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Cover Letters Presented by Ron Drew, PMP

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The Transition 101 Model Are you prepared to do each one of these steps? Anger Help Me!! Stress Relief New Friends Foundation Onboarding Plan Get a Job Offer Networking + LinkedIN Resume Cover Letter Interview Layoff/Quit/Fired Marketing Plan No Plan = 2 strikes to start

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What Is a Cover Letter? <ul><li>A supplement to the resume that includes more detailed information about yourself </li></ul><ul><li>It highlights key points in your resume </li></ul><ul><li>Expresses your interest in a position </li></ul><ul><li>Shows off your qualifications to a prospective </li></ul><ul><li>employer </li></ul>Hiring managers are looking for ways to exclude you as they narrow down their applications. Do not give them that ammunition.

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What Should My Cover Letter Accomplish? <ul><li>Your cover letter should introduce the main points of your resume. </li></ul><ul><li>It should also help you to “sell” your qualifications to the prospective employer. </li></ul>

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Cover Letter Basics <ul><li>Heading </li></ul><ul><li>Inside Address </li></ul><ul><li>Salutation </li></ul><ul><li>Paragraph #1 </li></ul><ul><li>Paragraph #2 </li></ul><ul><li>Paragraph #3 </li></ul><ul><li>Closing </li></ul><ul><li>Signature </li></ul>

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Cover Letter Examples of Basics <ul><li>Heading: </li></ul><ul><li>Address </li></ul><ul><li>City, State, Zip </li></ul><ul><li>Date </li></ul><ul><li>Company Address: </li></ul><ul><li>Name of Individual </li></ul><ul><li>Company </li></ul><ul><li>Address </li></ul><ul><li>City, State, Zip </li></ul>Salutation: Dear Mr. Dear Mrs. Dear Ms.

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Cover Letter Basics <ul><li>Main Body of Cover Letter ... Keep it brief! </li></ul><ul><li>Paragraph #1 – Reference the position and note how you found out about the job </li></ul><ul><li>Paragraph #2 – Why are you interested in the position and what are your qualifications </li></ul><ul><li>Paragraph #2 or 3 – Support your qualifications with examples of experience </li></ul><ul><li>Paragraph #4 – Restate your interest in the position and request an interview </li></ul>

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Before You Write the Cover Letter <ul><li>If you have a company or employer in mind, do some research regarding their policies and principles </li></ul><ul><li>Review websites, brochures, pamphlets and any other pertinent materials you can find about the company </li></ul><ul><li>If you can, try to speak with current employees; this </li></ul><ul><li>will provide you with a unique inside perspective </li></ul>

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<ul><li>Once you’ve done your research and you have a </li></ul><ul><li>good idea of what qualifications the company is </li></ul><ul><li>looking for, it’s time to separate yourself from the rest of the pack </li></ul><ul><li>Before you begin writing your letter, take some time to brainstorm. Make a list of reasons why you’re the ideal candidate </li></ul>Before You Write the Cover Letter

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Preliminary Research <ul><li>Find out </li></ul><ul><li>* General job </li></ul><ul><li>information </li></ul><ul><li>* Desired qualifications </li></ul><ul><li>and skills </li></ul><ul><li>* Key values and words </li></ul><ul><li>Check with </li></ul><ul><li>* Out Placement office files </li></ul><ul><li>* WWW </li></ul><ul><li>* Trade journals, </li></ul><ul><li>magazines, and </li></ul><ul><li>newsletters </li></ul><ul><li>* Company literature </li></ul>

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A Few Things to Keep in Mind <ul><li>Do NOT over use “I” ..... </li></ul><ul><li>Instead, place the focus on the employer and use the word “you” </li></ul><ul><li>Avoid writing more than one page; since you are </li></ul><ul><li>probably competing with other applicants, employers </li></ul><ul><li>just don’t have the time to read two pages </li></ul><ul><li>The point of the cover letter is to flesh out your </li></ul><ul><li>resume’s selling points not to repeat the same </li></ul><ul><li>things that appear in your resume </li></ul>

