Do you need to write a cover letter for a job? It's important to write a letter that specifies what makes you one of the best candidates for the position. Your cover letter should be well written and targeted to the position for which you are applying. One other thing to consider is the nature of any research you have done and how you want to convey that in your cover letter. After that, it really pays to address the letter to a specific person. Simply writing “To Whom It May Concern” is a great way to have the letter filed under G (for those keeping track that’s the Garbage). Because of this, we don’t recommend this strategy to our students. It is generally pretty ineffective and a waste of your time or resources. Are you sending a cover letter in the mail or by email? There’s a cover letter for that too.
Consider this a gentle wake-up call.
There really isn’t a huge difference between writing a cover letter for an internship and writing a cover letter for a job opening. You still need to list your qualifications, skills and abilities. You still need to explain how you add value to the company. You still want to sell yourself. Remember that the most important thing for you to accomplish with your cover letter is to demonstrate how you add value to the company you are applying to, and you want to make sure this never gets lost when you get caught up in trying to sell yourself. Sure, you might absolutely love that pair of Air Jordan IV’s that are still fresh in the box in your closet from 1989, but you might want to have a second thought before you consider wearing them to a wedding with a tuxedo. Okay, ridiculous examples aside, I hope you can begin to see my point. And remember, enthusiasm goes a long way. Hiring managers get excited about applicants that really show a desire to succeed in the role and industry they are applying to. You’re not their first intern and you won’t be their last, so don’t write your cover letter thinking that their concern is how the internship will help with your placement in your next opportunity. Be specific about your intentions and don’t assume that the person on the other end of your cover letter is an expert in your field. Not only that, but they want to find candidates that are unique, interesting, and take the time and make the effort to present the best version of themselves. You have to carefully evaluate your situation and decide which cover letter example is going to suit you the most. The trick with an academic cover letter is to avoid rambling on and on and on about everything you’ve accomplished. The reality is, you still need to fall within the “one-page rule” (although some institutions will allow for a second page, you better make darn sure that this is the case!), so the trick is to be clear and concise and highlight your accomplishments without coming across as an encyclopedia. Why? Because you can’t follow simple directions. There are all kinds of situations that warrant a slightly different cover letter, and it’s imperative that you figure out which one fits you best. Best of luck to you! If you have no intention of applying for a full-time position, it is very important that you let the hiring manager know this in your cover letter. After all, if you don’t mention this right up front, anything that comes after this will be a total waste of time, and hiring managers value their time more than anything. There isn’t anything overly difficult about writing a cover letter when you have been referred by someone else, but the most important thing to know is where you should bring up the referral. Without further ado, here are 12 of the best cover letter examples for nearly every situation you could find yourself in along with a brief description of what makes the style of cover letter unique. I appreciate the Interview Guys sharing your experience and insight. You paint a different perspective on the 1) method and 2)approach to be applied in marketing diverse technical skills to satisfy specific client and potential employer needs. Now, if there is no stipulation and you determine that using the email body to send your cover letter is okay, then general cover letter writing rules apply. Your cover letter is your first impression, and therefore, you want to craft the best darn cover letter your hiring manager has ever seen. My initiative comes after intentionally taking a year-long sabatical from a thirty-plus year successful career in industrial manufacturing, technology development and application engineering. Would you feel the same way if you showed up at the start line for the half marathon you signed up for with those same heels on? Pam’s Take: For an experienced candidate, a bit more detail is expected. This candidate customized the bullet points to specifically communicate his experience with the position responsibilities listed in the job description. I look forward to raising my children in this community and someday teaching them at Rosewood High School. Please review my attached resume. I will be contacting you next week to schedule an interview. Thank you for your consideration. • Drove successful launch of start-up company by hiring a talent team, defining product development plans, and leading go-to-market strategies to achieve $35M+ revenue and 50% margins within two years. Have other thoughts on what would make a great cover letter? Leave a comment below. Note: In professional resume writing, it has become passé to include a list of references on your resume or even the line “references available upon request.” Such information takes up valuable real estate on your resume (which should be 1-2 pages max) and it is best to focus on your achievements and qualifications instead. Besides, the hiring managers know you will give them references when they request them. Even if you network your way into that job interview (and even if you got a great referral from one of your advocates), the