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Cover Letters That Cover Everything
| Date post: | 06-Aug-2015 |
| Category: |
Career |
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Cover Letters That Cover Everything
Career Advising &
Development Center
Staff
Tanya White-Earnest Manager
Trident University International Career Advising and Development
714-816-0366 X1943
Contact
Information
Cover Letters That Cover Everything
Getting Companies To Respond
Presented by Tanya White-Earnest
Agenda
• Answers to your questions about cover letters
• The various types of cover letters
• The four essential elements of a great cover letter
• The formula for increasing your odds of getting the interview
In today’s webinar we will discuss:
Types of Letters
• Letter of Application: applying for specific opening
– Following personal meeting
– For advertised positon
• Letter of Inquiry: expressing interest in an organization when there may not be an opening
– Employment possibilities
– Internship opportunities
Types of Letters
• Information-Seeking
• Follow-up
POLL QUESTION
A cover letter is absolutely required to apply for most jobs:
True/False
Your Questions
• “Do I really need a cover letter?”
• “Is it important to address the letter to someone?”
• “Will anyone read my cover letter?”
• “Doesn’t my cover letter just tell them what is in my resume?”
• “Do I need more than one cover letter?”
Tips
• Know why you are sending the letter:
– Introduce yourself (beyond skills and qualifications)
– Get them to review your resume
– Create a call to action
• Keep it short, simple, and sweet
– Generally one page
– Don’t make excuses
Tips
• Grab their attention right away
– Choose language that paints a vivid picture
– Don’t try to tell them everything
• Talk about what you can do for them
– This isn’t about you, it’s your contribution
– Use concrete examples
– Be focused
Tips
• Tailor your letter to the industry, company, reader
– Use what you learned in your research
• Review, Review, Review, then Review Again!
– Put it aside and come back to it
– Have someone else review it
– Read backwards
– Does it represent you in the best light?
POLL QUESTION
What percentage of Recruiters/HR Managers/Hiring Managers actually
read a cover letter? 1% 14% 27% 50%
“Why don’t
recruiters read
cover letters?”
• To often cover letters are:
– Poorly written/Difficult to read
– A regurgitation of the resume
– Unfocused
– Lacking additional value
– TMII
– Self-promoting
– A waste of time for the reader
The 4-Paragraph
Letter
• For the cover letter, there are four main paragraphs to use: – First, why are you writing – which job are you applying
for, be specific
– Second, what you bring to the table, BRIEFLY describe your qualifications
– Third, (almost most important) why do you want to work for THEM specifically. What draws you to the company?
– Call to action: how can they contact you, when are your available, etc. Tell them you expect to speak with them
Engaging
Example
Make your cover letter both unique and memorable. • Dry Entry: My name is ______, and I am a
sophomore at _____ College/University who is interested in working in the sport’s industry.
• Engaging Entry: My childhood days were spent playing baseball late into the summer nights and football upon a fresh blanket of snow. Engagement in sports is an integral part of my identity, and this core belief creates a desire to work in the sports industry. Example provided by Timothy James Curley
of Babson College Career Services
Formula
R + A + CE + C + C = Employer Interest
Relevant
Accomplishments
Concrete Examples
Contribution
Connection
Questions
What questions do
you have about
Cover Letters?
Next Week
Join us next week for:
Who Are You in 30 Seconds or Less?
• Can you intrigue and entice someone to want to know more about
you in 30 seconds or less? When you are on the job hunt, you sometimes have very little time to convey what you can do for a company. So you need a complete, concise, composed, compelling “elevator speech” ready to go at moment’s notice. Join us to learn how to compose one that helps you stand out from the crowd.
Thank You!
We appreciate you joining us today for:
Cover Letters That Cover Everything We hope you enjoyed and learned something new from the session Watch for the email containing the link to the recording and the Slideshare for today’s webinar Please be sure to leave your comments and suggestions as you log out See you next time!
