Cover Letters
& Other Job Search Correspondence
Developing quality written correspondence in your job search
(besides resumes) is one of the most
important aspects of the entire process - and often the most neglected.
People spend days, even weeks creating the perfect resume. However,
when it comes to composing an effective letter, most people find the
best example available, make a few
changes and produce a letter that can
be used for almost anything. Unfortunately, employers can spot these a
mile away.
will help you articulate how what
you have to offer is a good match for
what they need.
Your Letter Has to Stand Out
In today's job market, most employers are swamped with many applications for every position that is open.
It is not unusual to have 100 or more
applications per opening. You need
to set yourself apart in some way.
You must find a way to convince the
employer to pick up the phone and
invite you for an interview.
use their name! You also want to
personalize this letter to a particular
organization - convey to them that
you are interested in them specifically and this is not a form letter. An
example could be "Dr. Waters in
the English department suggested I
contact you regarding a position as a
journalist with The Oswego Herald.
I understand that your recent merger
with the Fulton Times has created a
need for qualified and enthusiastic
reporters."
Body:
There are a number of important Structure:
This is the place to communicate
points you should keep in mind All cover letters are different, but your skills and experiences to an
as you write to employers. This there are essentially four main sec- employer - you must sell yourself.
includes all types of job search cor- tions: the contact information, the Although you don't want to repeat
respondence, not just cover letters. introduction (one paragraph), the what is on your resume, you do want
body (one or two paragraphs), and to write about some of the highlights
Cover Letters
the closing (one paragraph).
that are most relevant to the employA cover letter should accompany ever. You need to balance confidence
ery resume that you send out. They Contact Information:
and humility as you paint a picture
compliment each other and work as This is a business letter and should of the type of person they want to
a team. The purpose of the letter is be in business letter format. Start hire by describing your prior expeto personalize your resume for the off with your address, followed by rience. An example could be "As a
employer and enable you to elaborate today's date. Skip a line and continue Public Relations intern, I created and
more fully on your qualifications.
with the first and last name of the implemented promotional strategies
contact and their address. Use only that resulted in a 75% increase in
Planning your Cover Letter
their last name in the salutation.
student involvement. I also wrote
To write a persuasive cover letter,
press releases and worked with local
you should research the specific posi- Introduction:
mass media outlets. I believe this
tion and organization. This will en- The first sentence should state why experience will enable me to make
able you to match your qualifications you are writing. For example, "I am outstanding contributions to your orand qualities to those required by the writing to apply for the position of ganization." Or "After taking several
employer. Read literature available research assistant, as advertised in..." related courses and visiting alumni
from the company, through the Ca- If prospecting for unadvertised open- in the career field, I have decided to
reer Services office or on the Web. ings, an introduction could be "I'm pursue a career in industrial psycholCarefully analyze the advertisement writing to establish my candidacy ogy. As you will note in my resume, I
or job description. Talk with em- in the event an opening occurs for presented a paper on worker satisfacployers within the organization and which I am qualified." Name any tion as it correlates to overtime. Last
other professionals in similar posi- direct referrals in the very beginning year I was an intern at Xerox Corp. in
tions. Knowing as much as you can of this paragraph - just make sure their Human Resources department,
about your potential responsibilities you have the person's permission to where I was exposed to many issues
dealing with hiring and benefits administration. With my interpersonal
skills, academic accomplishments
and related experience, I would work
hard to be an effective member of
your staff."
Resources where it will get more attention than it normally would have.
Avoid sending it generically to the
H.R. department unless you have a
contact person there or are applying
for a position in H.R.
• Keep your letter short. It should
Conclusion:
be one page with three to four paraYou'll want to thank them for their graphs. It should be concise and
time and consideration of your cre- to the point. It is a business letter,
dentials. The important part of this not an essay about your life experiparagraph is to set up a next step. ences.
