Unfamiliar Genre - Cover Letters

Jordan Northcott

Spring 2023

The Pennsylvania State University

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Introduction:

There are many aspects when navigating in an L2, reading, writing and, most

importantly, communicating. However, one of the more nuanced factors is the more complicated

aspects, such as applying for jobs and all that goes along with it. A cover letter, as defined by

Columbia University, is “a one-page business letter that you submit when applying to a job,

along with your resume” and is an important aspect of the job application process (How and

Why to Write a Great Cover Letter). Not often taught to students outside of business majors, or

those taking business or career courses in university, a cover letter is an essential part of any

prospective job seeker. For example, at the Pennsylvania State University, the only writing

course that offers instruction for job application documents is ENGL 202D: Effective Writing:

Business Education (Writing/Speaking Courses). This leaves this genre, for most, as something

they must self-discover when they are faced with the task of writing a cover letter.

It is also worth mentioning that this is not only a difficult genre for non-native speakers,

but for native English speakers as well. Cover letters require the writer to balance their ability to

self-promote while avoiding sounding as if they are bragging. Being able to self-promote, and to

do so effectively, takes practice and patience. Using rhetorical skills like ethos, logos and pathos

does not always come naturally to writers, which is another reason cover letters can be so

difficult. The writer must craft an argument about why they are the best and most qualified

candidate, as well as being able to support their claims with evidence (Gawley et. al, 2021). A

cover letter also needs to be written in an appropriate style, which as Gawley et al. suggest, can

be created with the help of the Seven C’s: (i) clear, (ii) coherent, (iii) concise, (iv) concrete, (v)

correct, (vi) complete and (vii) courteous (2021). These seven words are all important

characteristics of professional writing since the goal of the writer is not to be superfluous with
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their words but succinct and efficient. There is no time for flowery statements when writing this

genre, instead, it is the time focus on describing your most applicable skills and background for

the job.

With this genre analysis, my goal is to show and elaborate on how writers use and

develop a cover letter. As described in the above, there is more to it than simply stating the

writer's name, basic information, and applicable skills. The writer must understand how to

self-promote and the appropriate linguistic moves they can make within this genre.

Genre Analysis:

Through the act of analyzing samples, from both real people and a template, as well as

creating lessons designed to instruct L2 English learners my understanding has been able to

grow. Over the course of two and a half months, I have been exposed to different versions of this

genre, as well as being able to write it myself. Before I began, a cover letter was something that I

had personally never written before, but was something that I would undoubtedly encounter,

either writing my own or reading others. However, the reason I chose this genre, aside from the

ability to practice it myself, was more to do with the benefits it could provide L2 leaners in

university. These analyses will help build the basis for the lessons intended to teach L2 English

students how to write the genre of cover letters. The data used for this analysis comes from two

L1 English speakers (Appendices A and B), one L2 English speaker (Appendix C) and an

example from a College of Business (Appendix D).

It is important to note, however, that more goes into a cover letter than simply writing,

“please hire me, I would do great at this job”. The writer needs to know what exactly they are

looking for at their desired company, as well as what appeals to them. For this, a basic search of

the desired company's website, and job application page will be one of the most excellent tools
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when writing a cover letter. Another important aspect is being able to discern what skills the

writer has that would lend them to be a valuable potential asset to that company, and how their

academic, working or life-experience helped develop useful skills. This is all the relevant

information needed before one can even begin to write their cover letter, without it, there is

essentially nothing to add aside from a plea for hire with no explanation as to why that company

should.

On the note of discussing cover letters, there are a few components that need to be

addressed. Through my analysis of this specific genre, I have come up with a total of 4 moves. A

move, similar to a step, is an aspect of the genre that has been selected for its unique and

important role. Unlike with a step, a move does not necessarily come in a specific order.

However, for my analysis most moves follow the basic sequence of a cover letter: moving from

formatting to introduction, then introduction to body and so on. Each move has some subsets,

only intended to inform what exactly is found in there. But will not be categorized separately,

instead only identified when relevant to the analysis. They will also follow a basic formula, for

example M3 stands for the body, and M3_S1 means the body and “self-advertising language”

subset. Each move, for this analysis, is about a whole paragraph, however, the content presented

in the move may include a crossover from another one. Such as with M2 and M3, the content for

M2 may include information about the writer’s skill set as well as their history.

M1. Formatting
S1. Personal Address
S2. Contact information
● Telephone
● Email
S3. Company Address
S4. Date
S5. Name of the person you are addressing
S6. Sign off
S7. Name of applicant
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M2. Introduction
S1. Self-Identification (who are you
S2. Reason for applying
S3. What you are currently doing
S4. What is your history (education, classes, etc.)
M3. Body
S1. Self-advertising language
S2. Your skillset
S3. How will you show your abilities
S4. Relation of abilities to company needs
M4. Closing
S1. Repeat dedication
S2. Summarize credentials
S3. Request for an interview
S4. Appreciate the readers

While going through the different collected samples, these moves came up again and again with

slight variations. Not dependent on a specific move but intertwined with the text as a whole is the

type of language the writer uses, such as self-advertising or appreciative. For self-advertising the

writer uses phrases and words like, “my enthusiasm”, “I believe that my..” and “I am passionate

about”. Whereas with appreciative language, the more common phrases are “thank you for your

time” and “I would appreciate the opportunity”. These two types of language lend the writer to

express their desire to be hired, which is the overall goal of this genre.