hiring manager will look at your resume and/or cover letter and use them to form or influence an opinion prior to meeting you. That is why in my 2009 book, “The Complete Guide to Writing Effective Resume Cover Letters: Step by Step Instructions,” I refer to your cover letter as your handshake and your sales pitch all rolled into one. After you have reviewed my resume, I hope to meet with you to discuss how I can be beneficial to your team. I look forward to hearing from you to schedule an interview at your earliest convenience. • Led Six Sigma project related to FMLA administration and online orientation programs for Lean Belt training. As an Accounts Payable & Receivable Specialist. I offer a proven ability to accurately process invoices, payments, reimbursements examples cover letters for internship, and tax reports. I quickly learn and adapt to software changes and updates and help team members resolve issues and problems they are having with data input and processing. 4. Your letter should address a specific person. Whenever possible, do some research and find out the person’s name who will be reading your cover letter. This is a minor detail and some hiring managers won’t care, but it can distinguish you from your competition all the same. More importantly, don’t send an obviously-generic letter that has not been customized for the company/position. However, there are times when you need to communicate this type of information in order to make the case for your fit for the position: Additionally, in some job ads, the company will ask for specific information to be included in your cover letter. This technique is used to make screening easier — if someone can’t follow simple application directions, why waste time on an interview? Pay careful attention to the information they request and be sure to address it. • Handled biweekly accounts payable processing of checks and ACH payments; reconciled payments made to accounts payable software and addressed any discrepancies that arose. Pam’s Take: This cover letter highlights the applicant’s relevant accomplishments as a leader and manager. It goes beyond stating familiarity with the required job duties and emphasizes results in key projects. Remember that you don’t want to copy and paste your whole resume into the cover letter. Think about the key selling points that you want to feature prominently. The goal is to make them excited to learn more about you. I am also known for my ability to help identify and implement key technology and process improvements. I am well-versed in Six Sigma methods and have lead projects which produced significant and sustainable savings. Other examples of my work include: Sure, there are times when a recruiter or hiring manager will skip right over the cover letter and focus on the resume. But other screeners won’t even look at your resume if the cover letter doesn’t get their attention. Why take a chance? Write a strong cover letter and you’ll know that you’re doing everything possible to get past the gatekeepers and score an interview. However, ignoring the request could disqualify you as well. Ergo, I suggest you research the average salary for the position you are applying to in the state of the opening and include a range slightly above and below that number. Confident I will prove valuable to your company, I respectfully submit my resume for your review. I would also like to request a personal meeting to discuss your upcoming goals and how I can help you achieve them. I will make myself available at your convenience and look forward to your call. Thank you for your consideration. Pam’s Take: This candidate leads off with a strong statement about her career change goal and her fit for the specific position at hand. She uses the rest of the letter to discuss her interest in the company and some of her key transferable skills/experience. Rather than waste space on your resume, prepare a reference sheet with the same header as your resume and give it to the interviewer at the end of your meeting. Please review these five simple rules for ensuring your cover letter leaves the hiring manager excited about meeting you. 5. Your letter should end with a call to action. When you close your letter, be sure to ask for a meeting. It is obvious that you want an interview when you submit a cover letter and resume, but job hunting is usually helped along with a proactive approach. Therefore, at every point in the application process you should seek to move yourself along to the next stage of consideration. But how do you write a cover letter that will open doors for you? And how do you avoid mistakes that can lead to rejection? I am writing in response to your listing in the Memphis Gazette for a nurse’s aide. Please accept my enclosed resume for consideration. If you are wondering how to write a compelling cover letter, read on for Kimberly’s advice and examples. Example: Your cover letter can also explain away other aspects of your particular career situation that might not be appropriate to include on your resume. For example, if you took some time away from the work force, but have kept your skills and knowledge up-to-date. Thanks, everyone! And thanks, Alison, for wanting to share it. I fall somewhere between the two in mine, I think. While we don’t want to copy word for word, I think that finding something in the position, the company, etc to be truly passionate about is the thing to take away from this. I try to sound passionate and excited reflective essay on me myself and i, because I really do enjoy customer service, but my letters might be coming off to them like “Yeah, she’s passionate about what she does, but is she really passionate about us and what WE do?” Let’s say I’m an interviewer. You tell me that you’re awesome at building legal departments from scratch. If I say, “Okay, and how does that benefit me?” – What’s your response? by Alison Green on February 