BC2: Job Hunting—Job Application Ltrs.

Cover Letters

Job Letters differ from resumes

Resumes: Target a type of career Summarize all your qualifications. Use short, parallel phrases.

Job Application Letters: Target a specific job (organization) Highlight specific qualifications that match the organization’s stated

needs. Use complete sentences in well-written paragraphs.

Cover Letters

Content and Organization for Job Letters.

Focus on… Major requirements of the job for which you’re applying. Points that separate you from other applicants. Points that show your knowledge of the organization. Qualities that every employer looks for.

Cover Letters

Two hiring situations.

Solicited Letter and Prospecting Letter

In both… Address the letter to a specific person. Indicate the specific position desired. Be specific about your qualifications. Show what separates you. Show knowledge of the company/position. Refer to your resume (attached). Ask for an interview.

Cover Letters

The first paragraph

Indicate the job for which you are applying. Explain how you found out about the job. Briefly explain your major qualifications.

I am applying for the Front Desk Manager position (#JK48579) posted on your website. I believe I could be a valuable asset for Hilton Hotels. In addition to having earned a B.A in Tourism Industry Management from Mahidol University International college, I have completed two internships directly related to the hotel industry.

Cover Letters

The middle paragraphs

Provide details about your experience and skills

Subtly hint at potential benefits to the hiring organization

Cover any relevant points that aren’t covered on your resume

Cover Letters

The last paragraph

End on a positive I look forward to discussing with you ways in which I could

contribute to Siam Cement’s continued success.

Indicate when you’d be available for an interview. I can come to Bang Na for an interview any Wednesday or Friday.

Review contact information

Cover Letters

Be specific Ad

Business Education instructor at Shelby Adult Education. Candidate must possess a Bachelor’s degree in Business Education. Will be responsible for providing in-house training to business and government leaders… Candidates should have at least 6 months business experience. Prior teaching experience not required.

BC2: Writing a Cover Letter

Be specific

Letter

I am interested in your position in Business

Education. I will receive a Bachelor of Science

degree from the University of Oregon in

December. I have two years’ experience

teaching word processing and computer

accounting courses to adults and have

developed leadership skills in the Oregon

National Guard.

Cover Letters

Show what separates you from other applicants.

A company as diverse as Monsanto requires extensive record-keeping as well as numerous internal and external communications. Both my summer jobs and my coursework prepare me to do this. As Office Manager for the steamboat Julia Belle Swain, I was in charge of most of the bookkeeping and letter writing for the company. I kept accurate records for each workday, and I often entered over 100 transactions in a single day. In Business and Technical Writing I learned how to write persuasive letters and memos and how to present reports in a simplified style that is easy and clear to understand.

BC2: Writing a Cover Letter

Show what separates you from other applicants. (For an assistant personnel manager position.)

As a counselor for sorority rush, I was able to work behind the scenes as well as with the prospective rushees. I was able to use my leadership and communications skills for group activities for 70 young women by planning numerous activities to make my group a cohesive unit. Helping women deal with rejection was also part of my job. Not all rushees made final cuts, and it was the rush counselor who helped put the rejection into perspective.

Cover Letters

Set yourself apart with careful word choice.

The Allstate Insurance Company is famous across the nation

for its “Good Hands Policy.” I would like to lend a helping hand to many Americans as a financial analyst for Allstate, as advertised in the Chicago Tribune. I have

a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Iowa State University and I have

worked with figures, computers, and people.

Cover Letters

Show knowledge of the position and company.

While I was studying in Berlin last spring, I had the opportunity to discuss accounting methods for multinational clients of PricewaterhouseCoopers with your CEO, Herr Fritz Wollner.

Herr Wollner mentioned that the increasing flow of accounting information between the European and U.S. offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers makes accurate translations essential. My fluency in German enables me to translate accurately; and my study of communication problems in my Business Communication courses will help me to see where messages can be improved.

Cover Letters

Creating a professional image.

Use a smooth, clear style.

Keep things positive.

Be ‘audience-focused’. Talk about how you can meet THEIR needs. Talk about yourself; don’t project to the reader.

Use one, full page.

Keep first and last paragraphs shorter (4-5 lines) and vary the length of middle paragraphs (5 to 8 lines).

BC2: Cover Letters

E-mail application letters. Tell what word-processing program you’ve used.

Put the job number or title for which you are applying in the subject line and in the first paragraph.

Prepare your letter in a word-processing program first to check spelling/grammar.

Don’t use smiley faces or emoticons.