Cover Letter Writing Tips

The purpose of a cover letter is to introduce your resume. The purpose of a resume is to get an interview. The purpose of an interview is to get you a job! You want your cover letter to entice the reader enough to read your cover letter and want to continue on to read your resume. A cover letter highlights the parts of your resume that qualify you for the position. The cover letter helps to paint a picture that you are the perfect person for the position.


Each letter should be a personalized letter to a specific company. Do not send out the same cover letter to multiple employers. Do your research on each employer. A cover letter needs to express why you are interested in employment in that particular company and position.

The cover letter says a lot about your ability to communicate and your writing style. Make sure that your cover letter says I write well rather than I do not check over my work. Some employers will read your cover letter and from the cover letter decide whether or not they want to read your resume. If the cover letter is disorganized or sloppy, it will suggest that you are disorganized and sloppy in your work. It may also suggest that you dont care about the impression you make on others and that you are not particularly well motivated (Beatty, 1989, Wiley and Sons, Inc.).

FORMAT

Each cover letter should be in standard business form and no more than one page. The layout should be well organized, and it should not have spelling or grammatical mistakes. Try to vary your sentence structure. Use a minimum of sentences that begin with I. Using "I" too much gives the reader the impression that you are not a team player.

There are basically five parts to a cover letter:

  1. Opening: The first paragraph should name the position that you are applying for and how you heard of the opening. Research the company and then write some complimentary sentences about why you want to work for this employer in this position.
  2. Education: The second paragraph should discuss how your education has made you qualified for the position.
  3. Show skills with examples: In the body of the letter you want to communicate your skills and experiences that are of value to this employer. Give examples of your skills from past experiences at jobs. It should follow an SAR format. This stands for Situation, Action and Result. Describe the situation at the job, the action that you took and the result of your action.
  4. In the next paragraph give examples of how you have used your skills in a work situation. Discuss your communication skills, ability to work on a team or strong technology skills, for example.
  5. In the closing paragraph you should let them know when you will contact them. For example, I will call you next week to discuss my application further. In this section you also want to thank the employer for taking the time to review your application.

Salary Negotiations

Do not give a salary requirement unless the job advertisement specifically asks you to give a salary range. If you do need to give salary requirements research comparable salaries for your field. Go to New York State Department of Labor at: www.labor.state.ny.us. Start by clicking Labor Market Information then click on Job Seekers and finally Wages and Occupational Information. You will then be able to type in an occupation and geographical area and see comparable salaries for your field in your area. Try to give a salary range and focus on how much you are really worth.

Final Tips:

1. Remember to express enthusiasm! You want the employer to be interested enough to continue on to your resume.

2. Explain to the employer how you will address their needs and what qualifications you will bring to their company.

3. In the conclusion, indicate that you will call within a week to ten days. By mentioning that you will call in the letter, you are showing strong interest and initiative. If you say you are going to call, you must follow-up!