A cover letter is a document that explains your reason for seeking employment with an organization and briefly describes how you would be an asset to the organization. The cover letter serves several points of value:

1. Is an introduction to you, your skills and how you would help this organization with the problems they are presented with.
2. This is a basic sales pitch as to why you are the right person for the job.
3. Gives you an opportunity to more completely and thoughtfully make yourself stand out to potential employers.
4. Draws in the reader to want to continue reading your resume and hopefully request an interview with you.
5. Emphasizes your most important skills as well as reflects your personality and character

Cover letter objectives

Your objective is to take this opportunity to market yourself in such a way that the hiring person will not only want to continue reading your resume but will also want to request an interview with you. The cover letter professionally “dresses” the application in an impressive, confident way (Smith, L.S. 2016) This is also where you have an opportunity to highlight your personality and give the reader a glimpse of what kind of person you would be to work with. In addition, this highlights your skills to effectively communicate with others. This is not your actual resume, so do not just repeat your resume, highlight the most important skills that you have that will present you as the most qualified candidate for the job.

Characteristics of a Cover letter

The characteristics of a cover letter are to quickly introduce yourself to the reader and make them want to learn more about you. A good cover letter demonstrates enthusiasm for the position. (Smith, L.S 2016)  In order to do this, you need to positively present yourself. In order to accomplish this the foundation of your letter needs to be polished with use of excellent grammar and free of spelling errors. You need to effectively express that you have all the qualifications that are needed for the position that you are seeking and do so in a manner that highlights your qualifications.

Types of cover letters

While the ultimate goal of the cover letter is the same in each circumstance, essentially, there are two types of cover letters, one for solicited jobs and one for unsolicited jobs.

Solicited Jobs

• Address to the person named within the organization
• Specify where you heard of the position
• Refer to the job applying for and the qualifications that make you the perfect candidate for the job

Unsolicited Jobs

• Show a knowledge and interest in the organization that you are applying to
• Indicate how you and your skills would benefit the company

Depending on which kind of job you are applying for, essentially you will use elements of both, but will focus on the specific needs of the one that represents you.

Planning

Prior to writing your cover letter, there are many items that you will want to gather:

1. Use research methods from section 9.5 to learn about the company
2. Figure out what the organization is looking for and how you can best fit those needs.
3. Figure out what qualifications or achievements you have from past employers or special projects that would make you interesting for this job and how it could make their organization better.
4. Find out the name of the hiring person by looking through job posting, organization website, social media or call the human resource department (verify spelling and pronunciation). If unable to locate the name “replace the salutation of your letter with a descriptive subject line such as Applications for Marketing Specialist Position”. (Guffey, M., & Loewy D. 2015)

Format

While you want to be creative in the content of the cover letter, the overall format should be consistent with the resume. Following the basic rules will help you to have a clean, crisp cover letter that highlights how you are the right person for the job that you are seeking.

• Black typeface. Don’t attempt to be so creative that it detracts from the substance of your cover letter.
• Use a conservative font such as Serif
• Write it on white paper so that the black typeface will stand out.
• Utilize one inch margins
• Make sure to put all contact information at the top

Writing the letter

Begin the letter by writing an introduction that will grab their attention. Include your special attributes that make you the person most qualified for the position that you are applying for. Explain why you would be a good candidate and what you can add to the organization, be creative.

Key points to remember:

• Do not merely state what is already in your resume
• Use active verbs and pull key requirement from the posting
• Don’t use emoticons, cliches, abbreviations or acronyms
• The opening paragraph should be short
• Write a different letter for each position applying for and indicate what makes you the perfect candidate for the position applying for
• Be honest about your qualifications
• Highlight your most important qualifications (avoid using “I” and instead make more references to your skills and successes)
• Your accomplishments should be the main body of the letter
• Emphasize items you have that play into the organization’s main focus (these items should change with each job that you apply for)
• Close the letter confidently, possibly requesting an interview
• Proofread everything twice
  • Check spelling, grammar, typographical errors and read out loud for syntax
  • Have a colleague proofread and critique your cover letter
• Go over the application instructions and confirm submission instructions and format
• Make sure your cover letter does not exceed one page unless you feel it is necessary to more fully explain why you would be an asset to the organization

Figure 9.13a Sample Format for Solicited Cover Letter (Resumebaking, 2017)

Figure 9.13b Sample Format for Unsolicited Cover Letter (Resumebaking, 2017)