When discussing the moves specifically, each cover letter performs or uses them slightly

differently. M1 is focused solely on formatting and does not take up a lot of the text bulk, but it is

extremely important to the overall appearance of the letter. Formatting, when done right, can

appeal to the reader even more. Brightly coloured words and odd font choices like Comic Sans

MS make all the other important details less noticeable as the reader is too distracted by those

bits of formatting. However, with a logical header, readable font and organized paragraphs, the

writer will stand a greater chance of being considered than before. The following examples, 1-4,

are taken from the Appendices to demonstrate M1.

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1 (from Appendix A)

Address
City, State, Zip Code

June 27 , 2022
nd

Research Laboratory
Address
City, State, Zip Code

Dear Hiring Manager,

2 (from Appendix B)

Address
City, State, Zip Code
Phone number
email

February 25, 2023

Dear Dr. 1, 2, 3 and the whole “company name” Vet Team:

3 (from Appendix C)

Address • City, State, Zip Code • Telephone • Email

FEBRUARY 14 , 2022TH

Hiring Manager

Dear Hiring Manager,

4 (from Appendix D)

905 Woodlawn Drive

Clifton Park, NJ 07306

Date

Maria Porter, Account Executive

Eliot, Zizelman, & Rohn
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5962 Martindale Road

Parsippany, NJ 08630

Dear Maria Porter,

As seen above, the 4 sampled cover letters all perform M1 slightly differently. The first

(1) and last (4) cover letters use the same formatting style for theirs with only a slight variation in

the dateline and “hiring manager” address, but they both put their headers in the top left of their

page. However, as can be seen with (3), the writer there used the most creative styling, with a

self-made “stamp” of their name in the top left corner, as well as moving their personal

information to the centre of the page. Then with (2) their personal information has been shifted

to the top right corner, but they kept the date and name line on the left. But interestingly both (2)

and (3) did not include the company address in their headers. The only commonality found

throughout each cover letter was that they all used M1_S6 and M1_S7 and even the language

choice for the sign-off was the same. The first part of this analysis, as mentioned, is primarily

about formatting and the basic information needed. However, this move and section of a cover

letter is extremely important because a good cover letter will need to contain some variation of

M1 to be successful.

The next move, introduction, comes directly after formatting. This is where the writer

will properly situate their reader to who they are and why they are applying for this position.

This involves the ideas of self-identification, reasons for applying, how they will show their

abilities and how their abilities would be helpful to the company. This also begins the first bout

of self-advertising language since it is related to the body of the letter. The following examples

all demonstrate parts of M2.

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(1) “I am writing to apply for the remote position of Research Assistant (Scientific Writer),
which I initially saw advertised on LinkedIn.” (from Appendix A)

(2) “I am interested in becoming a DVM Student Ambassador for Bond Vet at my school”
(from Appendix B)

(3) “My engineering experience, along with my master’s in management and leadership, have
enabled me to gain experience and skills in various aspects in the oil and gas industry while
developing the skillset to become a leader, among others.” (from Appendix C)

(4) “Through this letter I would like to express an interest in the account services internship
with Eliot, Zizelman & Rohn.” (from Appendix D)

The above textbox lists 4 examples of M1 in action. In (1), you can see how the writer

immediately identifies their reason for writing the cover letter, “I am writing to apply…” as wells

as listing how they saw the job posting. This is a more common variation of M2, with the reason

being listed in the first or second sentence. This can also be seen in (2) and (4), with the latter

written specifically for a cover letter template (by a Business College). However, in (3), this

reasoning is surpassed by the writer’s skillset, which they wrote directly after their

self-identification, “my engineering experience… enabled me to gain experience and skills…”.

This is an interesting take on M2 because it shows the writer’s desire to immediately promote

their abilities with evidence. As mentioned by Gawley et al., this is one of the key aspects of

writing a cover letter - making claims and showing evidence (2021). However, with the other

letters, none offer a list or sample of their skills until M3, where this is more commonly seen.

Instead, (1), (2), and (4) only use self-identification, their reasoning and history for M2. As

mentioned earlier, the subsets for each move contain the aspects commonly found there.

However, there are exceptions to each, as seen in (3), which is the only one to mention their

skills (M3_S2) in the introduction.

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The body section, or M3, is where the bulk of the writers’ skills and expertise are listed.

It is here that they use the most self-promoting language, with phrases like “these experiences

taught me…”, “I made sure to be involved…” or “much of my success…”. Since, when applying

to a company, you are trying to show off what you are capable of, M3 could be considered one of

the most important ones. The company is looking for very specific skills and abilities, which the

writer should hopefully know based on the job posting and M3 is solely about that.

(1) “During these courses, I was required to analyze and interpret the results of my many
experiments, which has allowed me to become familiar with reading, and then subsequently
writing, data reports on the findings” (from Appendix A)

(2) “I was really able to understand first-hand just how different and unique each owner’s
relationship with their beloved pet is” (from Appendix B)

(3) “I developed numerous skills including the demonstration of agility in an ever-changing

environment, maintaining a self-starter attitude, along with other abilities and skills” (from
Appendix C)

(4) “I feel these skills and experiences would be a strong addition to your firm and am excited
about the prospect of putting them to work for you.” (from Appendix D)

Interestingly, the writer for Appendix B is a bit of an outlier for the normal aspects of

M3, they only mentioned a small number of their skills. Instead, they wrote more about their

history and used pathos to lend themselves as a more sympathetic applicant, as seen in (2). Since

they are applying to be a student ambassador for a vet clinic, they are highlighting their more

emotional side. This does not work for every cover letter though and has been catered

specifically to this writer and their job. If Appendix C tried to appeal to their emotions, as a

petroleum and natural gas engineer applying for jobs in that side of engineering, it is most likely

it would not help them get a job. Therefore, they focused on skills, (3) shows their continued list

of helpful or related skills for their job. As with Appendix A, they are intertwining their

experience with their skillset, because for them and their job, they are equally important pieces
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of information. M3 is all about supplying the best information for the job that the writer is

applying for. Not all information, skills and experiences apply to every job, and this is an

important aspect to understand when writing a cover letter, such as with (1) and (4), who both

listed relevant skills, and why they thought they would be helpful to the job position.

