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COVER LETTER
Naviance Family Connection
http://connection.naviance.com/cascadehs
http://connection.naviance.com/everetths
http://connection.naviance.com/henrymjhs
http://connection.naviance.com/sequoiahs
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Learning Outcomes
Students will examine the
guidelines and elements of a good
cover letter and will write a cover
letter.
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Lesson Tasks
Review cover letter tips and suggestions
Review sample Cover letters
Research a job using Career Clusters in
Naviance Family Connection
Draft Cover Letter
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Cover Letter
A typical hiring manager does not read
cover letter before the application
They generally spend 10 to 15 seconds
scanning your application
If they like what they see,
they will read more
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Cover Letter
A cover letter should…
• focus on company’s needs and how
you meet their needs
• reflect your understanding of the
company & its needs
• point out how your knowledge and
skills fill those needs
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Cover Letter Tips
Biggest mistake
• mass producing your resume & cover letter
• sending resume & cover letter to hundreds of
employers
Employers receive numerous cover letters, resumes
and applications daily
They do not have time to thoroughly read every letter,
resume and application
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Cover Letter Tips
Your cover letter should be specific and personal
Research & identify the hiring manager
Typically found on their website in the ‘About Us’ section
You can also call the company’s Human Resources Department
Make sure it their name & title are spelled correctly
Use their title, address, email address & telephone number on the
letter
This allows you to send the letter directly to them
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Cover Letter Tips
Keep cover letter to one page
Your Cover Letter must include:
• Your address and the date the letter was written
• The name and address of the person to whom the letter is being sent
• A salutation (Dear ____:)
• The body of the letter
• A complimentary close and signature
• A title of respect, such as Dr., Mr., or Ms.
• A return address and zip code
• Can also include reference initials, enclosure notifications (such as your
resume), copy and postscript
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Cover Letter Format
Return Address – Design cover letter to look like
Personal Contact Information section of resume
• This will make cover letter look like a piece of
customized stationery
• It also brands all of your documents and looks
professional
Sally Smith
1234 – 26 Avenue
Anytown, Washington 98201
[email protected]
425.555.1111
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Addressing Rules
Write all street numbers ten and under as ordinals.
Example:
7753 First Street
2593 Tenth Avenue
Separate all street number over 10 with a hyphen and
drop the th, rd, st, or nd from the street number.
Example:
7753 – 123 Street
2593 – 229 Avenue
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Addressing Rules
Spell out words such as:
Road, Place, Boulevard, Drive, Street, Avenue
Spell single directions out in full: North, South, East, and West.
Use two letters for combination directions: NE, SW, NW, SE
Apartment, Room, Space, or Suite numbers follow the street
address; Apartment may be abbreviated to Apt.
Example:
59370 – 26 Place East, Apt. 43-B
8973 Lexington Avenue, Suite 303A
2003 – 54 Boulevard West, Room 33
22534 Hammond Drive, Space 445
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Addressing Rules
Put one space between the two-letter state abbreviation and the ZIP Code.
Example:
Everett, WA 98203
Everett, WA 98203-6534
Use the two-letter abbreviation for the state — typed in caps and without
spaces and or periods.
Example:
WA not Wa. or Wash.
Parts of a letter address may include:
Name
Name of Company
Street Address
City, State and ZIP
Charlie Jeno, President
Jeno’s Pizza Company
2392 Fourth Avenue SE
Everett, WA 98203
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Cover Letter Format
Introduction Paragraph – The first paragraph of
cover letter should tell employer why you are writing
• Identify the position and the company
• Indicate how you learned about the position
• Request the employer’s consideration
• Introduce basic information about yourself
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Cover Letter Format
Qualification Paragraph - It is your opportunity to
sell yourself
Answer these questions in this paragraph:
• What can you do for the company?
• How do you benefit them?
• Briefly state 3 to 4 related skills & qualifications for
the position & highlight how they can benefit by
hiring you
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Cover Letter Format
Conclusion Paragraph – In this paragraph, state your
next step to move the process forward
• Refer the reader to your enclosed resume
• Reiterate your interest in the position
• Specify how you will follow up
Example: “I will contact you next week to schedule an in-person
meeting or see if you have any questions or need additional
information”
Always follow through on what you say you will do
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Closing
Closing - Always end the correspondence with
‘Sincerely’ as the closing; anything else would be
unprofessional
• If you print your Cover Letter, remember to sign it
• You do not need a signature on an electronic cover
letter attached to an email
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Cover Letter Design
Block
Modified Block
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Cover Letter Design
Open Punctuation - using few punctuation marks
when writing
No colon
Dear Mr. Jones
Sincerely
No comma
Closed Punctuation - punctuation in which many
commas, full stops, etc., are used
Colon
Dear Mr. Jones:
Comma
Sincerely,
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Sample Cover Letter
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Email Cover Letter
If you submit application, resume & cover letter
electronically, submit each individual document as an
attachment
Do not write cover letter in the email message
Usually a HR support person is responsible for
processing applications before forwarding them to
the hiring manager
The hiring manager might not see cover letter if it is in
initial email message
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Research a Job
Before you begin to construct your
cover letter, research a job description
in explore careers & clusters in
Naviance Family Connection
Locate a Career that matches your
current qualifications
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Log-in to Naviance Family Connection
Log-in:
http://connection.naviance.com/cascadehs
http://connection.naviance.com/everetths
http://connection.naviance.com/henrymjhs
http://connection.naviance.com/sequoiahs
username: student ID
password: last 4 digits of
your student ID and the day
you were born
(xxxx-last four digits of
student ID and XX Birthday
day)
Example: 999321
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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explore careers & clusters provides
students with job descriptions and
information about a variety of jobs and
career options
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Explore Careers & Clusters
Open the
careers tab
Select explore
careers &
clusters
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Career Finder
Type career
choice in the
Search by
keyword box
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Career Overview
Read the
Overview,
Knowledge &
Skills, Tasks &
Activities
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Review
How long should your cover letter be and how many
paragraphs should it include?
What is the difference between open and closed
punctuation?
How do you submit a email cover letter?
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Review
How long should your cover letter be and how many
paragraphs should it include?
1 page with 3 paragraphs
What is the difference between open and closed
punctuation?
Open has no punctuation and closed includes
punctuation
How do you submit a email cover letter?
As an attachment
UNIT 1 LESSON 3
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Complete the Lesson…
Write your cover letter using Microsoft
Word
Have another class member complete the
Cover Letter Peer Review for your cover
letter and submit with your cover letter
UNIT 1 LESSON 3