English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

According to one of this week’s readings, specifically Junk Cover Letters Kill Good Resumes by Teena Rose, only approximately 40% of cover letters are actually ever read. Nonetheless, it is recommended that one always be included so as to best represent yourself in every possible circumstance. These readings also jump at the opportunity of bashing generically structured and impersonal cover letters. This is best summarized in the reading entitled Kairos and the Cover Letter, which simply states, “don’t spend too much time refining a hackneyed approach that you use invariably.

1. Do I need to go into more detail about my experience/education?

2. Is my tone too rigid?

This is going to be the first time that I have written a cover letter while applying for a job and before these readings I was not sure at all how to write one, or what to include in one. It seems to me like a waste to that I would go through all that effort to write something that might never be read at all. Since most of my experience applying for jobs at this point in my life has been walking around job fairs talking to recruiters and handing them my resumes, I have not had to write a cover letter while applying for a position yet.

When writing a resume according to all the suggestions that were given from the readings, I thought that it was very challenging. I thought that writing a cover letter would be different but after reading the recommendations for writing a cover letter it feels the same as writing a resume. The document definitely feels like the shape of a technical document with distinct portions like an introduction, body, and conclusion. Even though it must be short and concise, a cover letter must represent a lot of information including background, skills, and even attitude.

I know the importance of a cover letter but I’m still a little apprehensive about writing one. All the articles I read about resumes and how they are quickly scanned made me wonder if employers will actually take time to read cover letters. We even read an article (by Rands In Repose) that said don’t even bother including a cover letter. However, I know in the end I will include a cover letter because I don’t want to be less prepared than another applicant. I guess it’s better to give the employer everything you can and then let them decide what they want to do with it.

According to the reading “Kairos and the Cover Letter”, one needs to adjust what they put on their cover letter according to what the job ad itself is asking. When creating a cover letter I will take this into account and make sure to properly answer the questions and conditions listed in the job ad without being too over the top. In the article titled “Junk Cover Letters Kill Good Resumes”, there are a few questions you want to ask yourself when writing a cover letter. The first question they talk about that you may want to ask yourself is “does your cover letter use a personable approach”.

I have written several cover letters for my job search but when I was writing them, the instruction that I used came in the form of sample resumes from the Purdue Career Center website. I never thought directly about a lot of the tips that were presented in the readings this week. For example, I never considered including company specifics such as a problem that I could help fix. I also never knew that using a conversational tone in the cover letter was appropriate. It always seemed that the resume had to be so formal, that the cover letter should be so as well.

Personally, I dread writing the cover letter. The resume is relatively easy. I can list facts about myself with no problem, but trying to win over an HR representative with a full page of pure writing always seems difficult. "Kairos and the Cover Letter" suggests writing with personality, rather than emulating a style. That's about all I took from this, as the article gave several examples but did not elaborate on them extensively. I guess the point is that you shouldn't be overzealous or cocky. Employers like competence, not cockiness.

Having never written a cover letter in the past, I was a little nervous about writing one for this project. The readings for this week answered most of the questions that I had about cover letters and really opened my eyes to the content that should be included. Judging from the readings, it seems like the cover letter will be used as more of a final cut (if at all), rather than an introduction. Assuming that my resume is good enough to make the first cut, and possibly the second or third, it will be up to my resume to explain the type of person my resume claims me to be.

For the most part it seems like the cover letter doesn't depend on me, it depends on where the company is going and what the company wants from me. I want to relate myself to them in a way that they see beneficial. For the cover letter project I will research my company and find out what their intentions are for people in their company that have the training and goals that I would have. In my case I can contact a friend with the same position and find out what he knows about the job.