Cover Letters for Resumes
You may wonder why you need cover letters for résumés when you have just submitted a résumé that contains everything the hiring manager needs to know about you. It may seem redundant, but a good cover letter serves as an effective tool in your job search marketing campaign.
Purposes of cover letters for résumés
The purposes of the cover letter submitted with your résumé are:
· To make it easy for the résumé screener to see what sets you apart as a candidate
· To provide a link between the specific job for which you are applying and your résumé
· An opportunity to include a few words about the company to show your interest
· As an additional advertisement of your candidacy
· To give a more personal touch
Customize for each application
You should take the time to write a customized cover letter to accompany your résumé for each job application. Some elements will be the same in each letter – opening and closing, for example, but you will use the middle section to give specific evidence of your qualifications for a few of the most important requirements from their job posting. This reinforces your candidacy.
If you are emailing your cover letter with your résumé, you do not need to make a separate document for it. The cover letter can be the content of the email, with your résumé as an attachment.
The cover letter should be short – three to four paragraphs. Lay it out like a business letter with the following sections:
Contact information
Include your name, address, telephone number and email. If you are writing a separate document, this will go at the top of the page. If an email, put it at the bottom, after your signature.
If you can find out the name of the hiring manager through company research, networking, or simply calling the company and asking, it is very powerful to address the letter to that individual. Include the job posting number and job title as a subject line in the cover letter or as the subject of the email.
Introduction
The introduction of your cover letter should be brief and to the point, but polite. Mention that you are very interested in the position, with perhaps a few words about why. Since this is a marketing tool and therefore oriented towards your customer (the hiring manager), be sure that your interest and the reasons for it speak to the needs of the hiring manager, not your own. For example, you would not say, “I am interested in this job because it is only a mile from my home” (focused on your needs). You might say something like, “I am interested in this position because my past experience in Six Sigma will be very useful to you in implementing your new Six Sigma initiative, as I have read in your company news” (focused on the hiring manager / company). This is a good place to mention something you know about the company, or you can wait until the closing paragraph.
It can be effective to use a catchy phrase to get the reader’s attention in your opening paragraph – something that highlights your personal “brand” – what sets you apart from other candidates. Look at advertisements and other marketing materials for ideas, but don’t try this if it seems trite or contrived – it is better to be simple and business-like than creative but silly.
Qualifications
The next paragraph is the heart of your letter. Looking at the job advertisement, choose the top four or five job requirements that seem to be most important to them and for which you have strong evidence of qualifications. Use the hiring manager’s own words as much as possible when describing your qualifications – it will help to catch their eyes. For example, if the job advertisement wants “experience developing and implementing training programs,” you might say something like: “At XYZ Corporation, I developed and implemented 15 new company-wide training programs, including one that won a national award…” Notice how this example did not stop at simply saying you developed and implemented training programs, but gave evidence of their quality and impact. This list of your qualifications can be in paragraph form, but it is effective to use bullet points as they draw the reader’s eye right to the most impactful part of your letter.
Closing
The short closing paragraph should say something polite, such as thanking them for their time and consideration. You can say again that you think you are a good fit for the job, perhaps making a statement that sums up the points you made in the previous section. Mention that your résumé is enclosed or attached. If you have the ability to do so, you might say that you will be calling to further discuss how you can meet their needs, or something similar. Do not mention it if you do not intend to call or if the application instructions prohibit calls.
Use a pleasant closing like “regards,” “sincerely” or the like, sign and then proofread, proofread, proofread! Just as in your résumé, a typo, grammatical or spelling mistake or phrasing that seems too casual can disqualify your candidacy. Once you are sure it is error-free, send off the cover letter for résumé using mail, email, online application or whatever is specified in the job advertisement.