This can include reasserting your • Each cover letter should be indiinterest in the position and arranging vidually written and typed in order
for a specific time you will contact the to show focus and commitment to
employer. Avoid endings which lack that organization. If the letter reads
assertiveness such as "Please contact as if it could be sent to a number of
me..." Don't leave the initiative and different employers, it is probably
offer for an interview up to an em- destined for the trash.
ployer. Since you shouldn't be mass • Research the employer. Nothing
mailing your resume, you should be will impress an employer more than
able to do enough research and fol- your letter describing what uniquely
low up with each employer. Some interests you about their organizaexamples of closures are: "I will call tion.
within two weeks to follow up with • Time your letter and resume apthis letter", or "I will be available to propriately. Do not send them out
interview during the week of March the day after the ad is run. Wait
15th. I will call within one week to several days after the first wave of
discuss the possibility of setting up a resumes may have arrived. The
meeting." Don't forget to sign your likelihood of your letter and resume
name (it happens!).
being read is greater if it is one out
of 3 or 4 rather an 1 out of 30. Also,
Additional Points
consider sending it express - those
• Address your letter to the person letters may receive more attention
who has the power to hire you. Don't than first class mail. Avoid having
hesitate to call the company to find your letter arrive on Mondays (the
out the name (and correct spelling) heaviest mail day). Time your foland title of the appropriate person. low up phone calls about three days
You don't need to tell the person after your letter arrives and avoid
on the phone that you are looking calling Monday morning or Friday
for a job - simply state that you are afternoons (people may be thinking
sending correspondence and want about the weekend).
to ensure it gets to the right person. • Try to set up a meeting even if
If you can't get the name of the ap- no opening exists. If the person
propriate person, send it directly to is impressed with you, he/she will
the President. If he/she is impressed, probably call when an opening does
he/she may contact you directly. If occur. Also, the person you meet
not, he/she will forward it to Human may have advice or even solid leads
which you may not have gotten without a meeting.
• Count the "I's" - if you use the word
"I" more than three or four times to
start your sentences, you may want
to change your sentences so that the
word "I" is eliminated. For example,
"I have had experience in..." could
be changed to "My experience includes..."
• Use the same quality bond paper
for your cover letter that you used for
your resume. Laser print each letter
for a professional look.
• Employers will be using your cover
letter to assess your communication
and writing abilities. Make sure
there are no typos or grammatical
errors in your letter, as this is a sure
sign of carelessness. Once you write
your first draft, take a break or come
back to it the next day for another
review. Have other people proof
read your letter.
Scannable Cover Letters
If you think your cover letter will
be fed into a computerized scanning
system, use a basic font (size 12-14)
and emphasize key words to describe
your relevant experience. Do not
fold or use staples; use a paper clip.
See the Career Services handout on
Scannable Resumes or the book on
electronic resumes under "Career
Services Resources" later in this
handout.
Other Job Search Letters
The cover letter is only one type of
correspondence related to your job
or career search. Here are some
others:
Letter to request an
information interview
Here you are introducing yourself
to someone with whom you would
like to speak regarding his/her career
field, specific position, organization,
advice about appropriate job search
strategies, etc. This letter should follow most of the rules of cover letters
with the following exceptions:
• You should not include a resume.
If the contact receives a resume, you
will probably be considered a job
applicant regardless of what your
letter says. If the reader has no openings, he/she may choose not to meet
with you. You can, however, bring
the resume to the interview itself to
help the interviewer understand your
background and respond to your
questions.
• Remember to ask for a 30 minute
meeting. Usually people are more
likely to agree to meet with you for
a short time - and end up spending
more time with you anyway. Please
review our "Networking and Informational Interview" handout.
low-up with a brief letter accepting
the position and outlining the specifics as you understand them, such as
salary, starting date, hours, benefits,
who your supervisor will be, and any
other relevant information. Your
employer may provide a copy of your
offer letter requiring your signature.
