reading response at least 300 words

If the resume is what gets your foot in the door, the cover letter is what gets you the

interview. Far too many people make the mistake of using their cover letter to repeat

information that’s on the resume, or worse, simply say, “For more details, see my

resume.” At its best, the cover letter is a mechanism for you to convey how your unique

experiences have made you a great fit for this job. The letter is an opportunity to flesh

out the resume. You don’t need to discuss every little point on your resume—nor should

you!—but you should expand on the qualifications or experiences that would help you

contribute to this company.

I cannot emphasize enough that the cover letter MUST be

company-focused, not you-

focused.

Nobody wants to hire someone just to advance that person’s career; they’re

interested in advancing their company. Beware of statements like “this is my dream job,”

or “when I saw this job posting, I was so excited because I know this will give me a good

start in my career.” Instead, your letter should say things like “my communication skills,

leadership, and accounting skills will enable me to help XYZ Corp. meet their goals of

___.”

An excellent way to make your letter company-focused is to use the keywords from the

job ad in your letter. However, it’s important to note that if the company is looking for

someone who is “responsible and team-oriented” that your letter should

show, not tell

that you have these qualities. Saying, “I am responsible and team-oriented, just like your

job ad stipulated” is not going to get you a job. Saying, “I am responsible and team-

oriented, as demonstrated by the fact that I have been promoted to manager in my last

three jobs, where I led teams of up to six people in achieving corporate goals” is much

more persuasive. Rather than saying you are trustworthy, explain that you were

responsible for locking up the restaurant each night. They want someone who’s hard-

working and good at time management? Describe how you’ve worked part-time all

through college and still maintained a 3.5 GPA. Now go back and read this paragraph

again—I cannot count the number of cover letters I’ve read that say, “I am honest, hard-

working, responsible, a good team member, and a great leader,” and leave it at that. It’s

absolutely imperative that you

describe

situations where you exemplified the qualities

the employer is looking for.

Cover letters adhere to a strict structure. They are always one page in 10-12 pt. font (and

choose a professional-looking font!) with 3 or 4 concise, to-the-point paragraphs. You

may choose to either use your contact info heading from your resume, or give your

contact info is standard business letter format. (Frankly, this may depend on whether you

are crunched for space or worried about adequately filling the space). Specific guidelines

for sections are as follows:

Contact info and greeting:

If using standard formatting, your name does not appear in the heading, only your address

information. Try

as hard as humanly possible

to get an actual name for your greeting;

if the job listing doesn’t include it, call the HR department! This may make the

difference between your letter languishing in a stack and actually landing on someone’s

desk. Address the person formally as “Dear Mr./Ms./Dr. Smith:” with a colon after the

name, not a comma.

First paragraph:

The first paragraph (no more than 4 sentences) should be concise and tantalizing—you

want them to keep reading, not get bogged down. (Briefly) introduce yourself, identify

the job you’re applying for, describe how you heard about it, and give a brief summary of

your qualifications—this is what will persuade them to keep reading. This qualification

summary should indicate the focus of the rest of your letter; if you’re discussing your

applicable coursework and managerial skills, your 2

nd

and 3

rd

paragraphs should be about

coursework and management history. If at all possible, use keywords from the job ad in

this qualification summary and conclude your statement with a reference to the company,

i.e. “My accounting coursework and managerial skills will enable me to be a valuable

asset to Dunder Mifflin.” The first paragraph is also the place to put all the research you

did in the job ad analysis to work. This shows that you actually know more about the

company than the simple fact that they have open jobs! Including this information can be

done in a number of ways; you can mention something that really appeals to you about

the company’s policies or goals or describe how your experience is relevant to this

particular company or position.