Another important aspect of these moves, particularly with M2 and M3, is the

promotional nature of a cover letter. The intended purpose is for the writer to sell-themselves as

the most desirable candidate with which these two moves are needed. With M2, the introduction

of oneself shows off the writer’s history, how educated they are or what other jobs they’ve held

that would lend themselves to being successful at this company. It also shows what the writer is

currently doing. Some jobs desire candidates who have a couple of years of work experience

after university, while others are looking specifically for college graduates. M3 on the other hand

is showing off what the writer is capable of, and the valuable skillsets they possess. This is how

the writer truly strengthens their desirability to companies because it is easy for a writer to say

who they are and where they graduated from, but it is harder to say how they can affect the most

important change. In Appendix C, the writer spends most of their cover letter describing their

skillsets and experiences that would lead them to be a successful employee, such as having

“numerous skills including the demonstration of agility in an ever-changing environment,

maintaining a self-starter attitude…”.

The final move, closing, is where the writer will wrap up their cover letter. Here they will

repeat their dedication, summarize their credentials, request an interview, and appreciate the

readers. This is usually done in one paragraph, with sometimes a separated sentence before the

salutation line. M4 is also decidedly the smallest of the 4 moves, as it is meant to wrap up and

conclude the entire cover letter. With usually only one sentence of self-promoting language, “I
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would appreciate the opportunity to discuss my background and qualifications” instead of many

mixed in with skills and experiences like in M3. But it is as equally important to the overall feel

and strength of a cover letter.

(1) “I believe that my academic career, along with the skills learned through my previous job
positions, have prepared me to make a strong and immediate impact at StageBio” (from
Appendix A)

(2) “... I hope to work for a company like Bond Vet whose core values perfectly align with my
own” (from Appendix B)

(3) “I am extremely eager and keen to hear back from you. Please do not hesitate to reach out
if you have any questions. Thank you for your time and consideration” (from Appendix C)

(4) “I would appreciate your consideration for an interview and look forward to hearing from
you” (from Appendix D)

As seen in (2), the writer as restated their desire and reason for applying. This, as already

mentioned, is also where the credentials are summarized, like with example (1). Appreciation of

the reader is the only repeated aspect of each writer for M4 - they all state their thanks and hopes

to hear from that company again. Sentence (3) is a great example, as the writer uses lots of

appreciate language. This is, however, the only time they use it in M4, whereas the other 3

writers also include those first two aspects of repeat dedication (M4_S1) and summarize

credentials (M4_S2). Though, the only one to use M4_S3, or anything like that is Appendix D,

(4) is an example of that. As mentioned before, this is also the only cover letter not written by a

real person for a real company, instead, it is a template. This could be a case of raised

expectations since the other writers made more a “hope to hear from you” or “look forward to

discussing this with you” type of phrasing. This may not seem like the complete expectation that

they will receive an interview, however, it is more of a desire that since they have sent in this

cover letter, and if they hear back from the company, then an interview is inevitable.
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In the end, these 4 moves, as listed above, and analyzed through these last pages are

unique parts of a cover letter. Each with aspects that often crossover into other moves, depending

widely on the writer and the job that they are applying for.

Genre Generation:

The second part of this analysis is crafting my rendition of a cover letter, as well as a

brief reflection on the writing process. Since, as a graduate student in a MA TESL program, my

“company” will be concerning my field of study. As well as not including any real address or

contact information, since they are not applicable or necessary for this example. Instead, I will

focus on my skills, experiences and how they would lend me to be a good applicant for an EFL

teaching position at a university in a non-English speaking country. Another note is that I will be

writing from the perspective of a recently graduated student, instead of my position as a current

MA student. My main inspiration, as you will see, is the formatting style of Appendices A and D

since they both follow a similar format and have laid out their letter in a logical way.

Address
City, State, Zip Code

March 31st, 2023

Random University
Address
Country, City, Zip Code

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to apply for the position of an EFL teacher at your university, which I saw
advertised on your website. I am a recent graduate from the Pennsylvania State University
with a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second language. I have my TESL teaching
certification from them as well. My bachelor's degree is in Secondary Education with a focus
on Social Studies, which I received from Millersville University. My unique experience of
educational pedagogies from two different perspectives, as well as my accumulated skills,
hopefully qualifies me for a role as an EFL teacher at your university.

During my undergraduate education, I took multiple education-based courses which taught me

a variety of pedagogies and methods, such as differentiated instruction and classroom
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management skills. During those courses, I was required to read about and study real-life
teachers and classrooms, analyzing how they taught and the sort of strategies they use.
Additionally, as required by my degree, I completed two semesters of student teaching at a
local high school. During my second semester of teaching, my mentor teacher gave me full
control of the World History class. Thus, I taught three periods daily, each 70 minutes, and
designed the entire semester curriculum, with help from my mentor teacher. My time student
teaching allowed me to grow as an educator by teaching me how to effectively juggle grading
assignments and create new units, both of which greatly improved my time management skills.
The role as lead teacher also enhanced my communication skills, as I not only had to teach my
students, but also write professional emails and ask questions to other teachers in the
department.

