ART 202

Session 3
Written Communication in Job
Searching: Cover Letter Writing
 Session Overview
• What?
• Why?
• How to Organize
• How to format a cover letter
• Dos and Don’ts
• Sending through email
• General types of cover letter
 Cover Letter
*A cover letter is an accompanying letter that serves as the introduction to
your resume.
*A professional cover letter is a short, single page letter you should
include with every application and/or resume you send out.  

*No resume should be sent without one.

*The cover letter is individualized for each position for which you are
applying.
*It is an extension of your resume and reflects your knowledge of the
employer’s needs.
*Introduces you, explains your purpose for writing, highlights a few of
your experiences or skills, and requests an opportunity to meet personally
with the potential employer.
*It is a type of business letter as well
 Purpose of Cover Letter (for job)
• To Introduce yourself to the hiring manager/organization
• To Argue why you’d be a good fit for the job
• To Fill in places your resume cannot describe
• To Further explain other aspects of your resume
• To Demonstrate your interest in the company or a specific vacancy
• To Draw attention to your resume and motivate the reader to
interview you.
• To give potential employers information about you that they
wouldn’t get just from looking at your resume alone. 
• To reach out as an individual, not just as an applicant
• To Highlight your qualifications as well as demonstrate how you
stand out from the rest of the hundreds (or thousands) of other
qualified job seekers. 
 How to Organize

• Typically consists of 3 parts

1.Introduction
2.Body
3.Closing
• Within these three parts you must include
a. Why you are interested in the organization
b. Why they should be interested in you
c. When and how you will contact them to
follow up an appointment
 Introduction/opening paragraph

•Find out to whom you’re writing

•Put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes for a
second. Would you like to be addressed as “Dear Sir or
Madame?” or “To whom it may concern?”
•“Dear Sir or Madame” makes you sound like you’re from the
year 1865, and “to whom it may concern” is very irritating to
hiring managers.

•You can easily avoid this problem by doing your research.

Look through the company’s website, LinkedIn, or even give
the company a call to ask for the hiring manager’s name.
Even if you get it wrong, it still looks like you’ve made an
effort.
 Introduction/opening paragraph
• Introduce yourself
• In the first paragraph, begin by telling the
employer the position you are applying for and
how you learned about the opportunity.
• The rest of this paragraph should briefly present
basic info about yourself, including: degree, area
of study/expertise, and your career goals in terms
of how they align with the goals of the company.
• Describe your interest in that particular opening
 Body

• Sell Yourself in body paragraphs

• Paragraph(s) 2(-3)
• Highlight a few of the most salient points from your
enclosed resume.
• Arouse your reader's curiosity by mentioning points that
are likely to be important for the position you are
seeking.
• Show how your education and experience suit the
requirements of the position, and, by elaborating on a
few points from your resume, explain what you could
contribute to the organization.
• (Your letter should complement, not restate, your
resume.)
 Body/
• The second paragraph should respond directly to the job description
written by the hiring manager. Describe how your previous job
experiences, skills, and abilities will allow you to meet the
company’s needs. 
• To make that easier, you can (and should) literally include words and
phrases from the job description in your cover letters.
• You should include examples of the skills and/or qualities
from your resume that you believe make you a
particularly strong candidate.

