A cover letter is an introduction to a résumé or application. You should write one anytime you send in a job résumé or school application.
Basically, the cover letter serves as an introduction to the credentials that your résumé and other application material cover. In effect, it’s a summary before a summary. It teases out interest from the reader and makes them want to read what comes next.
A good cover letter is going to frame your credentials in the right light. A bad one could make them toss the rest in the trash.
Here’s how to avoid the waste paper basket.
Before Writing Your Cover Letter
The first thing you will want to settle is how to approach writing the letter. There are several things to consider at this stage.
Audience: What type of position are you applying for? Is this for a position at a law firm? A hospital? A financial firm? What you decide to emphasize and discuss will depend entirely on the type of position you are intending to fill. Without tailoring your letter to the correct audience, you might as well not write the cover letter.
Purpose: How are you going to go about detailing your achievements and your skills? How are you going to integrate the critical points of your résumé into your cover letter?
No matter the actual content, you will want to draw attention to those skills and accomplishments that directly intersect with the position for which you are applying. You want to underscore everything wonderful about yourself and draw attention to those features of your résumé where they will be detailed.
In other words, highlight your good points. You need to advertise what you bring to the table. Convince them that you are a right fit.
Sections of a Cover Letter
What follows are the common sections of most standard cover letters and how to approach each section.
Introduction: This is where you are going to communicate who you are and why you want this position.
Start with your name, but then talk about why this position is of interest to you. Add in any background information that makes you a relevant candidate for this kind of position.
Show them that the company and its mission matters to a person like you and relate it to your experience.
What is the company’s goal? What audience does it serve? How do your goals and experience match those of the company? Why this particular company? Why not someone else? Why do you care what they do?
The Body: Next, you need to explain your qualifications. This is where you are going to sell yourself. Tell them how wonderful you are, and back it up with the concrete qualifications you already have in your life.
Remember, the point of a cover letter is to highlight what you’ve done and what successes you’ve had. Now you are going to take those ideas and translate that into how they can benefit the company you’re trying to be part of.
Your qualifications are the examples you give to show them what sort of worker you will be. You’ve developed X, Y, and Z skills. How are you going to make those skills work in this position? What do you plan to do? You’re good at something? How is that going to work with them? You did something elsewhere? How are you going to EXCEED that success here? Not just replicate, exceed. Talk about what you can do for them.
Basically, your résumé is a list of data. You cover letter is a narrative they can use to make sense of your years of study and work.
Conclusion: Underscore all the points you’ve made so far, and talk about your hopes for a fruitful relationship to follow.
Give the interviewer a reason to call you in for an interview or hand you the job by talking about how excited you are to be of use to them, and how you can see yourself a vital part of their workforce in the coming years. Talk again about how you’ll bring your talents with you and how you can’t wait to start using them in this position.
Show them that you’re enthusiastic and serious.
Keep in Mind
You want to open and close like a champion. The introduction should hook them in; the conclusion should leave them wanting more of you.
If you read over your letter and don’t think you’ve painted yourself in the best light right off the bat, re-write it.
Another important item: you also don’t want this to be too long. One page is the absolute maximum any cover letter should be. You’re already sending other materials. Anything you can’t fit on one page has no place being in this. You need to be succinct. Don’t waste the reader’s time.
Formatting
This is a professional letter. No stupid fonts, no abnormal spacing, no weird centering or anything out of the norm.
In effect, make it clean, make it simple, and make it look as if it was written by someone who knows what he or she is doing. No errors!
Times New Roman or equivalent fonts are always called for, and, in general, a cover letter should be single-spaced, with spaces between paragraphs. Most business letters do not include tabbed paragraphs.
Be sure to include your contact information.
And of course, direct the cover letter to the company in question, and if possible, to the actual person who is making the decision in respect to your position. This might require some research as not all job postings include this information.
When in doubt, query either by phone or e-mail.
Things Not to Do
Don’t be cute. This isn’t a place to try out your stand up routine. Humor has a place in the workforce, but a cover letter is professional.
Never send a cover letter that is generic to multiple positions. It must always be custom fit to each institution. Always.
Being a brown nose never helped, either. You are not trying to stroke their egos. You are trying to sell yourself. They already know they’re good; that’s why you’re applying for the job. Respect what they are and who they stand for, but show them how you are going to be vital to their success, but not by sucking up to them.
Salary discussion is also not something you address in a cover letter. You will discuss salary when or if you are chosen for the job or asked to interview.
Lastly, why you are applying should not include details of why you’re leaving your last job. The cover letter has nothing to do with that at all. The interview will likely ask this question, and if not, you have no reason to talk about it.
Summary
Almost any job will require you to write a cover letter that stands out, and if you follow the advice detailed above, you’ll be able to write one that does just that.