Body:

For most people applying for entry-level positions, a college degree in a relevant field is

their most valuable asset, while experience is a second. Consequently, most letters will

be divided up into education (second paragraph) and experience (third paragraph). State

your degree title, area of study, and when you’ll graduate. While everyone generally

takes the same required classes, describing your electives and course projects can set you

apart. The key word here is “

describe

”; don’t simply say “I will graduate with my

bachelor’s in 2010 in mechanical engineering. I have taken many courses that relate to

this position that will help me to succeed at your company,” then move on to the next

paragraph. Instead, try “I have taken advanced courses in fluid mechanics, heat transfer,

thermodynamics and applied thermodynamics, optimization, and materials. I have

extensive CAD experience in SolidWorks and Unigraphix/NX 3, as well as the C++

programming underlying CAD.” Both are only two sentences, but the second gives us a

much more vivid picture of your qualifications. Clarify how your education qualifies you

for the job and will benefit the company: “As I have completed Recognizing Trees 101, I

will be able to help customers of Christmas Trees Inc. to select an appropriate tree that

meets their needs.”

Similarly, don’t just say, “I worked as an engineering intern last summer.” Instead, try

“As an engineering intern at Whirlpool, I led a team of five other interns in using

LabVIEW to increase the material safety strength of dishwasher panels by 33%.” This

method enables a single sentence to convey your position, the company name, leadership

skills, teamwork, computer skills, and the overall accomplishment. Whenever possible,

use numbers to quantify your accomplishment

; saying “In three months at Subway, I

increased my productivity by 45%” is much more impressive than saying, “I got faster at

making sandwiches.” Be

as specific as possible

in terms of percentage

increase/decreases, number of team members, number of things done per hour, etc.

Describe what your position was and what you accomplished at that job.

Don’t list every class you’ve ever taken or job you’ve held. This is crucial: pick the

most relevant

. If it’s not immediately obvious how they’re relevant, make that

connection for the employer. If you’re applying for a supervisory position in a business

but you have no corporate experience, you may be better served by talking about your

experience as the head waiter of a large restaurant--where you directed all the other

employees, managed conflicts, and motivated the team--than focusing on the one week

you spent temping as a secretary.

Make it clear how these jobs will make you a useful

employee in the company you’re applying to: “Working for the US Forestry Service

taught me how to saw down a tree in under a minute, which will enable me to be an

efficient and productive worker at Christmas Trees Inc.” Be positive about your

experiences, remarking that you had

to give presentations to your boss every week

doesn’t convey the same feeling as saying, “Weekly presentations enabled me to hone my

public speaking skills.”

Just as you ended your first paragraph with a summary statement describing how your

qualifications would benefit the company, end the second and third paragraphs with a

closing statement that clarifies how the education/experience described in that

paragraph will benefit the company

(and remember to mention the company name, as

this adds an extra personalized note). You don’t need to do this for every single job or

class you describe; just make sure you do it at the end: “I am confident that my wide

technical and leadership experience will be highly useful to Pratt and Whitney.”

Use the last paragraph to again summarize all the reasons why you would be an asset to

this company: “I am confident

that my educational background in forestry services and

previous experience operating a chainsaw would allow me to positively contribute to

Christmas Trees Inc.’s vision of “Speedy Chopping For All!” Request an interview if the

company is geographically close to you or simply say you will look forward to talking

with them and give your contact information and the best times to reach you. Carefully

consider how you phrase this; saying, “Please feel free to contact me via phone at ___ or

email at ___” is much more appealing than “Call me at ___ to set up an interview.”

Include both your phone number and email address in this section, even though you have

already provided them at the top of the letter. Close the letter by thanking the reader for

their time and consideration. Sign “Sincerely,” then leave four spaces to sign your name,

then type your name below this space. Be confident but respectful in this paragraph;

begging for a job is not a good tactic.

In conclusion, remember to keep your letter company-focused (rather than you-focused).

Focus on specific attributes and experiences, rather than trying to catalogue everything

you’ve ever done. Make it clear how your education and experience uniquely qualify

you for this job. Be specific; use numbers to quantify your accomplishments. And last

but not least, show, don’t te