Cover letter worksheet – tips on creating a winning letter
This is an excerpt from “ Do I Really Need to Send a Cover Letter With My Resume?†and although it’s referring to short email notes, the same principles apply when writing a cover letter. The author recommends a 200-word maximum length, which might be a challenge in a cover letter. However, conciseness is important so don’t make it too much longer than that.
* * * * *
Where your traditional cover letter may have started off with a paragraph about where you found the job ad and how delighted you were to learn of the opportunity (blah blah blah), the modern-day introductory note – or “eNote†– conveys your value in a meaningful way, shows the benefit of having you on board, and asks for a follow up conversation – in 200 words or less.
Here are some ideas of what to say in your note, in case you need help getting your creative juices flowing:
1. Highlight accomplishments: Without repeating what’s in the resume, including quantifiable achievements is a great way to portray your unique value. Just remember to make it meaningful and relevant to the new role.
2. Mention why you are a good fit for the company: Each business has a certain culture and takes pride in a set of core values. If you were drawn to certain aspects of the company’s business model, mention this and show how your work ethic aligns with its vision.
3. Demonstrate your industry knowledge: Mentioning a historical fact or recent happenings related to your chosen field or target company shows your interest level and enthusiasm – not to mention it’s also impressive.
4. Add the reason for your career change: If you are looking to pursue a new career, this could be an ideal place to discuss the reason you want to get into this new area and how your background has prepared you for a successful vocation in the new industry.
You could go a few different directions with this note, but make sure you understand your audience (the person you’re emailing) and appeal to their specific needs.
* * * * *
On the following 2 pages are guidelines for constructing an effective cover letter.
As you write your cover letter, base it on an actual job posting that’s representative of the type of role you’ll be applying for. It’s important to customize your letter to a specific job, so this is a good way to start. Each time you apply for a job, you’ll need to modify your letter to match with the requirements of the position.
Name
street address, town, state
phone number • email
NOTE: Copy / paste name and contact info directly from your resume so it matches
Date
Hiring Managers Full Name (optional if you can find this)
Hiring Managers Job Title (optional if you can find this)
Company Name
Company Street Address
Company Town, State, Zip
Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. Lastname: (if available), OR Dear Hiring Manager:
(“Dear Human Resources†or “Dear Recruiter†are OK too, but not To Whom it May Concern or Dear Sir or Madam
Start with mentioning a couple of skills or specific knowledge you have as it relates to the position, such as With my knowledge of X and my previous working experience in the X industry, I’ll be an ideal fit for (position). Continue this paragraph with a sentence or two, brief introduction of yourself (keep it relevant to the job you are applying for). The hiring manager doesn’t want to read about anything that you have done that is not relevant to the job.
In this paragraph, go into some detail about the work experience that you have gained that’s relevant to the specific job you’re applying for. Read the job description carefully to get a good sense of the skills and qualifications required. Figure out what’s most important to the employer. Focus on the needs and goals of the company and how you can benefit them… not how the job will benefit you. Don’t list your job duties and be repetitive of your resume, but instead focus on your skills. Reference things in your background, call attention to key accomplishments, expand on them, and tell a story, to provide evidence that you can do the job. Don’t just provide a chronology and repeat bullets in your resume.
Next paragraph: keep highlighting relevant information. What do they need (required skills and qualifications) and what do you offer them? Research the company and utilize that research to your advantage. Find something in the companies “about†section or in their mission or vision that resonates with you, but then be sure to tie that in with what you can offer. Maybe the company is growing rapidly and going through intense periods of change. You might say “Because of the growth and change going on at (company), I am positive that my multi-tasking skills and ability to work under high pressure and fast moving environments will be a strong fit.â€Â Find something specific about each company that you apply to and relate it back to you. This shows that you took the time to research, understand their needs, and understand how you will fit in and help them meet their goals.
In this paragraph, briefly wrap everything up. You can say something like, thank you for taking the time to read about my qualifications. I look forward to the opportunity to speak with you further about how I can be a positive impact to (your company).
Sincerely,
First and Last Name
NAME
Address
phone • [email protected]
Month 1, 20xx
(Name of person if available)
ABC University
14 Goddard Drive
Augusta, ME 04330
Dear Mr. XYZ or Ms. XYZ … if no name, Dear Hiring Manager:
Because of my previous accomplishments in higher education and my desire to work with students and help them be successful after graduation, I believe that I will be successful as your next student affairs coordinator. In my most recent position, I coordinated diversity programming and oversaw the resident directors. During my tenure, the student satisfaction rating increased from 72% to 84% as measured by an annual survey.
While working at the University of New Hampshire, I collaborated with faculty, academic advisors, college staff, and community members to develop new programs which received high satisfaction ratings. At times I would be required to represent UNH at professional meetings or community events. These meetings allowed me to network and converse with diverse groups of people which helped me create new ways to contribute to student success.
I am a strong believer in higher education and giving people the opportunity to expand their skills through co-curricular programming. I feel that my professional experience in student affairs can help the students at your Augusta campus not only be successful with their academics but help them continue to be successful after they finish their programs.
Thank you for taking the time to read about my qualifications. I look forward to the opportunity to speak with you further about how I can be a positive impact to ABC University in your student affairs role.
Sincerely,
(Name)
(Your final cover letter should be no longer than this. Keep it concise and focused on what’s relevant to the employer, based on what they indicated for required skills and qualifications. Anything too long might not get read by the employer or recruiter. The body of this letter is 228 words)
Sample Opening Sentences
From our cover letter webinar:
As a media expert accomplished in bringing on new clients and a journalist with a strong track record of publishing articles in major news outlets, I will be an effective major accounts executive for Premier Co., Inc.
and
With my combination of experience in strategic planning, training, communications, and higher education, I have the blend of skills and abilities you need as you hire your next training coordinator.
Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply
Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?
Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.
Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?
- Plagiarism free papers
- Timely delivery
- Any deadline
- Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
- Subject-relevant academic writer
- Adherence to paper instructions
- Ability to tackle bulk assignments
- Reasonable prices
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Get superb grades consistently
Online Academic Help With Different Subjects
Literature
Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.
Finance
Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.
Computer science
Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!
Psychology
While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.
Engineering
Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.
Nursing
In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.
Sociology
Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.
Business
We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!
Statistics
We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.
Law
Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.
What discipline/subjects do you deal in?
We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.
Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?
Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.
What if I don’t like the paper?
There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.
Reasons being:
- When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
- We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.
In the event that you don’t like your paper:
- The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
- We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
- Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.
Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?
Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.
What if the paper is plagiarized?
We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.
When will I get my paper?
You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.
Will anyone find out that I used your services?
We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.
How our Assignment Help Service Works
1. Place an order
You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.
2. Pay for the order
Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.
3. Track the progress
You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.
4. Download the paper
The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!