During my graduate education, my curriculum was entirely education and linguistic based
courses, which taught me the important pedagogical content knowledge needed to teach in an
EFL/or ESL classroom. Since my undergraduate degree was in Social Studies, my time at the
Pennsylvania State University really helped me gain the important knowledge and skills
required to teach English. As required by my degree, one of my classes was explicitly on
teaching English as a second language. During that class, I learned how to develop an EFL
curriculum and was required to teach a lesson in one of the university’s ESL classes. The skills
I gained in my courses, such as formal curriculum development, grammar and writing for L2
English learners, and the acquisition of language makes me a great fit for your university. My
unique background in two different content fields has given me a greater perspective in
teaching and all that is required for it.

Thank you for your time and would appreciate the opportunity to speak further on how I could
benefit your university. I would also appreciate your consideration for an interview and hope to
hear from you soon. Thank you again, and please feel free to contact me at
random@email.com or at (xxx)xxx-xxxx.

Sincerely,
Jordan Northcott

As I wrote this cover letter, I found it was very hard to do so. Perhaps it is because I feel it best to

be humble about my skills and accomplishments since I am such a novice in the field of

teaching. Or, perhaps, it is because I do not often express my abilities in such a way. However, I

found it rather hard to stick to the Seven C’s, as Gawley et al. would say is the most important

when writing professionally (2021). There is a hidden fear that I have not fulfilled any of those

categories, particularly the ability to be concise. In other works I have done, for different classes,

I often struggle when given either a specific word or page count. It goes one of two ways; I write
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barely enough or far too much. This is what I felt while working on this cover letter, that I was

writing too much information, and that I was not concise enough about my skills and abilities. If

this were something I was truly sending to a university, I do not know if I would feel confident in

getting a response. At least not a response I’d wish to read.

However, another thing about my cover letter that makes it slightly different from the

ones analyzed above is that fact that I felt it important to include information about both my

undergraduate and graduate experiences. Since I am “applying” to a teaching position, it is

important for me to list all qualifications and since my bachelor’s degree is also education, I felt

it needed its own paragraph. If this were to be submitted, from what I know of interviews for

teaching positions, I would need to bring (or attach) examples of my real-life teaching.

Therefore, I mentioned, numerous times, that I had developed curriculums in both History and

English. This gives me greater opportunity to highlight what I am capable of as an educator.

Another piece of information I made sure to attach, was the fact that I have taught at a university

level and in an ESL class before. My chances with this fake university could decrease slightly if

my only teaching experience was in my undergraduate 2 years ago, but since I included that I

taught during my graduate studies, that would show I am still up to date with current teaching

habits and techniques.

As for the teaching of cover letters, this was a real eye-opening experience. Since I did

not have a job posting to go off, I had to guess what I would need to include. This reminded me

of the fact that a cover letter is not an isolated work, but instead is deeply intertwined with the

writers resume and the job they are applying for. No cover letter will look the same, they all need

to be tailored to the job you are applying for. This means, when developing my lessons, I knew I

needed to include a portion solely on resume and job postings. I could not have my students
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begin with writing a cover letter if they did not know what to write. Another thing I found is,

although it can be difficult, it is mildly fun to write. The language and phrase use are not

extremely complicated and are often found in everyday vernacular. Also, there is a lot of

resources about this genre on the internet, which adds on to the accessibility of it. However, I do

find having class or lesson on cover letters is important, because there is room for culturally

incorrect language use. Such as, the tone of certain sentences can affect the outcome of your

cover letter, “I want the opportunity to…” vs. “I would appreciate the opportunity…”. The first

quote is a more aggressive approach to asking for an interview, whereas the second quote has

been softened by changing “want” to the modal “would” and adding the verb “appreciate”. These

are the little things that I thought about while writing my own letter, because my issue with

wording struggle is more in politeness (for a North American context), which is something that

L2 writers may unintentionally do wrong, especially when writing for a North American

audience.

Overall, the of writing a cover letter was a new and somewhat odd, but good, experience.

I found that modals, as touched on above, play such a big part in language. I had someone else

help me review my paper, aside from what was done in class, and I didn’t realize my apparently

strong opinions on modals. It can be such a subtle part of language but can have a large impact

on what type of personality you are portraying through your writing. Such as, in the closing of

my letter I wrote, “how I could benefit your university…” versus what my friend changed it to

“how I can benefit your university…”. To me, that rewording really affected how I was

presenting myself. I wanted to seem more demure and less overconfident, which is why I chose

“could”. Using it to show how, if hired, I may benefit them, but this hung on whether or not they

actually hired me. But my friend thought “can” was less formal than “could”, which is why they
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chose it. Unless you are aware of the lexical connotations behind a word, a simple change like

“could” to “can” may seem inconsequential. But if you look closely at the language, that verbal

change made me seem almost cocky and certain I would succeed. This is one of the discovery’s I

made throughout this process, it may seem obvious to some, but as a native English speaker

these are parts of language I must consciously look for. Otherwise, while reading I might have

found the sentence of “how I can benefit your university…” to seem presumptuous but not be

able to name why. Now, after having worked with this genre myself, and really focusing on

language, how it’s being presented, what is commonly found in this genre, I feel much more

confident. Both in my ability to teach students, prepare lessons and use this genre myself.

Lesson Development:

This is the final portion of this paper, which is focused on the development of three

lessons related to the genre of cover letters. Here, I will layout the basic schedule, description,

lessons, and materials required to teach this class. After each lesson, the related materials will be

listed, so that it is easier to follow. Before that, I would like to discuss the reasoning behind

choosing to “teach” this genre.

