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.
I think the hardest part to writing my cover letter will be deciding the key terms that I want to elaborate on. It was hard enough to decide which information was most important to include in a resume, but now I basically have to boil my resume down to three key terms that I will be able to elaborate on and use to prove that I am the perfect candidate for the job. Obviously I will use keywords that I found in the job ad. I am actually thinking about picking several terms and outlining the information that I could write about each, and then choosing the ones that would go best together and prove what I am trying to claim.
Another complication that I expect to run into is finding trying to convey that I am the right person for the job without accidentally using the "Me Approach" discussed in Kairos and the Cover Letter. The cover letter is all about me, and it is my chance to explain how the things listed on my resume apply to the job. Conveying this without actually saying it will take some time and planning.
I did find it helpful that the readings suggest including recent information about the company in the cover letter. This should be fairly easy to incorporate and it shows an interest in the actual company, more than just the particular job that I am applying for. It will also help make my resume stand out from the others that, hopefully, didn't include any information like this. While to me the cover letter seems like it will be more difficult than writing the resume, it is a necessary evil that will hopefully give me an edge over the competition.
Recent Company Info R5
I like the idea of including recent information about the company you are applying to as well. It shows that you already have that ''buy in'' with the company and shows you have more interest in them than peers that only applied and did not include extra info. If, for instance, you show interest in a recent project of theirs that may apply to your job then it tells them that you can hit the ground running on it faster than someone who has not been informed yet. I think this is a pretty big edge to have and could be a deciding factor between two similar packages.
Shane
Cover letter styles
I don't think you should worry so much about accidentally using any type of approach that you think is bad. As you have pointed out, your cover letter is all about you, and there will likely be at least little glimmers of the 'me approach' shining through no matter what. I think that the article simply outlined a few extremes and it is up to us to use that information as we see fit to produce a nicely rounded document. Including relevant news about the company and/or field is a great way to express interest, I think this will be a good thing to include on any cover letter.