Cover Letter Q & A

Posted by Staff Editor in Career Advice • May 15, 2006

How to write a cover letter is a baffling topic for many job seekers.

Are you struggling to put one together? Keep this in mind -- your cover letter is one long answer to this question: "Why should I read your resume and call you for an interview?"

Here are four ways to answer that question and get called for an interview.

1) Build rapport.

Cover letters are read by people, so address yours to a person. NEVER start your cover letter with such cliches as "Dear Sir or Madam" or "To whom it may concern."

Take that extra two minutes to call the employer and get the recipient's name. Ask the receptionist, "I'm writing a letter to the person who manages (your target department). May I have the correct spelling please?" This will set you apart from most applicants.

If that fails, begin your letter with, "Dear Employer." It sounds confident and will stand out.

2) Avoid stating the obvious.

We know you're a quick learner, honest and hard working. So are the other 500 applicants who want this job. Don't waste precious space in your cover letter saying so.

Instead, use the cover letter to display your knowledge of the company, the industry and even to share specific recommendations you have for problems or opportunities you've researched.

Example: "With 10 years of retail management experience and a record of rapid advancement, I have found at least three ways to increase sales at your Edina, MN location by $250,000 -- or more -- this year. May I discuss them with you?"

3) Stick to one page in length.

Doing this proves you can prioritize your thoughts and present them concisely -- both admirable qualities. Also, it shows respect for your busy reader, who may have hundreds more cover letters and resumes to wade through.

The cover letters I write for clients have an opening paragraph, three or four fact-filled bullet points to build the reader's interest, and a closing paragraph.

This usually comes out to five or six paragraphs that never exceed one page.

4) Get input from friends ... and strangers.

When you finish your one-page masterpiece, give it to three friends and ask for their first impressions and overall opinion. Their advice is important.

Then, ask your friends to show it to three people you don't know. The feedback you get from these strangers will be as important or more so, since they won't be concerned about hurting your feelings.

-- Kevin Donlin is the author of "Resume and Cover Letter Secrets Revealed," a do-it-yourself manual that will help you find a job in 30 days ... or your money back. For more information, please visit http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com/1dayresumes.html

Melissa Kennedy • Jul 19, 2013

Thanks for the great comments. When it comes to cover letter, I'm always amazed at how many people say, "Well, most of the time no one even reads them. It's a waste of time." and so on. Here's the thing, no one ever gets passed over for a job because they wrote a great cover letter. The worst that will happen is that either no one will see it or no one will care. However, there's a big chance that a great cover letter will influence a hiring manager who takes a moment to read it. There are many things we, as job seekers, have no control over. All we can do is make the most of each opportunity.

OKOYE AUGUSTINE • May 9, 2009

It is very helpful, thanks

Patrick OConnell • Apr 17, 2009

Edda Hansen is right. Most of the time all one has is a Web site with a text box for the cover letter, and that's it. The document just might go to a person if you're lucky. However it might be fed to a computerized page scanner looking for keywords in the document you send. If you type (for instance) "Manager" instead of "Supervisor" in your resume, the scanner will reject the letter. So crafting a cover letter just might be a guessing game to select the right keywords. Apparently the National Labs use some form of keyword scanner, according to a LANL staff member I talked to recently.

Mary Jelich Czisny • Apr 16, 2009

Knowing how to construct a good sentence is very important. Many people cannot write, don't understand grammar or punctuation. If the job you are pursuing is medium to high level, you better have others proofread for you. You also need to have that "hook" in your letter. Some people call it the "elevator speech." In 60 words or less you tell someone why they should interview you over another.

ALLOYCE MABERE • Apr 13, 2009

The article is very nice and can help for one haven't know how to prepare a cover letter.

Edda Hansen • Apr 11, 2009

When responding to job board postings the employer's name, or the human resources person's name is seldom available and the company name is frequently withheld to prevent calls from job seekers. So, would you suggest that "Dear Employer" is that strong or confident to stand out - I have my doubts. I have used the cliched Dear Sir/Madame...I will keep your point in mind.

Nancy Cyr • Apr 10, 2009

In most circumstances this would be good advice. But nowadays, every thing is online. I reply to tons of jobs where I barely know what the job entails, never mind the industry or employer's name.

Aisha • Apr 6, 2009

Genreally when I recieve an email with information regarding resumes, career, etc. I never open the email to read the information because it's never interest me. However, this link had very interesting topics; which I believe grasped my attention. In essence, this is really insightful website with current issues of Amercia's job market on how to obtain and maintain a career.

Cover Letter Q & A

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