As previously mentioned, cover letters are not something commonly taught in

unspecialized English courses, for either native or non-native speakers. Unless the field of study

requires it, this is a genre left up to self-discover using information and resources from the

internet or other places. Because of that, I felt for soon-to-be graduating students, who are

preparing to go into the job world in hopefully more advanced ways. Requiring of them to have

certain materials like a resume, CV, and cover letter. This genre can completely ruin a person’s

prospects if is not written properly and in an accepted manner. Referring both to the formatting,

grammar, and language use. Through this “course” and the subsequent lessons, my hope is to
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show students how important cover letters can be, that even a perfect applicant, with a fantastic

resume and all the skills and experiences required for a job can be ruined by a poor cover letter.

Little things like addressing the reader as “to whom it may concern” versus writing their name or

even “hiring manager” can immediately set the tone of a cover letter. If the writer does not have

the time to correctly address their audience, why should the audience care what they have to say.

These are the reasons I believe this genre is worth being taught, now an L2 writer of English can

be perfectly capable of learning this genre by themselves. However, this course will help remove

and potential real-life consequences from a bad cover letter.

Below I have written a brief description of the course as well as other relevant

information. The unit schedule is a total of two and half weeks long, with two days unlisted and

dedicated to working on the student’s version of this genre. I have developed a total of three

lesson plans, each with some attached materials, not all were included as this paper would then

exceed the allowed page limit. But the ones included are important and relevant to the listed

activities and engagement moments.

ESL200 – Writing for Jobs and Internships

Description of class.

This is a university ESL writing class for soon to be graduating students who are applying to
internships. The course would center on how to write a cover letter, as well as other important
job application writing skills. Students will learn what makes up a cover letter, such as how to
introduce yourself to a company, what is done to show interest in them, and what skills you
should mention to make yourself a better candidate. They will be taught how to analyze job
postings, how to incorporate that information into their letter and how letters will change
depending on where you are applying. Students will also know how to write a Resume and CV
and the differences between the two. By the end of this course, students will have acquired the
writing skills needed to be successful in their future job or internship.

Describe your students

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These are 3rd or 4th year university students who are taking this class to improve or work on their
writing skills for applying to internships and jobs.

How long is the class?

The class is twice a week - Tuesday and Thursday for 60 minutes. It is a half-semester course
since it is a specialized writing class.

Overall Instructional Goal:

The overall instructional goal is for students to be able to analyze and incorporate information
from job postings into a formal cover letter.

Learning objectives:

1. Students will be able to write a formal cover letter.

2. Students will be able to analyze what skills they should put on their resume.

Unit Schedule (tentative) – 2 ½ weeks to complete

Day Topics Assignment

1 ● “Pocket Resume” ● “Pocket Resume”

● What’s in a Resume? ● Job Search
● Key Parts – Job Postings

2 ● Why a cover letter? ● Work on Cover Letter

● What goes into a cover letter?
● Templates
● How to identify a “good” cover letter
● Connecting previous knowledge – Let’s
combine!

3 ● Workday ● Work on Cover Letter

● Resume and Job
posting due @23:59
● First Draft of cover
letter due @23:59

4 ● Peer Review ● Submit peer review

● Would you hire me? notes due @23:59
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5 ● Workday
Lesson Title: Resume and Job Postings (Day 1)
THE PLAN
(describe the activities & student arrangement)
Orientation (15 min.)
The class will start with the students filling out a “pocket
resume”, which includes the basic information needed.
They’ll work independently filling in the sheet for about 10
minutes, hopefully making a good start on their resume.
The ‘Connection’: “After working on your ‘pocket resumes’ we’ll take a look at other aspects of
resumes and how job postings can affect what you send in. This is an important part of the job search
process!”
Presentation (15 min.)
After the “pocket resume” activity, the students will come
back together and listen to a brief lecture on resumes and
job postings. The students will be shown a PowerPoint that
explains the importance of resumes, breaks down one,
shows samples of different types of resumes and a sample
job posting. The sample job posting will be broken down
into parts, to show students the different aspects like
typical duties and responsibilities, skills, and required
application documents. The teacher will also make a
connection to job postings and resumes with the next
lessons activity and focus on cover letters. That these two
“separate” items are key to the genre of cover letters.
19
● Cover Letter due
@23:59
WHY
(give justification for activities & student arrangement)
This is meant to be a nice starter activity
that gives students an opportunity to start a
resume if they’ve never written one before.
The PowerPoint will be a direct follow-up
to the orienting activity by starting with a
section on resumes. This is meant to allow
students to know that all their resumes will
look different and give examples templates
to show different ways they are written.
Having the job posting come second will
then have students see how resumes can be
written to match the job description. There
will be a slide with a resume on one side
and a job posting on the other. Students
will discuss together and decide if the
resume matches the posting. If it doesn’t,
what could be changed.
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The ‘Connection’: “Now that we’ve seen how resumes and job posting go together, let’s find the key
parts you’ll need to match your resume and cover letter to the job you are applying for”

Engagement (30 min.) Having students work with an actual job

posting will help them when looking for an
After the lecture, the students will break into small groups actual job. Plus, by working in groups they
of 3-4 students, there they will look over a job posting can help each other with identifying those
(each group will have a different one). Together they will key parts.
highlight the key requirements and skills needed for this
job, compiling a list of all the things they find. Afterwards
each group will share their findings with the rest of the
class, and the teacher will lead them in a discussion about
the importance of dissecting job postings.

