Creating A Cover Letter
While you’re on the hunt for a job and applying for different positions in your field of study, you may find that many companies require a cover letter as part of your application. If you’ve never written a cover letter before, this can be a very intimidating request. But have no fear because after reading about cover letter tips and tricks, you’ll be more than prepared to write your own! Keep in mind that if the cover letter is optional, a strong cover letter can help you, while a poor cover letter can hurt you, so never rush a cover letter.
What should you say?
The Cover letter Should never be a copy and paste of your resume. Rather you want to tell the story of one or two of your experiences that pertain to the job you’re applying to. You want to focus on highlighting relevant skills, interests, and values while matching your competencies to those needed to be successful in the job. All while staying in the length of one page. TIP: Make your Cover Letter the same font size and style as your resume!
Parts of your 1-page cover letter
- DateSalutations
- Intro
- Body Paragraphs
- Closing
- Signature
1. Date and Salutations
Month day, year
Dear Mr./Ms./Dr/ Hiring Manager (if you are unsure of whom to address)
2. Intro
You want to include your name, the University that you are currently attending or are going to attend, your major, minor, and the year you are in school. You also want to address the full name of the company, the position that you are applying for, and where you found the position. Focus on the ins and outs of how your values and interests match the company or why you have a personal connection with the company/use their products or services. You can also include any names and conversations of employees in the company that you’ve networked with.
3. Body Paragraphs (2–4)
The most important part of your body paragraph is making sure that you are not just repeating what’s on your resume, instead highlight any accomplishments, skills, experiences relevant to the position you are applying for. To do this you have two options. You can either write about one experience per paragraph or give examples. Alternatively, you can write about one experience per paragraph while emphasizing the skills and accomplishments you gained from that experience.
4. Closing
In closing, you want to restate your enthusiasm for the company and the position you are applying for. You want to state that you hope to have the opportunity to discuss the position in question further at an interview and invite them to contact you through phone number or professional email address. Finally, thank the reader for taking the time to read through your materials and for considering you. This paragraph should be the shortest on the resume because it isn’t very personalized.
5. Signature
You want your signature to be professional so some phrases to use in your closing before your name include: Sincerely, Best Regards, Regards, Thank you, Respectfully, etc. Followed by your full name.
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