Write a Great Cover Letter

In my previous post, I wrote about the usefulness of your school’s career services department. I decided to pay a visit to the office at my university to speak with a career coordinator. I came to talk about the thing everyone dreads when applying for jobs: cover letters.

I met with Megan Rooney, a Career Coordinator at my university. Rooney was trained as a social worker but found her passion working with students. She has been working in student development for the past three years. I started off by asking Rooney how important she felt a cover letter is to the job application. She responded, “If requested, it is very important. The company is not asking for additional materials for no reason. I see a cover letter as a bridge between your resume and the job description. It explains why you are the best fit and why you should be invited for an interview.”

I asked Rooney what a common mistake is that people make when writing their letter. She commented that it is ideal to know who you are sending the letter to. Either the name of the hiring manager or recruiter. I asked, if you do not know who it is going to, what is the best way to address the letter? Rooney stated that you could address the letter to ‘Hiring Manager’, ‘Recruiter’, or even ‘Human Resources Department.’

The purpose of a cover letter is to preface why you are applying for the position and why you feel as though you would be an excellent fit. Rooney stated that it can be useful to look over the job description while writing the cover letter. “Your writing should evoke some of the things they ask for in the job description.” She provided me with a few “rules” which can be useful guides to writing a cover letter. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1: Don’t Overuse “I”

2: Don’t Use a Weak Opening

3: Don’t Omit Your Top Selling Points

4: Don’t Make It Too Long

5: Don’t Repeat Your Resume Word for Word

6: Don’t Be Vague

7: Don’t Forget to Customize

8: Don’t End on a Passive Note

9: Don’t Be Rude

10: Don’t Forget to Sign it

Rooney also told me that it is important to not only explain what you would get out of working for the company, but what they company would get from hiring you. She stated that you should explain why the employer should hire you and what exactly you could bring to the table. The most important thing Rooney indicated to me is that if you talk to industry experts, each will give you a different answer and perspective on how things should be done. It is crucial to remember that resources are a guide, but not a script. She stated, “It is important to seek feedback, but ultimately, you are the one directing the content of your letter, resume, writing samples, etc.”

If you are looking for cover letter guides, I have provided some links below to websites.

Perdue OWL

For a Recent Graduate

Forbes