Cover Letters
Cover letter writing is often viewed as one of the most difficult parts of a job search, but it need not be. A cover letter is not a mysterious device which only a select few are capable of writing. It is simply a common sense, straightforward, brief letter which introduces you and your resume, but does not start with "My name is…".
Purpose of a cover
letter:
· To explain why you are sending your resume. (You almost never
send a resume without one.)
· To introduce yourself by establishing who you are and summarizing
your background.
· To show how you qualify for a particular job.
· To state your career objective.
How to write a
cover letter:
· If you have trouble getting started, try writing down what you
would say if you were speaking directly to the person. Then, edit what
you've written to make it more concise and businesslike.
· The most important point to remember is that you are writing
to another human being. The tone of the letter should be somewhat formal
and businesslike but not stilted. It should sound "human." There
is no special trick to writing a cover letter; just keep in mind what
the other person needs and wants to hear.
· Some writers worry too much about grabbing the reader's attention
and writing a "hard sell" letter. This approach is rarely necessary.
Being brief and straightforward is usually more effective than being clever
and gimmicky.
The instructions below tell you what to include in a cover letter. They
are to be used as guidelines for the content; it is up to you to arrange
the contents in a readable, coherent way.
Format of a cover
letter:
· Use the standard lay-out for business correspondence (see sample
on back of this sheet).
· Paragraphs should be single spaced with double spacing between
each paragraph.
· Print the letter on good paper (the same weight and color as
that of your resume).
· SIGN your cover letter AFTER you photocopy it, if you are copying
it onto good paper.
· Be sure to check for grammatical mistakes, misspellings, and
typos - your letter and resume are a company's first impression of you.
Also, many companies use cover letters as an indication of your writing
abilities.
· Keep the letter as brief as possible, 3-4 paragraphs, no more
than one page. Be sure that all the information you are including is absolutely
necessary.
To see what cover
letter format should look like, click on the link below. You will need
Adobe Acrobat to view the resume, which you can download for free here.
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