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Header <ul><li>Sally Smith </li></ul><ul><li>Human Resources Director </li></ul><ul><li>Beiersdorf North America </li></ul><ul><li>187 Danbury Road </li></ul><ul><li>Wilton, CT 06897 </li></ul><ul><li>Dear Ms. Smith: </li></ul><ul><li>Address your letter to a specific person, ideally to the person who will interview you. </li></ul><ul><li>Look for the person’s name in company publications, or phone the organization and ask for the person’s name or for the personnel manager. </li></ul>

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Salutation <ul><li>If you are addressing the letter to a specific person, start out with the formal salutation : Dear Mr. Jones. </li></ul><ul><li>If you don’t know the name use: </li></ul><ul><li>Dear Hiring Manager </li></ul><ul><li>Refrain from using the old standby’s: </li></ul><ul><ul><li>To whom it may concern </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Dear Sir or Madam </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Never Use “Hi” or “Hello” or Hey There” </li></ul>

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Introductory Paragraph <ul><li>Your first paragraph should: </li></ul><ul><li>Get the reader’s attention </li></ul><ul><li>Stimulate interest </li></ul><ul><li>Be appropriate for the job you are seeking. </li></ul><ul><li>Make your goal clear to reader and highlight the main points you will focus on in the letter. </li></ul><ul><li>Make the reader want to preview the rest of your letter. </li></ul>

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Opening Paragraph Example Dear Mr. Drew: As the enclosed resume attests, the Business Analyst position advertised on Monster.com is a perfect fit with my qualifications. My experience working as a Programmer Analyst at Unilever and my vast experience in the Information Technology has prepared for what this job requires, making me an ideal candidate for this position.

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Solicited Application Letters <ul><li>Solicited application letters are letters written in response to an advertised job opening . </li></ul><ul><li>It is appropriate to mention where you learned of the opening in the first paragraph. </li></ul><ul><li>I believe that my knowledge </li></ul><ul><li>of sales and marketing along </li></ul><ul><li>with my proven communication </li></ul><ul><li>and leadership skills make </li></ul><ul><li>me a strong candidate for the </li></ul><ul><li>position of Marketing Director </li></ul><ul><li>posted on the Beiersdorf’s </li></ul><ul><li>Website in the Careers Section. </li></ul>

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Unsolicited Application Letters <ul><li>Unsolicited application letters are written to companies that have not posted a job opening . </li></ul><ul><li>It is important to gain the reader’s attention and persuade them that you can contribute to the company’s goals. </li></ul><ul><li>As a company of one of the </li></ul><ul><li>fastest growing skin care </li></ul><ul><li>products in the world, do you </li></ul><ul><li>have an opening in your </li></ul><ul><li>Marketing department for </li></ul><ul><li>a recent college graduate </li></ul><ul><li>with a major in English and </li></ul><ul><li>Marketing and selling </li></ul><ul><li>experience? </li></ul>

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Goals of the Body Paragraphs <ul><li>Emphasize your strongest qualifications or top selling points for the position for which you are applying. </li></ul><ul><li>Demonstrate how these qualifications will benefit the employer. </li></ul><ul><li>Refer employers to certain points in your enclosed resume. </li></ul><ul><li>Provide examples of your achievements that have benefited previous companies if appropriate. </li></ul><ul><li>Be specific in your descriptions. </li></ul>

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Body Paragraph Example As my resume highlights, I have offered high-responsibility computer and software support for users, IT staff and external customers. This experience, along with constant use of computers, has given me a thorough background of many different forms of software and operating systems including the Windows and Apple families, Microsoft Office, and Dreamweaver. I have also become very comfortable performing hardware and software upgrades on Windows and Mac machines and working with various types of networks including wireless and LAN. In addition, I master new skills quickly and complete tasks efficiently.

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Detailing Your Experience <ul><li>Show (don’t tell) employers your qualifications </li></ul><ul><li>Include specific, credible examples of your qualifications for the position. </li></ul><ul><li>Use numbers, names of software you've used, or features of a project that may apply to the job you want. </li></ul><ul><li>As a customer service representative at Unilever, I provided quality customer service while promoting the sale of products to customers. I also handled upwards of $200,000 sales orders per day and responsible for reconciliation of sales orders. </li></ul>

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Using Active Language—Don’ts <ul><li>Don’t be vague in your descriptions. </li></ul><ul><li>Don’t use weak verbs such as endeavored, tried, hoped, and attempted. </li></ul><ul><li>Don’t use sexist language such as chairman and manpower. </li></ul><ul><li>Vague: I worked as an agent at Unilever. </li></ul><ul><li>Weak: I attempted to attract customers. </li></ul>