10, 2014 Here’s the after version. It’s awesome. It tells us who the candidate is and why she’s great at what she does. And she’s genuinely enthusiastic. This isn’t a generic letter; it’s a letter about her . Go back to the “hiring is like dating” thing. “Colleen, I saw your profile on the site and I enjoy women who possess hair and personal qualities.” Do you say “Woo, sign me up”? Does anyone not notice the Game of Thrones references?! Thank you so much for shaing this. I have been stuck in a rut trying to figure out how to get my resume from the 95% to the 5% and this provided so much inspiration! Application for position: Manager CRM Business Processes Boy, are those ever some long cover letters! I kill myself to make sure mine have no long paragraphs and are under a page. Maybe in library work it’s okay to be wordier? This cover letter is great! I’ve read it a few times before but after reading even more articles on writing cover letters uk essays harvard referencing, I read that cover letters need to be 300 words or under, and this is 378 according to Word. I’m currently writing a cover letter now and want to add a section that describes what I would specifically bring to this role but I’m afraid I’ll be going over the proverbial word amount since hr recruiters and hiring managers have little time to read through 1 when they have thousands more to read on top of that. Part of me wants to still try to write a unique cover letter, so I filled the opening/closing with more personality, but I’m having a hard time meeting their expectations without simply repeating tasks on my resume that are a close match for the listed qualifications/tasks at the organization. Thanks for posting this, Alison and OP! It’s very helpful. I’d definitely rather get a job with fewer applications. I find that in writing customized specific cover letters and getting like 5-7 out a week has gotten me more interviews than generic cover letters with 15 a week. Personally, I put my contact info below my name/signature if I’m emailing the letter, or it’s in the header (to match my resume) if I’m sending it as an attachment/uploading it. Alison, your cover letter advice (and your website) as been INCREDIBLY helpful and timely during my job searching. Thanks again for all you do! And many thanks to the author of this cover letter who really put her heart into it! Very nice! I need to write a cover letter tonight, and this example is giving me Ideas. (I promise not to randomly capitalize for emphasis in my cover letter, pinkie swear!) My pre-Ask-a-Manager cover letters read just like the Before example. I’m still working towards the After. I wish I could sprinkle mine with Westerosi examples, though. That would really spice things up! Game of Thrones? If you can’t tie the example back to “what’s in it for them,” then maybe you need a different example. What a great letter! Thank you so much for posting this, Alison. I’ve been struggling with a cover letter for a week now, but this has given me some inspiration. Thanks so much to the author for letting this be posted. My cover letters tend to be pretty long (still within a page research articles search engines, but barely) and very formal, and as much as I try I still do it again and again. This is a great example of how to make a cover letter informal while still conveying the ‘right’ information. Is it recommended that we attach our contact information in the last paragraph (just make it easier for the recruiter to call)? I don’t see this in the after-version. Alison, put a note in about not taking these because you had heard about hiring managers coming back! (This is good to do even if you’re moving within a job type, because you’ll interview better if you really understand your strengths and how they translate into the work you’re able to do.) I don’t have a great letter kicking around, but for an example of formal but not stuffy tone, I would read personal essays or high-end journalism. The New Yorker publishes essays that have fantastic personal style but still follow the conventions of formal writing. I would start there. Hi! I’ve read recently that it is actually a little tacky, and probably best, to not include “Dear such and such” in the beginning of the cover letter. Now, I’ve somehow made it until 25 never having to write one, and suddenly finding it necessary. I’m glad I stumbled upon this website! But, starting this cover letter has to be one of the hardest things, and I’m not sure if I should include the “Dear” or just jump right into it. Help? Perhaps in not selling it right but its not for lack of selling I would love to see a sample of the type of letter you write! Looking at them side by side, I honestly cannot believe how stilted and dry my “before” letter now looks. I used to think it was so good! I want you to get to the point. Now. @Julie – I totally agree. The first letter was “yadda, yadda” and I couldn’t tell you a thing about it, but the details in the second really stand out and make the author’s personality sing. As an HR professional, one who reads many dozens of cover letters per position (even hundreds creative writing in english literature, at times), I can tell you that this cover letter is simply not succinct enough to be appreciated by overloaded HR folks. If I’m understanding Letter Writer correctly essay paper on friendship, if you’re changing from one type of job to another, you need to work on being clear about what precisely your value is to your potential employers. I’ve gone from an angry ball of hate from last year to an optimistic, almost happy person. Working toward landing that dream job now… at 11 pm. When I have talked to other lawyers (if I somehow get an interview), they have not seemed very interested that I was able to do this, and, in fact, gloss it over before asking me about what I consider to be the easy part of being a lawyer- which is analyzing and solving legal