Be sure to read this carefully to make
sure the letter is accurate before you
sign and return.
cate your regrets. Communicate why
you thought you were a good match
for the organization's needs. The
person to whom you were writing
may move on to a different organization and may become interested
in you as a candidate in his/her new
organization.
Letter to an alumnus
Be sure to mention your mutual tie
to SUNY @ Oswego - perhaps give
Letter to withdraw
them a quick update of what the curfrom consideration
rent issues on campus are. Mention
This letter can be used when you where you found their name. Always
decide that you no longer have an ask for career advice, never directly
interest in being considered for an for a job.
employment opportunity. If you
have accepted another offer, imme- General Tips for all Letters
diately notify all other employers • Make your letters look aesthetically
of your decision and withdraw your pleasing. Laser print it out on quality
candidacy. This letter should thank bond paper.
the employer for his/her consider- • Perfection is key: no typos, no misation. You should state that your spellings, no factual errors. Once
decision was related to a better fit you spell check the letter, proof read
Letter to follow up
between your skills/interests/abilities it very carefully and have others do
after an interview
and the other opportunity at this stage the same.
These are usually called Thank You in your career. Do not burn bridges - • Keep a copy of every letter you
letters, but saying thank you is only be courteous and keep the door open send out. When you make follow-up
part of the reason for writing them. for future possibilities.
phone calls, it is always helpful to
Please see the Career Services handhave a copy of your letter in front of
out on Thank You Letters.
Letter to reject an offer
you to know exactly what you said
Remember:
Keep this carefully written letter to this particular person - especially
•Keep it very brief - two or three brief. Indicate that this was a dif- since all of your letters will be difparagraphs should be enough.
ficult decision to make and that you ferent.
• Send it out as soon as you can fol- have given it serious consideration
lowing the interview - ideally within - you don't have to state your reason
Career Services Hours
24 hours. If you have new informa- for declining the offer. Be sure to
Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 4:30pm
tion to add, you'll want the employer thank the employer for his/her time Summer: 9:00am - 4:00pm
to have this before they make their and again, be positive and keep the
final decision.
doors open for the future.
Feedback/Questions
• Be sure to reaffirm your interest in
Gary Morris, Director
the position and reiterate your best
Letter to follow up when you
[email protected]
qualifications and qualities.
were NOT offered a position
If you were very interested in a posiLetter of acceptance
tion for which you did not receive an
Career Services Website:
After you receive an offer and have offer, you can send a letter to reemwww.oswego.edu/careerservices
accepted it over the telephone, fol- phasize your interest and communi-
SAMPLE COVER LETTER
Your Street Address
City, State ZIP
Today's Date
Mr./Ms. First and Last Name of Employer
Title of Employer
Company/Organization
Street Address
City, State ZIP
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name of Employer:
Your opening paragraph should state why you are writing. Name the position for which you are applying and
the source of the listing. Give information to show your specific interest in his/her company - it is imperative
that you "personalize" your letter to each organization. Name any direct referral person(s) in this paragraph.
Your middle paragraph(s) should highlight your qualifications. Refer the reader to your resume in terms of
your general qualifications. You may also choose to reference your "Linkin" profile, provided it is professional
and current. Give details of your background that will show the reader why she/he should consider you as a
candidate. If you have relevant experience or related education, be sure to point it out, but do not reiterate your
entire resume. Remember that many employers utilize the cover letter to judge your writing and communication skills.
You could add an additional paragraph to go into more experiences that will highlight your qualifications. Be
sure to emphasize your skills, qualifications, abilities and personal traits that relate to the job for which you are
applying. Be confident in this letter but not arrogant.
In this last paragraph, you want to ask for action by stating how you will take the next step. You can state that
you will contact the employer within a specific time to follow up with this letter or to set up a possible meeting
at his/her convenience.
Sincerely,
(sign your name - black or blue ink)
Type your name
Enclosure