THE PLAN WHY

(describe the activities & student arrangement) (give justification for activities & student arrangement)

The ‘Connection’: not applicable

Assessment/Evaluation (0 min.) Since this is the first day of the unit, there
is no need to evaluate the students with a
The students will be evaluated on their group work and grade this should be a low stakes activity
how they participate in the class discussion. day.

The ‘Connection’: “For next class you should bring your real resume, or if you don’t have one follow
the template given on Canvas. Also, before next class, find one or two job postings that interest you and
you would like to write a cover letter for”

Expansion/Homework (30 min.)
Students will be asked to bring in their resume for the next
class, as well as finding a job posting that they would be
interested in.
Students will need a resume for the next
class and a job posting as wellsince next
class they will start working on a cover
letter. They will need their resume again at
a later time for the peer review portion of
this unit.

Special notes:

All activities and print materials assigned to this lesson plan are listed below.
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Lesson Title: Cover Letter pt. I – Getting to know the Genre (Day 2)

THE PLAN WHY

(describe the activities & student arrangement) (give justification for activities & student arrangement)

Orientation ( 0 min.) The teacher may make small talk or recall

the class will begin immediately with the lecture.
back to the lesson before but there will not
be a specific orienting activity for students
to work on in class. The homework,
finishing their resume and finding a job
posting is their out-of-class orienting
activity.

The ‘Connection’: “Last class we talked about resume and job posting, which I hope all of you have
turned in to Canvas, but today we are going to be taking what we learned last time and using that to
begin talking about cover letters”

Presentation (20 min.)
The students will be given a lecture on what exactly is a
cover letter. The PowerPoint will also talk about the
importance of cover letters, why there are used and the
different types. Mentioning last class, and how important
both resumes and job postings are main parts of a cover
letter. There will be slides with a few different samples
shown, demonstrating the various styles of cover letters.
The last few slides will be on what a “good” cover letter
looks like, which will lead students into the class activity.
This is intended as the basis for most their
knowledge on cover letters, since
presumably students won’t know a lot
(which is why they’ve chosen to take this
class). The lecture will include the different
linguistical aspects of this genre, like
self-advertising and appreciative language.
As well as the more formal rules, like
formatting, proper grammar, templates etc.

The ‘Connection’: “Now that you know what a cover letter is, why it’s so important for the job search
and what makes a “good” one let’s put that into practice. In a group, you’ll all be handed a set of
different cover letters and I want you read and then discuss. Use what we just talked about as the basis
for your critiques.”

Engagement (40 min.)
Separated into groups, students will be given a selection of
cover letters. As a group they will decide which are the
“good” cover letters and what about them makes them
think that. They can use markers, highlighters, and other
writing utensils to write on the paper, noting the aspects
they like/or dislike about the example. After working for
Having the student’s look and work with
examples of cover letters should hopefully
help cement the ideas from this lessons
PowerPoint. It will also force them to think
critically about writing and what makes
something “good” or “bad”. Hopefully, by
allowing them to work in groups it will
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about 20 - 25 minutes, the groups will be asked to write allow for a more productive discussion
their thoughts on the board for each example, writing only than if they worked quietly by themselves.
a couple points. Once their done, the class will come back
together and discuss. Each group will explain their answers
on why they thought that way. The teacher will then reveal
the “good” and the “bad” cover letters, although hopefully
students will have already figured it out.

THE PLAN WHY

(describe the activities & student arrangement) (give justification for activities & student arrangement)

The ‘Connection’: not applicable

Assessment/Evaluation ( 0 min.) The group work and answers to the prompt

will be enough to evaluate the students for
The students will be evaluated on how they participated in this lesson.
class and the group discussions.

The ‘Connection’: “Now that you’ve had a chance to look at different versions of cover letters, follow
the rubric on Canvas to start working on your own version of one. Next class we will have a workday
where you can continue writing and be able to ask me questions.”

Expansion/Homework ( 30 min.)
This is a “soft” start to the assignment,
Start work on cover letter, they will have time in the next encouraging them to start working on their
class to work on it as well. cover letter at home before the next class.

Students will need to submit their resume, job posting and Using physical copies of the students work
cover letter to Canvas so that the teacher can print will allow them to markup or use the paper
materials for everyone to look at. much easier to make their comments.

Special notes:

All activities and print materials assigned to this lesson plan are listed below.
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Cover Letters - the “Good”, the “Bad” and the In-Between

In your group, work together and discuss the following cover letters. Use highlighters, pen,
pencils, or any sort of writing utensil to make comments on this page. Point out the parts
you like and do not like, what sort of language did the writer use? Is there listing of skills
and experiences logical and make sense for the job position?

*Do not worry too much about formatting, some of these letters were sent through email and
do not follow the generalized formatting/header skills we talked about in class.

Example #1
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Example #2
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Example #3
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Example #4
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Lesson Title: Cover Letter pt. II - Let’s Review! (Day 4)

THE PLAN WHY

(describe the activities & student arrangement) (give justification for activities & student arrangement)

Orientation ( 3 min.) This is not really an orienting activity, but

more pre-activity prep. The bulk of this
At the start of class, the teacher will pass out each students lesson will focus on the peer review and
submitted resume, job posting and cover letter. “would you hire me game”.

The ‘Connection’: “Now that you all should have a physical copy of your resume, job posting and cover
letter, I am going to explain what exactly we’ll be doing today.”

Presentation ( 7 min.) This presentation is more instructional than

anything else, the only new information
This will be a very quick PowerPoint explain everything should be activity instructions. Otherwise,
that the students will be doing that day. One slide will any material will be reminders of things
layout the peer review process and what exactly needs to already discussed in class.
be done. Students will have already submitted their cover
letter on a discussion board so that it will be easier to
access

The ‘Connection’: “Find your group members are turn your desk towards each other so that it will be
easier to talk, remember to follow the prompt that’s been handed out and begin to discuss once you’re
done reading everyone’s paper.”

