Cover Letter Writing Guidelines

Career Development Center 160 Peter B. Lewis Building (216) 368-3662 wsom-cdc@case.edu

A cover letter should accompany any resume that you send to an employer, networking contact, advertisement or friend; even a faxed resume should have an accompanying letter. E-mailing a cover letter with a resume attachment is also appropriate. The main purpose of the cover letter is to quickly highlight your most relevant skills and to demonstrate your fit for a position, company or industry. Whenever possible, address your letter to the manager of the area in which you want to work. Often letters never find their way to the department when they are routed through the Human Resource Office. If you are required to send a response to the HR Department, as in answering an advertisement, send an additional letter to the department manager where the vacancy is located. Your letter should be short - no more than one page, easy to read, (10-12 point type) and be about three or four paragraphs. In it you should address why you are writing (paragraph one), what you have to offer that the employer is looking for (paragraph two), and how you will follow up (concluding paragraph). Some things to remember: Be sure to date the letter Be sure your name and address are at the head of the letter In the greeting, address the individual as Mr. or Ms. (or Dr., where appropriate). Do not use the person's first name unless they are a friend, a relative or your conversation was very informal. If you write to several people in the same organization change each letter slightly so they do not look "photo copied" if the recipients compare notes. In the closing - don't forget your signature just above your typed name. If you are sending the cover letter and resume via snail mail, o Letterhead on both should match in style and format, and o Both should be printed on white or ivory bond paper. Check your spelling and grammar! PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD!!

Cover Letter Writing

LETTERHEAD (matching rsum) goes at the top If writing an email cover letter, all your contact information is included in the bottom signature Date of your letter (in an email letter, omit this)

(if emailing this section is omitted.)

Name of the person to whom you are writing. (If unknown, omit) Title of above person (or the department, if name is unknown) Name of Company Address City, ST ZIP

(In an email letter, this is where your letter begins.)

Salutation (such as Dear Mr. So-and-so; if unknown, write: Dear Hiring Manager, Human Resource Manager, Recruiter, or simply Good morning). CONTENT Opening Paragraph is your introduction to the reader and indicates why you are writing. If you are writing to someone you know, be as personal as appropriate and indicate why you are writing. If the reader is a networking contact and you have not met, be sure to indicate who gave you their name, then go on to tell them why you are writing. If your referral is from an advertisement or some other place (magazine article, for example) you must state that first and then address your reason for writing. Telling the reader "where you are coming from" helps to get them in the right mind set to read your resume. It should be short and to the point. Body Paragraph(s) (the second and third paragraph if you really feel you need additional space), is your opportunity to highlight your past experience or education in relation to the position in which you are interested. This can be accomplished with either a T-Table where you contrast the jobs requirements to your qualifications or simply in a bulleted list where you address the requirements by highlighting your matching accomplishments / credentials. Think in terms of what competencies they are looking for and address them accordingly. For example, if you are applying for a finance position, you might want to mention your analytical skills and experience writing and presenting financial reports in your last job. Companies are looking for what you can contribute to their goals, or what skills you have to offer that make you the best candidate for the job. Closing Paragraph is the closing and is fairly standard. This is your opportunity to thank the reader, address their request for salary requirements (by offering to discuss the matter in a personal meeting) and offer a plan for going forward (such as a specific follow-up on your part). This is, of course, if you know to whom you are writing. If you do not, simply indicate your desire for a meeting. It is always preferable for you to take the initiative to follow-up with them. After the closing (Sincerely, or whatever you choose to use), be sure to type your name, even though it is at the top of the page, and sign your full name above the typed name.

Closing, (leave 3 spaces for your signature or include one in your email signature) Your full name (if emailing, your address, phone and email go here in a block format) Enclosure (or Attachment, if emailing)

* If emailing, dont forget to attach your MS Word rsum , saved as LastName, First Name Rsum . **You can use this format for any letter that you send, just remembering and adjusting the purpose.

COVER LETTER EXAMPLES Heading Sample GIMME A. JOB 1234 High and Dry Lane Cleveland, OH 44112 216.555.4422 gimme.job@case.edu Date Mr. James M. Jones Vice President Marketing My Toys Inc. 9987 Play Road Fun City, OH 44666 Dear Mr. Jones: Opening Paragraph (Samples) Enclosed please find my resume in response to your advertisement for a Marketing Manager in the Cleveland Plain Dealer of August 4th. In a recent conversation with Ms. Shirley Gross of Happy Endings, Inc., she indicated that you might be in the process of interviewing for a Product Manager in your Marketing Department. I am about to graduate from the MBA program at The Weatherhead School of Management with a concentration in marketing and would be most interested in talking to you about this opportunity. I recently met Sam Goody at a meeting of the American Marketing Association and he referred me to you as an individual who is very knowledgeable about opportunities in Marketing in the Cleveland area. I am about to graduate from the MBA program at The Weatherhead School of Management with a concentration in that area and would be grateful for your advice and direction regarding my job search. In May of 200x, I will become an alumni of The Weatherhead School of Management. I am looking forward to finding a marketing position in the Cleveland area that will offer me an opportunity to use the skills I have gained in the last two years. As a WSOM alumni already in the workforce, I would be grateful for your advice and direction regarding my job search. Body Paragraph (Samples) As you can see from my credentials, I have extensive experience in the consumer marketing area and have had the opportunity to coordinate project teams developing and implementing marketing strategies for the introduction of new product lines. I am also familiar with several software packages including Aldus Pagemaker and Quickdraw and have conducted and presented competitive analyses at various levels of the organization.

Body Paragraph (continued) The skills and experience I have gained both in school and at my previous positions are directly related to your vacancy. Project team leadership Development and implementation of new product introduction strategy Experience with Aldus Pagemaker and Quickdraw Consumer product knowledge My background in marketing includes: Project team leadership Development and implementation of new product introduction strategy Experience with Pagemaker, Quark Xpress, and Dreamweaver Consumer product knowledge Closing Paragraph (Samples) I am very interested in pursuing the Marketing Manager position at My Toys, Inc. and will contact you the week of August 12th to discuss my qualifications in relation to the position. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely Yours, Gimme A. Job Gimme A. Job I am very interested in pursuing the Marketing Manager position at My Toys, Inc. and would be available for more detailed discussions of my background at your convenience. I look forward to talking with you in the near future. Sincerely Yours, Gimme A. Job Gimme A. Job MBA Candidate Class of 2007

SAMPLE COVER LETTER Letterhead should match rsum 1234 Main Street Cleveland, OH 44114 216.555.1234 (H) 216.444.1234 (C) johnpsmith@aol.com January 1, 2007 Mr. Kermit T. Frog Vice President of Human Resources The Muppet Organization 1234 Cleveland Street Cleveland, OH 44115 Dear Mr. Frog, It is with great interest that I am submitting my rsum to you for consideration for the Business Analyst position, posted on the Weatherhead School of Managements e-Recruiting system Based on your description, I feel that I offer all the necessary skills and competencies that complement the requirements. My rsum is enclosed (or attached) to give you a broader perspective, but specifically, I offer expertise and proven accomplishments in the areas of: Employee Relations, Compensation and Benefit Administration, Recruitment, Federal and State Laws and Regulations Staff / Team Management Budget Control and Oversight I would be pleased to discuss my credentials with you in greater detail than this letter can offer. I will call you in the next few days to arrange a mutually convenient time to meet. Thank you in advance to your consideration and I look forward to the next steps in this process. Sincerely,

JOHN P. SMITH

John P. Smith
John P. Smith MBA Candidate - Class of 2007 Enclosure