Back to basics…The Cover Letter
When I was trying to decide what I wanted to write about today….I came across some, how do I say it…interesting looking cover letters sent in on FoxNet. Now this does not mean, at all, that the content was bad, but that the formatting was wayyyy off. Cover letters are much like any formal business letter, resume, or other business document in that the formatting is just as important as the message. A sloppily formatted cover letter gives an employer the impression that you decided not to take the 10 minutes it would take to perfect, polish and proofread that document and I know that is not the impression you want to give, furthermore not the person you are. So we are going back to basics here…
If you want to stand out from the crowd, your cover letter should cover two important points:
- What you can do for the company
- How you can fill the company’s needs.
Send your letter to an individual, not a company. Take the time to determine the name and title of the addressee. Do not guess gender when addressing a letter. Dear Sir or Madam or Dear Hiring Manager, are not acceptable salutations.
Be sure to include a return address and telephone number. Include your street address, city, state, zip code, and telephone number. Omit your e-mail address if you do not check e-mail daily.
Address your letter to a person who can hire you: Contact the company and obtain the name and title of the person to whom to address your letter. This shows initiative and resourcefulness. It may also impress the reader with the fact that you reached them directly.
Never use all caps and do not justify the right margin. Presentation is as important an element as content and organization. Strive at all times for a professional appearance.
Use the KISS theory. Keep it short, simple, and no longer than one page. Each of the three paragraphs should have four or fewer sentences. Vary the sentence length and try to avoid either a stream of short sentences or very long sentences.
Send original letters only. A vague letter that could be sent to any employer by merely replacing the company name is called a broadcast letter. It doesn’t fool anyone.
Please remember that not every position on FoxNet requires a cover letter. You must only send one when the job description specifically asks for one. When you are applying to a job or internship in ANY other manner: hand delivery, other internet job search sites (e.g. monster, wetfeet.com, etc.), or company websites, it behooves you to submit a cover letter. Just a little insider information….most hiring managers will look at your cover letter AFTER looking at your resume, not before. So keep that in mind, if they like what they see on your resume, they may take a look at that cover letter and see if it strengthens your case for an interview. If you suspect that there will be any question about something on your resume, including gaps in employment and lack of experience, use your cover letter to explain it. You are selling yourself, so make sure to write that way. If you have any questions on how to write a cover letter, please stop in the CSPD office!
Here is a Sample Cover Letter to take a look at!!! Remember before you submit a cover letter, please make sure it looks like the one above and includes all the information that it should!!! The few extra minutes of work will help you ten-fold in the long run.
Tags: cover letters
Jena joined the CSPD as the Assistant Director of Recruitment and Professional Development with over 4 years career services experience including a background in corporate recruiting. She is excited to work collaboratively with the Fox School students regarding career search strategies and hopes students gain some additional insight into the job search through “Opportunity Knocks”.
The token recent grad, I just finished in May 2008 with a BBA in Marketing and International Business. I worked hard and was way more involved than my schedule should've permitted, but I made it through and it paid off. I'm now taking on a consulting position with a large multi-national firm here in Philadelphia. I'm going to be blogging about what I did to get here, life now that I'm here, and what I'm trying to get out of the so-called real world.
I'm graduating in 2010, majoring in entrepreneurship, though by no means am I waiting till then to start my own business. Through this blog I'm hoping to let students see how easy it is to get a job, and looking forward to having more Temple students join me in the next wave of Philly Entrepreneurs!
I plan on graduating in January 2009 with a degree in marketing. I am the definition of a music junkie. Maybe you and I will discover what I want to do after graduation (and the rest of my life) on this blog. Kind of scary if you think about it, but I'm hopeful. =)