problems. For me, that’s not hard to do because that was the baseline of what I needed to do in my current position. The environment was chaotic from a legal perspective- so on any given day, I was expected to draft a co-sponsor agreement involving foreign and U.S. laws. or restructure programs that had previously been agreed to because a business manager decided it wouldn’t sell. Thanks for posting the before and after. Very helpful. So, is it broken down to specific companies? How do you know which companies will be fine with a lengthy cover letter? Should I go back to my former version? I have to admit, my shorter version gets me more interviews. But if I could get more information to them before a potential interview, that sounds good too. This cover letter is really great. I work in the gaming industry and the recruiters tend to ask – even go so far as to state it In their job postings – that they are looking for enthusiastic cover letters like ex 2. Because the industry isn’t the most stable, I have a cover letter of examples 1 and 2. It definitely depends on the company, and even the hiring department’s tone. I went through a layoff and have been on the hunt again. I will definitely be re-working both cover letters (at least so ex 1 can pick up more interest especially for work outside the industry). Thank you Alison! In today’s world cover letter should be preferably short and to the point and not longer than in your ‘after version’. Hiring Managers are receiving so many a day that it be interesting enough to keep reading. I agree. My personal trick is to write the letter in my speaking voice, including contractions and slang university personal statement, and then take out anything inappropriate when I edit. When I’m done, I have a letter that sounds like me but isn’t too casual. Legaljobs, I think what you need to look at is demonstrating (both in writing and in interviews) HOW what you’ve done in the past is useful to your next employer. For example, in my letter: in this new job help with kids homework, will I be editing many 200-page grant proposals? Unlikely. But that example gets their attention, and then (before they can say “so what?”) I told them exactly how the skill that made me good at that project (attention to detail) IS relevant to the new job, with examples I took straight out of the job posting. Happy to share, but yours is definitely better than mine are. ) I would definitely call you in for an interview and/or hire you! I rarely even get cover letters anymore, and the ones that I do sound more like Letter #1. If I were to get one like #2, I would be intrigued, and would want to hear more. Yep. The goal isn’t to get 15 applications a week done; the goal is to get a job. In closing, I am thrilled at the possibility of being involved in the new castle almost literally from the ground up, and would love the opportunity to meet with you and discuss the value that I can bring to the Targaryen organization and the Westeros Castle Project. I appreciate your consideration and look forward to hearing from you. Yes, the first one didn’t have anything wrong with it, per se; it was exactly like most cover letters, and that was the problem. Most people approach their cover letters that way, which makes them just a non-factor in the application. They don’t help at all, but they don’t actively hurt. They just take up a sheet of paper. Aw gods, are they proposing to rebuild Winterfell? That sounds like a very worthwhile project! My heart aches when I think about what has been lost. Thank you to you both. Game of Thrones! I couldn’t help but smile when I was reading through this. Thank you! I was truly lost as to what to write on it and there are limited intern spots available so I was panicking a bit… I appreciate the advice greatly! Break your accomplishments down into the skills that made it possible for your to accomplish them. Then focus on those skills that are transferable, using the accomplishments themselves as support for your claims. Oh my Game of Thrones name switches lol. Nice touch! Now that that is out of the way, thank you. I have had the hardest time trying to find a real life Cover Letter example. All I kept coming across were reiterations of resumes, lame “5 line only” instructions, and supremely confusing, unhelpful examples of people with mountains of schooling and experience (that I do not posses). This before and after is amazing, and easy to understand! I finally feel like this is something I can accomplish and even possibly do well. Thank you thank you thank you. Alison, you’ve said in the past that a cover letter should take about 20 minutes. How on earth do you write this kind of highly customized cover letter in 20 minutes? My process usually involves reading the job posting thoroughly and pulling out key words and phrases that really communicate what they’re looking for. Then I go through their web site, LinkedIn profile, and any other information (e.g. press releases, news articles, etc.) to get a feel for not only who they are, but who they believe they are. I choose a few key attributes of mine that I want to highlight, given my understanding of what they’re looking for (based on the previous steps) and finally add in either a paragraph or several sentences here and there about why I want to work for them in particular. Next business school case study gender equity, my husband (who’s also in my field) reviews the cover letter and gives me suggestions. I also comb my network to see if I know anyone at that employer. If I do, I also ask them to take a look at my resume (which has also been customized and search optimized for the position) and cover letter both for general feedback and for input on how it fits with what the employer is generally looking for. Based on this feedback, I might do a few small edits, or I might do a total re-write (e.g. I recently applied for a position where my contacts said