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What Is The Purpose of A Cover Letter?

A cover letter introduces the sender and their resume to a potential employer for a job opening. It highlights the sender's relevant qualifications, experiences, and achievements to identify how they can add value to the company. An effective cover letter appeals to the employer's needs, provides relevant information for the specific position, and emphasizes the sender's suitability for the job to convince the employer to grant an interview.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
108 views5 pages

What Is The Purpose of A Cover Letter?

A cover letter introduces the sender and their resume to a potential employer for a job opening. It highlights the sender's relevant qualifications, experiences, and achievements to identify how they can add value to the company. An effective cover letter appeals to the employer's needs, provides relevant information for the specific position, and emphasizes the sender's suitability for the job to convince the employer to grant an interview.
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
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WHAT IS A COVER LETTER?

A COVER LETTER is a professional letter that accompanies your resume when you
seek employment. A cover letter introduces you to the employer and clearly highlights
and summaries your credentials and career successes.

In a competitive job market, it is crucial to differentiate yourself. In many cases, your


Cover Letter is your first contact with employers. If you don’t impress an employer right
away, you may not get the attention you want.

What Is the Purpose of a Cover Letter?

The purpose of a Cover Letter is to:

Introduce yourself and your Resume to the employer, clearly defining “who you are” (a
teacher, sales manager, accountant);

Highlight your most notable qualifications, experiences, credentials, skills and


achievements that are relevant to the position;

Identify the value that you can bring to the organization;

Motivate the reader (potential employer) to call and offer you the opportunity for an
interview.

To be most effective, a cover letter should:

 Appeal to the employer’s interests and needs


 Provide information that is relevant to the particular position to which you are
applying
 Emphasize your suitability to the targeted job by highlighting your skills, experience
and accomplishments
 Indicate your interest in and/or knowledge of the company or organization
 Convince the employer that you should be interviewed.

When is a cover letter used?

 To follow up a phone call with an employer


 To initiate communication with a networking contact
 To respond to a specific job posting or advertisement
 When there is no official opening, but you are writing to inform the employer of your
interest in working for the company in a certain position or department
GENERAL TIPS

 Consider a cover letter as a sales pitch in answer to the question “Why Should I Hire
You?” and it will increase chances of grabbing an employer’s attention
 Personalize, keep it brief, concise and to the point (3 to 4 paragraphs)
 Emphasize 3 to 4 strongest reasons why you are the best candidate
 Do not restate word for word from your resume
 Always draw parallels from previous work experience, demonstrate interest and
company knowledge
 Use business English, check grammar and spellings
 Include action verbs such as “designed or implemented” (past tense)
 Use the active voice whenever possible
 Is it easy to read (spacing, typeface) and just one page
 Does it project confidence?
 Does it include a “thank you” statement?

POINTS TO CONSIDER

 Answer the question, “Why should I hire you?

 Respond to the need of the company and the target audience – person in charge
of hiring

 Answer the following questions: “How do I get my message across? What do I


want to convey?”

 Construct a “Grabber” at the beginning and a “Closer” at the end


SAMPLE LETER FORMAT

HEADER

Date

Employer’s Name
Title
Name of the Company
Address
City, Province
Postal Code

The Salutation Dear Mrs. Jones, (try using the name of a specific person, if you
cannot find out what the person’s name is use: Dear Hiring
Manager)

Opening A. I wish to apply for the position of ________as advertised in


Paragraph the_________, on______________2007.
B. As requested in our telephone conversation on ________, I
am applying for the position of ___________.
C. My acquaintance _________suggested that I contact you to
apply for the position of __________.

Second Refer to the job advertisement and state the skills you have which
Paragraph they specifically requested (this will prevent them from screening
you out).
In addition, mention any other skills that you have that relate to the
position and self management skills.

Third Paragraph Demonstrate some knowledge about the company, let the employer
know why you want to work for their company.

Closing Request an interview, thank the employer for taking the time to
consider your application and indicate when you will follow-up.

Sincerely yours,

Your Signature
Your name: (type your name here and sign in the space directly
above)
Enclosed: (this lets the employer know that your resume is
attached)
Make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors, this is your chance to
create a good first impression.

CONTENT AND FORMAT OF A COVER LETTER


The Salutation

The Salutation should specify the reader’s name in formal fashion (e.g. Dear Ms. or Mr.
Brown). If a “first name” basis was established through a previous conversation, you
could use “Dear Sandy”. If you are unable to identify the name of the reader then, the
most commonly used version is “Dear Hiring Manager”, “Dear Hiring Committee” or
“Dear Human Resources Manager”.

The Opening Paragraph: why you are writing

The introduction should serve to catch the reader’s attention and make it clear what
position is of interest to you. It is a good idea to refer to a previous telephone
conversation, or mention any contacts that may have referred you. The introduction
should show a link between the skills you possess and the organization’s needs.

Second Paragraph: what you have to offer

This paragraph should provide specific information about the skills that you have. Here
you can describe in further detail your qualifications and respond to every possible
requirement that is mentioned in the ad Keep in mind the reader’s time is limited, but do
not sell yourself short or omit vital information. Show your enthusiasm for the position
and the company.
 May be written in a paragraph or bullet form
 The T-Bar exercise is an excellent way to write this paragraph
 Remember to use accomplishment statements
 Use industry buzz and language to make your point

Third Paragraph: why this company?

Indicate why you feel you would like to work for this company. Demonstrate that you
have some knowledge of this organization (products, services, position in the
community, etc.)
 Add areas of special interest to the employer
 Draw specific attention to special projects or tools you may have used related to
the position

Final Paragraph

The last paragraph should request an interview and indicate a time frame when you will
follow up. One to two weeks is recommended. The letter can be completed by
thanking the reader for his/her consideration and by confirming your interest in the
position. Include your contact information and how you can be reached.

Closing A commonly used closing is “Sincerely” followed by your signature and your full
name.

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