English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

Now that you've written a resume, the next step is to complement that information with a cover letter. One of the biggest mistakes people make with the cover letter is just repeating information that can be found on the resume. What's the point of that? They already have that information in an easier to read format (hopefully), so you want to build off that, not repeat it. The cover letter is a great opportunity to flesh out some aspects of your professional experience that aren't easy to convey. So if you completed an innovative project at work, or have an interesting accomplishment, or if some volunteer experience really applies to the job, this is a good place to discuss it. Find some unique, relevant part of yourself to elaborate on in the cover letter.

Despite its name, the cover letter usually doesn't get read first for entry-level positions. HR personnel are quite busy, and they don't have time to read a narrative document about you unless your resume is up to scratch. Indeed, the cover letter may only get read if your resume survives one or perhaps several cuts. So the main purpose of the cover letter is to build a bridge between the resume and the job by explaining in more detail how you will serve as an asset to the company. The letter specifically connects your past experience and personality with the qualities the company is seeking, which is why we again remind you to reference the keywords used in the company's job ad. You'll probably want to choose a few of these keywords and use them to organize your letter explicitly. You can write something in the introduction such as: "I believe the communication skills, leadership, and team-building ability demonstrated by my past experience will make me an asset to Cogwell's Cogs." Then, in the paragraphs that follow, demonstrate specific instances of communication, leadership, and team-building with specific examples and details.

Structurally, the cover letter is fairly formal. It is almost always one page, 10-12 point professional looking font, and 3-4 short, concise paragraphs. We recommend that students use the header from their resumes at the top of their cover letters, treating them almost as a letterhead. This makes documents look uniform and professional, and makes contact info easy to find. We also cannot emphasize enough how important it is to put a name in the greeting of your letter. If the job ad does not include a name, call the company's HR department to find out if you can get it (you don't have to give your name on the phone). Including a name is infinitely better than writing "To Whom it May Concern." At the very least, put "Dear HR Coordinator."

The opening paragraph introduces you, the job you're applying for, where you heard about it, and then establishes the structure of the letter. This needs to be done as concisely as possible, usually within 2-4 sentences, because you don't want to waste half the letter telling them where you heard about the job. You also want to figure out what the angle of your letter is going to be, probably by focusing on 1-3 key terms in the cover letter and elaborating on them. Then, you can structure the body paragraphs around those key terms (so if your key terms are "computer skills" and "team player," paragraph two would be about computer skills and paragraph three would be about being a team player.)

This is also a good place to include some research about the company. One of the best pieces of advice we can give is to research the company before writing your cover letter. It doesn't take long to visit the company's website, and having knowledge of the company demonstrates your serious interest and makes you stand apart from the fray. You can include this research in your letter in a number of ways. It could relate to your interest in the job: "Dunder Mifflin's sales position is interesting to me because I have always wanted to work for a company that offers continual sales training." It could relate your experience to the job: "My extensive coursework in particle acceleration makes me an excellent fit with a company that has the second-largest particle accelerator in North America." It could also relate your qualities that would suit the job: "Because of my past teaching experience, I respect LuthorCorp's commitment to philanthropy in local schools." Find a way to include a reference to something specific about the company, as long as it doesn't sound like brown-nosing or sound too much like a benefit for you—i.e. "I've always wanted to work for a company with a foosball table in the cafeteria."

As you develop the body of your letter, you want to be specific. Don't just tell them you worked somewhere. Tell them what you did, what you accomplished, and how those abilities and accomplishments will serve the company. So don't just write: "I worked as a computer programmer last summer." Try something like: "While working as a computer programmer last summer, I led a 10 person development team that used C++ to create advanced educational software marketed by Wayne Industries and used by international clients." Here, job title, teamwork, leadership, computer skills, and accomplishments are all conveyed in a sentence. This is both impressive and concise, and conciseness is very important in a letter. Another example of concise and effective prose might be: "Last summer I was a associate at DLA Piper Rudnick. While there I completed more projects and accumulated more hours than any other summer associate in the California offices. I drafted motions, briefs, pleadings, licenses, and agreements in addition to writing an array of research memorandums." This gives an impressive accomplishment and a thorough description of duties. It's much stronger than just "I was a summer clerk at DLA Piper Rudnick."

As you write, consider your tone. You want to be cordial and convey your personality while remaining professional. You want to focus on why you will be good for the company. Remember, they don't really care about you, so keep all your focus on them and how you will serve them. And always sound motivated. Never write: "While in Engineering 251, I had to give a lot of oral presentations." Write: "During my Engineering 251 project, which required the construction of a solar powered car in three weeks, I gave 12 presentations to community leaders in order to raise $3,000 for the project." Remember, you are a motivated, excited worker, not someone dragging his or her feet who must be forced to do things.

In the last paragraph, summarize the reasons you would be an asset to the company before restating your interest, mentioning your hope for an interview, and including your personal contact info. Include both a telephone number and email address for contact in the final paragraph, even though you included it in the letterhead above. Redundancy is a good thing for contact info. You can say that you will call to follow up, if you want, but if you do, make sure that you actually follow through and be very polite (frequently the people handling the phones won't know what you're referencing). Close by thanking the person for his or her time and consideration. Sign the letter "Respectfully," or "Sincerely," and leave three spaces to sign your name, and then type your name below.

As you are composing, we cannot stress enough that it is important to remember the situation in which the letter is written and read. Are you writing as someone with little experience in the field? A lot of experience? Fresh out of college? Changing careers? Your letter needs to be catered to these circumstances, just like it needs to be catered to the reader. Are you sending the letter in cold? After a job fair conversation? To a friend of a friend? Keep all those details in mind. Also, remember to give your letter a logical organization, focus on job keywords, and convey why you are going to be an asset to the company.