49

Without a cover letter, your resume is missing something.

Fastweb

Scholarships, Financial Aid, Student Loans and Colleges

Cover Letters to Get You Hired

482kLike Share Tweet 3 1

By Kay Peterson, Ph. D.

March 18, 2009

You might think that if you have a good resume, you don’tneed a cover letter. Nothing could be further from the truth.Your cover letter supplements your resume. It focusesattention on your achievements and gets a prospectiveemployer interested in you.

Cover letters are especially important to new graduates.Through the cover letter, you can persuade an employer tolook past a possibly thin work history to see the value of youreducation and non-professional experience.

Always supply a cover letter with your resume – even if oneisn’t specifically requested. If you’re applying via email, use the body of the message to convey the same ideas you would in acover letter.

The Cover Letter Made Simple

A good cover letter contains the following elements:

Introductory paragraph: Keep this section short! Identify yourself and your objective (to get a job or internship, etc.).You may also include how you came to hear about this opportunity.Brief summary of your qualifications: Don’t reiterate your resume. Make a stronger impression by limiting your focus toone or two experiences. The more specific you can be, the better; try to include hard data as well as description (i.e.number of employees you supervised, increase in productivity, etc.).Conclusion: In the final paragraph, restate your interest in the company and provide information about the besttime/means to contact you.

Examples

Below are two sample cover letters that use the tips mentioned:Sample #1: JobSample #2: Internship

Sample #1: Job

[Date]

Ms. Kelly Williams Vandelay Industries 1877 W. Montana Avenue Boston, MA 02129

Dear Ms. Williams,

I would like to apply for the position of Junior Analyst, as posted in the career bulletin at Boston University. I will graduate thisspring from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a minor in French. My goal is to pursue a career inmanagement consulting for the telecommunications industry, with an emphasis on international development.

I spent the past year interning for Sagitay Incorporated, a Boston-based consulting firm that specializes in telecommunications.My internship has focused on mergers and acquisitions; my main project has been devising viable reorganization strategies forthe telecommunications arm of U.K.-based Synergy Incorporated.

Prior to my internship with Sagitay, I worked in the international services division at A.T. Kearney, where I was involved in theexpansion of telecommunications giant Proteus into the European market. That internship developed my interest intelecommunications, as well as utilized my French language skills.

I read in the January 2005 issue of Fortune magazine that Vandelay is looking to broaden their base of international andtelecommunications clients. I feel that my professional experience and educational background could contribute to your firm’sgoals of expansion and growth.

I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and discuss the position available. Please let me know if you have anyquestions or would like to see some work samples. You can reach me by phone at (444)536- 1212 or by email atperickson@email.com.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Paul Erickson

Sample #2: Internship

[Date]

Mr. Stephan ScheckInnovation6553 Carlisle Drive, Suite 300Los Angeles, CA 90048

Dear Mr. Scheck,

I would like to apply for a summer internship position with Innovation. I learned of your company through the placement centerat the University of Missouri.

I am currently majoring in architecture at the University of Missouri and will receive my degree this spring. While I have acomprehensive architectural background, my emphasis is on rehabilitation and renovation.

I previously held an internship at Smithers & Associates, a St. Louis-based architecture firm. While there, I used CADtechnology to help design floor plans for a multi-level retail space. I also used the drafting techniques I learned on the DigitalTerrain Modeler (DTM) to assist on the redesign of a movie theater in downtown St. Louis. This could be of interest to you, asI recently read on your website that Innovation will be renovating three entertainment venues in the coming year.

I would like the opportunity to meet with you to discuss any internship openings you might have. Please let me know if you haveany questions or would like to see some work samples. You can reach me by phone at (444) 536-1212 or by email atcwatkins@email.com.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Chandra Watkins

Find student loans

Are you a parent or student?

I'm a College Student

What college will you be attending?

Enter your school name

When will you graduate?

Month Year

Amount of loan needed?

Home zip code

What is your email address?

Receive student loan info. & news

Sponsored Results

Only LOYAL3 is Fee-FreeInvest as little as $10 & pay $0 fees to buy andsell stock.Loyal3.com/Stocks

Financial Analyst JobsEasily See Local Job Listings Fast! Online AtClassifiedAds.com.Financial-Jobs.ClassifiedAds.com

Bollywood Movie NewsDiscover New World of Bollywood Spot ur Fav Staron Bollywood Lifewww.BollywoodLife.com

Find loans