that all the employer wants to hear is about how much you want to work for them, not at all about your accomplishments). This draft might go through one more round of review and feedback from my husband and my contacts. Finally, after I’ve done all the substantive edits, I go through it at least three separate times for typos (and I mean really go through it — like reading it backward, reading it out loud, etc.). After all that, it’s finally done. There’s no way this is a 20 minute process. It’s not even an hour long process. I could only see getting a cover letter ready in 20 min if you used boilerplate and just were changing the addressee (and doing that would probably take me close to 20 min because I always triple check all of the details of spelling etc. of the addressee’s name and address, plus of course doing the research to figure out who the addressee should be, which is almost never posted). I wouldn`t hire this woman she is only going to be murdered at the Red Wedding! Last but certainly not least, I want you to know that I’m a passionate Westeros fan and a longtime supporter of the new castle. I’ve been following the new castle movement since the earliest days of the original “Save the Tombs” campaign, and I am so excited to see this vision becoming a reality. I’ve already checked out the new castle website, and the renderings of the new throne and great hall are stunning, to say the least – I particularly love the vintage murals and art featured throughout the building. Nice touch! I’d love to say my cover letters are as good as the OP’s, but they aren’t. I used to try to work from a previous one for a similar position, but I actually think it was harder, because no two positions are enough alike, nor are the companies. So I’d rework for hours, only to finally realize I was getting hung up on trying to use stuff that wasn’t even very good. This may or may not be great advice, but there certainly are many different hiring managers. If I am the one reading the revised version with all of its brassy shiny disrespectful waste of my time, you won’t be getting the job. I’ve been told by people in a position to know that two pages is normal, even expected. I imagine this is even more true when you’re talking about academic libraries. Personally, I think it just opens the doors for a lot of unnecessary wordiness. (Extremely well done) I love this! Came across this link via the muse.com and I’m definitely adding this website to my list! I know I will get a job amusing the advice on this website. Honestly, looking at this cover letter alone I’ve already learned a few things! I’d love to see AAM post a cover letter example for an attorney or a cover letter that’s for a traditionally conservative field. Thanks! I was particularly proud of that line (although it still doesn’t read quite as smoothly as I’d like). If you could read the job description, you’d see that it calls for, in much more general terms, that breadth of responsibilities. My goal was to show that I grasped the job description without parroting it back to them. Dear Hiring Manager: I think you’re right about needing to be reserved, but there’s a difference between “reserved” and “generic”. Write your letters in a way that differentiates you. What do you really offer your future employer? Why do you want this job specifically? That’s what I really want to know– when I see someone who can write persuasively, that’s the mark of someone who can help my group. This letter is FANTASTIC. D Wow, that really is quite a difference! Thanks for sharing. The point of mentioning building legal polices and procedures where none existed is to create a starting point for how I add value. It demonstrates that I must know the law, how to apply them, how to work with others, how to assess value or follow the value assessed by others, how to achieve business goals etc Fantastic letter! Thanks for sharing essay on natures medicine, Letter Owner and AAM. Your personality really shines through in the “after” version, and the first version looks like every lame cover letter I’ve ever written in my life! Between real-life examples of cover letters like this and the fascinating salary thread last week, this blog truly is an awesome resource. You know what it means to have created legal policies as in-house counsel. But maybe the hiring manager doesn’t. Maybe ‘drafted corporate legal policy’ means as much to the hiring manager as ‘Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra’. I’m curious to know if fresh graduates with no working experience should put in their hobbies in their cover letters. Starting the first two most important paragraphs with “It” and “As” garners a D- from me. There are many more words in the “after” version, which means fewer people will have the patience to read them. If this qualifies as thoughtful advice, the job seekers of the future are in trouble. Granted, I have a job so my search isn’t as hard core as someone who’s out of work or about to be laid off or what have you, but I would rather identify a few jobs that I REALLY REALLY want and do a bang-up job on those letters (and targeting my resume as well) than to send out 15 or 20 boilerplate letters that aren’t going to stand out from the couple hundred similar letters that somebody is going to screen. For whatever it’s worth, I think learning to write this way is helpful for legal work as well as cover letters. Many lawyers don’t write well, and you will stand out if you can write clearly and readably. Lucky for you interesting term paper topics, we searched the web far and wide to bring you the best examples of totally awesome, out of this world cover letters that people have actually written. After all, how can you become a cover letter ninja without seeing some examples beforehand? Want more help crafting the best cover letter possible? See our suggestions!
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