Cover Letters

Cover letter writing is often viewed as one of the most difficult parts of a job search, but it need not be. A cover letter is not a mysterious device which only a select few are capable of writing. It is simply a common sense, straightforward, brief letter which introduces you and your resume, but does not start with "My name is…".

Purpose of a cover letter:
· To explain why you are sending your resume. (You almost never send a resume without one.)
· To introduce yourself by establishing who you are and summarizing your background.
· To show how you qualify for a particular job.
· To state your career objective.

How to write a cover letter:
· If you have trouble getting started, try writing down what you would say if you were speaking directly to the person. Then, edit what you've written to make it more concise and businesslike.
· The most important point to remember is that you are writing to another human being. The tone of the letter should be somewhat formal and businesslike but not stilted. It should sound "human." There is no special trick to writing a cover letter; just keep in mind what the other person needs and wants to hear.
· Some writers worry too much about grabbing the reader's attention and writing a "hard sell" letter. This approach is rarely necessary. Being brief and straightforward is usually more effective than being clever and gimmicky.

The instructions below tell you what to include in a cover letter. They are to be used as guidelines for the content; it is up to you to arrange the contents in a readable, coherent way.

Format of a cover letter:
· Use the standard lay-out for business correspondence (see sample on back of this sheet).
· Paragraphs should be single spaced with double spacing between each paragraph.
· Print the letter on good paper (the same weight and color as that of your resume).
· SIGN your cover letter AFTER you photocopy it, if you are copying it onto good paper.
· Be sure to check for grammatical mistakes, misspellings, and typos - your letter and resume are a company's first impression of you. Also, many companies use cover letters as an indication of your writing abilities.
· Keep the letter as brief as possible, 3-4 paragraphs, no more than one page. Be sure that all the information you are including is absolutely necessary.

To see what cover letter format should look like, click on the link below. You will need Adobe Acrobat to view the resume, which you can download for free here.

Cover Letter Format