Cover letters? I have never written a cover letter before in my life. From the readings it seems that they will not be read if you are applying for an entry level position. Does that mean we should not write one? Well they say you should dress for the job you want, might as well write a cover letter to show that you are serious about getting that job.
What you should write in the resume is based on job ad that you have found. You must tailor your cover letter just like you would your resume. Add in key words the job called for, tell about your previous job experiences, and make sure you sound professional. From reading Kairos and the Cover Letter it gave examples of what not to do when writing. I found them very funny as I am sure if people would proofread their cover letters they would see that they came off that way. They seemed like high pressured sales pitches. I could just imagine the recruiter replying to these cover letter types
The “me” approach is countered by the recruiter by saying “yes it’s all about you but I’m looking for someone that works for the company.”
The rhetorical question approach is countered by the recruiter going “oh, yes I am looking for a person like that. Too bad it isn’t you.”
The “I know what you need!” approach is countered by the recruiter by saying “yeah, not you.”
The structure of a cover letter should be as followed based on the Instructor Blog #3: Cover Letter. The introduction should be about the same as your career objection statement based on your resume. Your body of your paragraph should tell about your accomplishments. In your final paragraph you should talk about what you can do for the company. It is also helpful to research the company so you can tailor your cover letter to the company you are writing it for as well as ask questions. Finally, make sure you sign your cover letter.
With these tips you can have a cover letter you can be proud of.
Getting a leg up
While thinking about the cover letter again I began to think about the declining job market. One should always include a cover letter when submitting a resume. It will help distinguish you from the rest if you have that extra bit of paper with it. Years ago they recommended that people should go to college to make them stand out when hunting for a job. Soon that will not be enough and they will recommend that we go to graduate school or get our masters. What I am trying to say is that every little bit helps when applying for a job.
Jeff
Every little bit does help!
Every little bit does help! I have never used a cover letter, but with the way things are going today you make a very valid point. With the declining job market and countless other issues out there that we will face when we leave college a cover letter seems to be the least we could do. I still stand by the opinion that a cover letter is optional depending on the application situation though. In our case we are very lucky that we have countless opportunities for face to face interaction with recruiters. Many applicants don’t have this opportunity out in the real world.
www.JFlitt.com
Do what you can
Your comment has to be the best one that I have read concerning cover letters. What you said about cover letters being optional depending on the job is a valid point, but also your idea about the current job market is a valid point. People need to be able to do whatever they can in order to land that awesome job. So even if someone isn't sure whether to write that cover letter or not, the best idea is to write one any way cause it shouldn't hurt someone's chances as long as it is wrote properly.
Good Point
Your point about the economy is a very good one. Seeing as the job market is so terrible right now, you should do everything possible to make your resume/ cover letter stand out. While most cover letters aren't read, that advice was probably given before the recent downturn in the economy. It is very possible that these rules don't apply anymore. There are now more people applying for less jobs, so cover letters are a good way to give yourself a leg up on the ever increasing amount of competition. Kind of makes me think if any of the rules to writing resumes could have changed with the current downturn in the job market.
More important during hard times
This is a point I haven’t seen made yet. It would make perfect sense that cover letters take on more important roles when times are tough. When there are far more applicants than jobs, as in today, every step must be made to differentiate yourself from the crowd of jobseekers. It would seem that a great way to do that is to have a killer cover letter.
Also, I liked how you kind of played devil’s advocate with the different types of cover letters presented in the text. I think that’s something we should all do after we write our cover letters, try to image what a recruiter’s response would be. If it isn’t the response that gets you in the door for an interview, consider revising the letter.