Engagement ( 50 min.) The peer review activity will hopefully

For the first 30 minutes the students will work in peer
review groups following the prompt on the board/the paper
handout they are given. During this time, they will look
their classmates cover letter over, and using their peer’s
resume and job posting to help with their comments.
Then after finishing their review students will be placed in
new groups. Each group will be given a job posting and
matching cover letter. Their job is, as a group, decide
whether this person is worth hiring. After discussing the
groups will be asked to announce their result to the rest of
help student’s get new opinions on their
work. Especially since this is a
self-advertising genre, it may be hard to see
if your writing has come across as
“narcissistic” or “shy”. Using the prompt,
on what to look for, will help the students
instead of giving them free reign of the
time. Gives them structure. As already
mentioned, they will be working with
physical documents which should make the
review process easier because, if they have
time, may do more than one bout of review
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the class, with a brief explanation as to what job the person within their group. Permitting they have
is applying for. enough people as well.

The game of “would you hire me” is meant

to be a fun review activity. Using
everything they just learned about the
genre of cover letters, as well as what
makes a “good” and “bad” letter. This will
give them another opportunity to put theory
into practice in a low stake’s genre. There
are no right or wrong answers here, simply
the opinions of students.

THE PLAN WHY

(describe the activities & student arrangement) (give justification for activities & student arrangement)

The ‘Connection’: not applicable

Assessment/Evaluation ( 0 min.) Although a low stakes assignment, it is

supposed to help keep the students
The students will be evaluated based on their work in accountable for their work.
groups as well as their peer review note submissions.

The ‘Connection’: “Now that you’ve had a chance to get another set of eyes on your cover letter, I want
you take what was talked about today and use that to either enhance or fix your letter. Also, use the
‘would you hire me game’ to remember that your audience is an expert in this job posting, keep that in
mind as you reread what you wrote.”

Expansion/Homework ( 30 min.) The students should keep working in their

The students will be asked to continue working on their
cover letters, taking the peer feedback into consideration.
They will also need to submit a “Peer Review Notes” from
today’s class, noting what their peer said about their letter.
cover letters before they are due next class.
Also, by having them write down and then
submit their notes from the peer review,
holds them accountable for their work. I
think it is also a nice way to make sure
students are keeping track of suggestions
and help from others.

Special notes:

All activities and print materials assigned to this lesson plan are listed below.
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Peer Review Questions

1. Does the writer sound interesting and dynamic?

2. Does the writer sound genuinely interested in this job and company?

3. Do the qualifications and experience specifically match the job description? (Look carefully
at the job posting) Are the key words included?

4. Does the candidate demonstrate any knowledge of the company or industry that shows
independent research and interest?

Format, Style and Tone

1. Is the letter positive, informative, and concrete in its content?

2. Is the letter error-free and professionally formatted?

3. Is it polite, persuasive, and interesting?

4. Does the letter begin by introducing the person and indicating where he or she learned about
the job opening?

5. Does the letter end with specific suggestions about meeting for an interview or for further
action?

6. Does the letter end with contact information?

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Questions modified from:
http://users.clas.ufl.edu/msscha/Sociology/cover_letter_peer_review.html

References

Gawley, D., Bennetch, R., Owen, C., & Keesey, Z. (2021, August 31). Chapter 19:
Cover/application letters. Effective Professional Communication A Rhetorical Approach.
Retrieved March 31, 2023, from https://openpress.usask.ca/rcm200/chapter/cover-letters/

Gawley, D., Bennetch, R., Owen, C., & Keesey, Z. (2021, August 31). Appendix C: The Seven
CS. Effective Professional Communication A Rhetorical Approach. Retrieved March 31,
2023, from https://openpress.usask.ca/rcm200/chapter/polishing-the-report/

How and why to write a great cover letter. How and Why to Write a Great Cover Letter |
Columbia CCE. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2023, from
https://www.careereducation.columbia.edu/resources/how-and-why-write-great-cover-lett
er

Writing/speaking courses. Writing/Speaking Courses | Penn State. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31,
2023, from https://bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/general-education/course-lists/
writing-speaking/
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Appendix A

Address
City, State, Zip Code

June 27nd, 2022

Research Laboratory
Address
City, State, Zip Code

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to apply for the remote position of Research Assistant (Scientific Writer), which I
initially saw advertised on LinkedIn. As a recently graduated student with a master’s in
Management and Organizational Leadership and a bachelor’s in Veterinary and Biomedical
Sciences from The Pennsylvania State University, I believe that my accumulated skills and
education qualify me for this role within your company.

During my undergraduate education, I took many science-based courses, such as chemistry,

physics, microbiology, and biology, to complete my degree. During these courses, I was
required to analyze and interpret the results of my many experiments, which has allowed me to
become familiar with reading, and then subsequently writing, data reports on the findings.
Additionally, during my undergraduate education, I worked as a research assistant in the
language department working on a fascinating study involving code-switching. During my
time in the department, I was given further opportunity to become comfortable working with
and interpreting data. This position also required that I become proficient with the Microsoft
suite to properly interpret the data.

More recently, I completed my master’s program at The Pennsylvania State University where
my classes covered a wide range of topics such as communications, management, and
statistics. This demanding schedule has only served to reinforce the strong time management
and organizational skills that were initially cultivated throughout my undergraduate career. In
my master’s program we are assigned to teams each semester, and within these teams were
tasked to complete assignments and presentations on a weekly basis. These team assignments
served to reinforce the interpersonal skills that were initially learned in my previous roles as a
call center representative and a veterinary assistant. Both positions required constant
communication with my coworkers, and this ability to successfully relay information in a
concise and professional manner has lent itself to much success within my teams.

