
¨
Highlight,
but do not duplicate information included in your resume.
¨
Show that
you are a match for the organization. Demonstrate
knowledge of the company and its services and products.
Match your qualifications to the goals of the organization.
¨
If
communicating by email, the same rules apply to those of written correspondence,
including the use of proper grammar, a formal approach, “tight” writing, and
excellent content.
Do Not:
¨ Address
the letter to “Dear Personnel Director,” “To Whom It May Concern,”
“Dear Sir or Madam” (or worse, “Dear Sirs”) instead of a named
individual. “To Whom It May
Concern” shows the employer that you were not concerned enough to find out the
name of the person with the hiring power. The
one exception is if you are answering an ad and the name of the contact person
is not listed.
¨ Tell
the employer what the company can do for you instead of what you can do for the
company. This mistake is
particularly common among new college graduates and other inexperienced
jobseekers. In most cases,
employers are in business to make a profit. They want to know what you can do
for their bottom line, not what they can do to fulfill your career dreams.
¨ Leave
the ball in the employer’s court. Too
many cover letters end with a line like this: “If you are interested in my
qualifications, please call me.” Proactive
cover letters, in which the jobseeker requests an interview and promises to
follow up with a phone call, are more effective.
¨ Mass produce the same letter to all companies. You may build on a uniform base, but personalize each letter and include at least one paragraph specifically stating your knowledge of the company and how you can meet its needs. Nothing turns off an employer faster than getting a letter that looks like the same one everyone else is receiving.
Street
Address
City,
State, Zip Code
Phone
Number
E-mail
Address
Current
Date
Employer’s name
Title
Department (if applicable)
Organization
Street Address
City, State, Zip
(E-mail may be added)
Greeting
– Dear Mr./Miss/Ms./Dr. followed by the individual’s last name:
Introduction
– Tell the reader why you are writing. If
you are applying for an advertised position, state the job and how you found out
about it. If you are inquiring
about potential positions, mention a functional area that interests you.
If you are writing to request an information interview, state that in
this opening paragraph. This is also where you will mention the name of individuals
who may have referred you to this organization.
This paragraph should not exceed more than 2 or 3 sentences.
Use the 5 W’s in the first sentence.
Summarize 5 things the prospective employer should know about you –
who, what, where, when and why.
Body – (The sales pitch) The body of
the cover letter is crucial as it must convince the prospective employer that
you are the best person for the job. Demonstrate
through use of concrete examples that you possess the skills and experiences the
organization is seeking. Refer the
reader to your enclosed resume. Highlight your qualifications in relation to the
company/organization. The number of
paragraphs depends on your background (different from a resume in that a resume
summarizes and a cover letter highlights).
Use what you consider to be your most important accomplishments most
directly related to your job objective. You
can also highlight your strong interest in working for this particular company
by demonstrating your knowledge of the company in one of the middle paragraphs.
If you know any particulars about the company to which you are writing
(for example core issues, challenges, market opportunities, products, services),
be sure to address those items in your cover letter.
Draw attention to the good match between your qualifications and the job
requirements.
Close – Ask for an interview.
Use a positive approach. Tell
the prospective employer where and when to reach you or tell the employer when
you will be calling to arrange for an appointment.
Also, express appreciation to the reader for the taking the time to
consider your request.
Salutation
– Sincerely yours, Yours truly, etc.
Enclosure: (Indicates attachments, i.e.
your resume)
Any questions or comments about this Web Page can be directed to Christopher Sutzko, Director of the Office Career Planning and Placement