Step Four Contact: Cover Letter

"A cover letter is an introduction, a sales pitch and a proposal for further action," says career expert Michelle Tullier. It's also one of your most valuable tools for contacting employers. Every letter must be uniquely tailored to the job in question. Generic letters do not get you interviews!

Goal

Cover letters, which "cover" your résumé, should:

• clearly state how your skills and experience will help the employer;
  
  
• convince the employer to grant you an interview.

Types of Letters

There are essentially three types of cover letters but the basic format for each is the same. The types are:

• Response to an ad (e.g., in newspaper)
  
  
• Cold-call letter (asking about upcoming or unadvertised openings)
  
  
• Referral letter (mentioning a person known to both you and the employer)

Prep Work

Before you begin writing, do a little research.

• Find someone who works at the company whose name you can drop (with their permission).
  
  
• Find out to whom you should send the letter. (If it's the Human Resources Department, send it to the hiring manager as well.)
  
  
• Research the company (see Research, Research, Research for details).
  

Guidelines

Follow these guidelines to make your letter a success:

• Deliver it with a résumé that you've tailored for the particular job in question.

• Use the same paper as your résumé if possible
  
  
• Write the letter yourself; it's a work sample.
  
  
• Don't just repeat your résumé.
  
  
• Address the letter to a person, never a generic title.
  
  
• Use your first sentence to grab attention.
  
  
• If someone referred you, mention that person's name and title in the first sentence.
  
  
• Compare the job specifications or ad language side-by-side with your abilities and experience.
  
  
• Don't say how the job will benefit you! Focus on how you will help the employer!
  
  
• Keep the letter brief — less than a page.
  
  
• Use the format described on the next page.
  
  
• Use bullets to list your relevant qualifications.
  
  
• Make sure you have no typos or errors.
  
  
• Be neat — no smudges or crinkles.
  
  
• Say nothing negative!
  
  
• Use direct, simple language with active verbs.
  
  
• Show that you know a little about the company.
  
  
• Ask for an interview and say you'll call. You need to follow-up; don't wait for the employer to do it.
  
  
• Don't say "Enclosed please find my résumé." It wastes space and states the obvious.
  
  
• Sign the letter in blue ink to show it's an original.
  
  
• Keep a copy for your records.
  
  
• Use some parts of the letter for any employer but make certain sentences unique to the exact job.