I believe that my academic career, along with the skills learned through my previous job
positions, have prepared me to make a strong and immediate impact at StageBio. Thank you
for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
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Applicant Name

Appendix B

Address
City, State, Zip Code
Phone number
email

February 25, 2023

Dear Dr. 1, 2, 3 and the whole “company name” Vet Team:

I am currently a first-year DVM student at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary

Medicine, and I am interested in becoming a DVM Student Ambassador for Bond Vet at my
school. My career interests lie in canine and feline medicine, and I am passionate about
improving the well-being of all animals by my belief in the power of the human-animal bond
and in the advocacy for the voiceless.

Before starting veterinary medical school, I worked as a technician in the ER/ICU of a

full-service veterinary hospital in Fairfax, Virginia. I also switched between departments
occasionally and worked in general practice and urgent care as well. Throughout my time in
these positions, I was really able to understand first-hand just how different and unique each
owner’s relationship with their beloved pet is. However, no matter what the presentation of
their animal was (i.e., a general wellness appointment or a tragic emergency), all owners just
wanted the best care for their pets. These experiences taught me about how imperative proper
client communication is, and I learned my passion in veterinary medicine is maximizing the
quality of healthcare I can offer to both owners and their pets.

Upon graduation from vet school in 2026, I hope to work for a company like Bond Vet whose
core values perfectly align with my own. I would love to become a Student Ambassador and
be a part of the next generation of students who get the opportunity to represent a company
with these core values, and so much more. I look forward to discussing this possibility with
Bond Vet more fully. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Applicant name

Appendix C

Address • City, State, Zip Code • Telephone • Email

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FEBRUARY 14TH, 2022

Hiring Manager

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am graduating with my master’s in management and organizational leadership in May 2022,

after completing my bachelor’s degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering at The
Pennsylvania State University. My engineering experience, along with my master’s in
management and leadership, have enabled me to gain experience and skills in various aspects
in the oil and gas industry while developing the skillset to become a leader, among others. An
opportunity in working at your company is the perfect opportunity to grow my understanding
in management and leadership, as well as exercise all my engineering knowledge. I have no
doubt that my eagerness and enthusiasm to learn, to contribute and to expand my skillset at
your company will be the perfect opportunity to sharpen my skills into new heights.

Throughout my academic career, I have gained experience and skills relevant to this role
including the tools to solve multidimensional business problems. Along with demonstrating
teaming, organizational, analytical, and project management skills; possessing effective
communication skills, as well as other areas of expertise.

My participation in Associations and societies boosted my ability to communicate with

teammates and improved my overall teamwork capabilities, allowing me to perform real-world
appliances and solve real-life problems. Taking part in numerous organizations stemmed from
my interest in pursuing a Master’s degree in management and organizational leadership. The
background that I built from my master’s program aided in making me an authentic and
inclusive leader. I developed numerous skills including the demonstration of agility in an
ever-changing environment, maintaining a self-starter attitude, along with other abilities and
skills. My master’s degree also helped grant me a background in communication skills for
ethical leadership, negotiations immersion, statistics for managers, along with an experience in
a leadership immersive field opportunity. Expanding upon my experience during my
educational career, I was assigned to bond log reading and analysis, which helped improving
upon my data analysis skills, while presenting the findings in a worldwide webinar. In
addition, I worked on a design in drilling and completions, presenting the findings to Berry
Petroleum. Presenting findings in a worldwide webinar to experts in an oil and gas company in
Berry Petroleum massively enhanced my communicational skills. I made sure to be involved
in both SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) and AADE (American Association of Drilling
Engineers), being an active member in both.

I am extremely eager and keen to hear back from you. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you
have any questions. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Applicant Name
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Appendix D

905 Woodlawn Drive

Clifton Park, NJ 07306

Date

Maria Porter, Account Executive

Eliot, Zizelman, & Rohn
5962 Martindale Road
Parsippany, NJ 08630

Dear Maria Porter,

I am currently a Junior at Penn State University majoring in Marketing in the Smeal College of
Business. Through this letter I would like to express an interest in the account services
internship with Eliot, Zizelman & Rohn. I value how Eliot, Zizelman & Rohn focuses on
customer service and strives to go above and beyond their needs. Through my customer
service experience, creativity, and drive to succeed I feel I have the potential to be a valuable
employee.

I have enclosed a resume for your review which outlines my experience in the field of
advertising and promotion. As an advertising salesperson for the Daily Collegian, I worked
successfully with a variety of clients and with the media to design and arrange advertisements.
My responsibilities in this position enhanced my skills in writing, design, promotion,
marketing, and follow-through. I quickly learned to identify appropriate markets and to
promote the Daily Collegian as an effective medium to reach those markets. Much of my
success is due to my customer orientation, my skills in identifying client needs, and in
marketing the services of my employer. I am a self-starter, persistent, and possess the ability to
learn quickly. I feel these skills and experiences would be a strong addition to your firm and
am excited about the prospect of putting them to work for you.

I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss my background and qualifications and how they
can be of benefit to Eliot, Zizelman & Rohn. I would appreciate your consideration for an
interview and look forward to hearing for you. If you have any questions in the meantime,
please feel free to contact me at 555-555-5555 or abc123@gmail.com. Thank you for your
time and attention.

Sincerely,

Mark Smith
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