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Using Active Language—Do’s <ul><li>Use concrete words to describe your experience. </li></ul><ul><li>Use present tense to discuss current activities and past tense for previous job duties or accomplishments. </li></ul><ul><li>Be as specific as possible in descriptions; list dollar amounts and figures when you can. </li></ul><ul><li>Vague: I worked as a ramp agent for Delta Air Lines. </li></ul><ul><li> Specific : As an agent, I assisted in loading baggage, oversaw fueling the aircraft, and stocked commissary items on the aircraft. </li></ul><ul><li>Weak: I attempted to attract customers. </li></ul><ul><li>Strong: I initiated a program to attract customers to Burger King, which resulted in a 5% increase in sales for the month of June. </li></ul>

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Organizing Your Letter <ul><li>In general, cover letters should be no longer than one typed page. </li></ul><ul><li>Organize your body paragraphs to emphasize your strongest and most relevant qualifications. Only include the two or three strongest qualifications from your resume. </li></ul><ul><li>Make it easy for readers to scan your letter by beginning each paragraph with a topic sentence. </li></ul>

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Concluding Your Letter <ul><li>Please take the time to look over </li></ul><ul><li>my resume. I would enjoy a further </li></ul><ul><li>discussion on this position in person. </li></ul><ul><li>I will follow up with you in a few days </li></ul><ul><li>to answer any preliminary questions </li></ul><ul><li>you might have. In the meantime, </li></ul><ul><li>Please do not hesitate to contact </li></ul><ul><li>me at 203-555-1234. </li></ul><ul><li>Thank you for your time and </li></ul><ul><li>consideration. </li></ul><ul><li>Sincerely, </li></ul><ul><li>Conclude by asking for a personal interview. </li></ul><ul><li>Be flexible regarding a date and time for the interview. </li></ul><ul><li>Be specific about how the interviewer should contact you. </li></ul><ul><li>If you say you will follow-up, make sure you do it!! </li></ul><ul><li>Include a thank you. </li></ul><ul><li>Use “Sincerely,” to close the letter </li></ul>

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Mailing Your Letter With Your Resume Double and Triple Check Before Sending!! <ul><li>Coordinate the design of your letter with the design of your resume (FONTS etc). </li></ul><ul><li>Be sure to send both Cover Letter and Resume to prospective employers; they both reveal different kinds of information about you. </li></ul>

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Key Points to Remember <ul><li>Appeal to company values, attitudes, goals, projects, etc. </li></ul><ul><li>Elaborate on the information in your resume. Don’t repeat the resume, highlight it!! </li></ul><ul><li>Use their words – Use the job description to help make the connection between your experiences and their employee wish-list </li></ul><ul><li>Provide evidence of your qualifications. </li></ul><ul><li>Proofread carefully for grammatical and typographical errors. The letter should be error-free. </li></ul>

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Key Points to Remember <ul><li>Stress the Positive!! </li></ul><ul><li>Professionalism is a must !! </li></ul><ul><li>Show off your writing skills – the cover letter should be an example of your finest written work. </li></ul><ul><li>Don’t go over a page </li></ul><ul><li>Don’t give too much information - for example, very specific salary or geographic requirements </li></ul><ul><li>Always customize your cover letter and don’t forget to change your contact information </li></ul><ul><li>Maintain a friendly and professional tone throughout the letter </li></ul>

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Bad Example of a Cover Letter

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Where can you go to find extra help with your cover letter? <ul><li>Department of Labor </li></ul><ul><li>Various Network Group Sponsors </li></ul><ul><li>Ask your Board of Directors </li></ul><ul><li>Ask a Friend to review it </li></ul><ul><li>Attend Network Group Presentations like this one for help with drafting, revising, and editing your resumes and cover letters </li></ul><ul><li>Google the Internet </li></ul><ul><li>Hire a resume writer </li></ul>“ You are the only person on this earth who can use your ability!! --Ron Drew

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Thank You for Your Attention <ul><li>Questions? </li></ul><ul><li>[email_address] </li></ul>“ Remember that success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go” --William Feather