Home » Cover Letters & Thank You Letters » Writing Cover Letter
Four easy steps to creating multiple cover letters
Your cover letter should not summarize your resume. After all, you worked hard to write about your qualifications in concise statements on your resume. Why would you do it again in the cover letter? Instead, the cover letter should add a personal message that your resume doesn't convey.
In the following letter, Lorri Rainey introduces the fact that she has multiple sclerosis, a point that will help her identify with the employer's clients. Although such a personal statement did not appear in her resume, it's perfectly appropriate in her cover letter.
Job-Hunt Hint
Make sure your cover letter look s quick and easy to read. Avoid a bulky midsection by keeping paragraphs short, using bullet-point statements, or using columns to present your thoughts.
Take My Hint, Please! Sometimes it pays to give an idea away. By proposing a solution to the manager, you take the risk of having it stolen, but more than likely you'll be perceived as a bright individual the employer wants on his team. In her cover letter, notice how Carla Smith hints at what she thinks is a great idea for her prospective employer's Marketing department. Without giving away the details of her program, she indicates that she knows what she's talking about and can pull it off--to the employer's benefit!
Getting the Hang of It
If you need to write cover letters to more than one potential employer, follow these steps:
- Make a list of all the cover letters you need to write.
- Prioritize the list so that your most preferred potential employer is first, second most preferred is second, and so on.
- Write your first letter, concentrating on your number-one employer.
- When your first letter is completed, make a copy of it on your computer to use as a guide to create cover letters to your other prospects.
This technique for writing several letters will bring some magical results. By starting withyour number-one choice, you'll bring the most juice to your creative process of writing. And by concentrating on just one employer at a time, your letter will be customized for your recipient and therefore won't sound like a form letter. That's an important aspect of good cover letter writing: Your letter must sound personalized to the specific employer.
Career Casualty
In the grand scheme of corporate paper shuffling, your resume and cover letter may get separated. Be sure to include "Enclosure: resume" at the bottom of your letter so the manager will know to look for your resume.
Bonus Check
If you experience writer's block while composing your cover letter try writing a mock letter to a friend or relative about the following:
- The job you're applying for
- Why you want to work for that organization
- What you have in common with the hiring manager
- What you'd like to talk about in your interview Then turn that easy-to-write letter into your real cover letter.
Now you have some good strategies for creating a winning cover letter. With your smashing resume and cover letter, you're bound to hit a home run!
Sumamry
- Make your cover letter personable and targeted to the employer. Don't let it sound like a form letter.
- Create an opening sentence that grabs your potential employer's attention.
- Paint the picture of you and the employer conversing about the company through the body of your letter.
- End your letter with a word of thanks and a request for an interview.
- After you've written a strong cover letter for your number-one choice ofemployment, tailor it toward other employers.