• To go the extra mile, do some research about the company, and try to
find out what they are doing — and why — given the current state of
their industry.
• In a third paragraph, explain how you can fit into that schema, and help
push the company forward and achieve any goals you suspect they
may have.
 Closing
• Closing paragraph
• Stress action. Politely request an interview at the employer's
convenience.
• Indicate what supplementary material is being sent under
separate cover and offer to provide additional information (a
portfolio, a writing sample, a sample publication, a dossier,
an audition tape), and explain how it can be obtained.
• Thank the reader for his/her consideration and indicate that
you are looking forward to hearing from him/her.
• The final paragraph is called the “call to action.” Inform
them that you’d love to get interviewed. Tell them that you’ll
be in contact with them in a week if you don’t hear back.
Thank them for spending the time to read your letter.
 Closing
• In your closing you should suggest
what you would like the reader to do or what
action you plan to take to maintain contact.
• This may take theform of a request for an
interview and/or a statement of your intent to
follow up in the near future with a phone call.
“Respectfully” is a good way to close your letter.
• Never forget to sign it.
 Dos
1.Use an accepted business letter format:
• Full-Block style
2.Personalize each letter:
Address each letter to a specific individual
3.Use non-sexiest Language:
don’t use Dear Sir/Dear madam to answer and ad with no way of
obtaining the name of a person.
4.Limit your letter to one Page:
not more than one page , usually not more that 5 paragraphs
5.Vary your writing: Offset long sentences, use transitional
words and phrases
6.Use Attention getting action verbs and adjectives
7.proofread, Proofread, Proofread
 Don’ts
1. Overusing “I”
•. The focus should be on how you meet an employer's needs, not on your life story. Avoid the
perception of being self-centered by minimizing your use of the word "I," especially at the beginning
of your sentences.
2. Using a weak opening
•When writing a cover letter, job seekers frequently struggle with the cover letter's opening. This
difficulty often results in a feeble introduction lacking punch and failing to grab the reader's interest.
Consider this example:
•Weak: Please consider me for your sales representative opening.
•Better: Your need for a top-performing sales representative is an excellent match to my three-year
history as a top-ranked, multimillion-dollar producer.
3. Omitting your top selling points
•A cover letter is a sales letter that sells you as a candidate. Just like your resume, it should be
compelling and give the main reasons you should be called for an interview. Winning cover letter tips
include emphasizing your top accomplishments or creating subheadings culled from the job posting.
For example:
•Your ad specifies: Communication skills
I offer: Five years of public speaking experience and an extensive background in executive-level report.
•Your ad specifies: The need for a strong computer background
I offer: Proficiency in all MS Office applications with additional expertise in website development and
design.
 Don’ts
4. Making it too long
• If your cover letter exceeds one page, you may be putting readers to sleep. A great
cover letter is concise but compelling, and respects the reader's time.
5. Repeating your resume word for word
• Your cover letter shouldn't regurgitate what's on your resume. Reword your cover
letter statements to avoid dulling your resume's impact. Consider using the letter
to tell a brief story, such as "my toughest sale" or "my biggest technical challenge."
6. Being vague
• The person reading your letter may be reviewing hundreds of letters for dozens of
different jobs. Make sure all of the content in your letter supports how you will
meet the employer's specific needs.
7. Forgetting to customize
• If you're applying to a number of similar positions, chances are you're tweaking
one letter and using it for multiple openings. That's fine, as long as you 
customize each letter. Don't forget to update the company, job and contact
information—if Mr. Jones is addressed as Ms. Smith, he won't be impressed.
 Don’ts
8. Ending on a passive note
• When possible, put your future in your own hands with a 
promise to follow up. Instead of asking readers to call you, try a
statement like this: I will follow up with you in a few days to answer any
preliminary questions you may have. In the meantime, you may reach
me at (555) 555-5555.
9. Being rude
• Your cover letter should thank the reader for his or her time and
consideration.
10. Forgetting to sign the letter
• It is proper business etiquette (and shows attention to detail) to sign
your letter. Err on the side of formality, and if you need any help
figuring out how to close your cover letter, 
consider these possible sign-offs.
• However, if you are sending an email cover letter and resume, a
signature isn't necessary.
 Questions to guide your writing

• Who is my audience?
• What is my objective?
• What are the objectives and needs of my
audience?
• How can I best express my objective in relationship
to my audience's objectives and needs?
• What specific benefits can I offer to my audience
and how can I best express them?
• What opening sentence and paragraph will grab
the attention of my audience in a positive manner
and invite them to read further?
 Questions to guide your writing

• How can I maintain and heighten the interest and

desire of the reader throughout the letter?
• What evidence can I present of my value to my
audience?
• If a resume is enclosed with the letter, how can I best
make the letter advertise the resume?
• What closing sentence or paragraph will best assure
the reader of my capabilities and persuade him or her
to contact me for further information?
• Is the letter my best professional effort?
• Have I spent sufficient time drafting, revising, and
proofreading the letter?
 Full-block Format
• In block format, everything including your contact
information, the date, the employer’s contact
information, the body of the letter, and the greeting
and closing, is all left justified.
• It is a clean and professional look for your letter.
• In this format, the letter is also single-spaced, with
the exception of a space between each paragraph (as
well as a space above and below the date, and above
and below the salutation and signature).
• If you don't have contact information for the
employer, start your letter directly after your contact
information.
• Your Name 
Your Address 
Your City, State, Zip Code 
Your Phone Number 
Your Email 
• Date 
• Name
Title 
Organization 
Address 
City, State, Zip Code 
• Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name (or other salutation): 

First Paragraph: Why You Are Writing. Remember to include the name of a mutual contact, if you
know someone at the organization. Mention the job you are interested in and where you heard about
the position. State that you think you are an ideal candidate for the job. Be clear and concise. 
• Middle Paragraphs: What You Have to Offer. Convince the readers that they should grant the
interview or appointment you requested in the first paragraph. Make connections between your
abilities and their needs. Use specific examples from past work experiences to prove your skills and
qualifications.
• Final Paragraph: How You Will Follow Up. It is your responsibility to follow up if feasible. State that
you will do so and provide the professional courtesy of indicating when (one week's time is typical).
• Sincerely,
• Your Signature (hard copy letter)
• Your Typed Name
 Full-Block-format
• See the following samples
• Cover letter image\Cover letter image 1.jpg
• Cover letter image\Cover letter image 2.jpg
• Cover letter image\cover letter image 3.jpg
• Cover letter image\Cover letter image 4.jpg
• Cover letter image\cover letter image 5.jpg
• Cover letter image\cover letter image 6.jpg
 Sending through EMAIL
• Put your covering letter as the body of your email. It's wise
to format it as plain text as then it can be read by any email
reader.
• Emails are not as easy to read as letters. Stick to simple text
with short paragraphs and plenty of spacing. 
• Break messages into points and make each one a new
paragraph with a full line gap between paragraphs.
• Your CV is then sent as an attachment. Say you'll send a
printed CV if required.
• If they have already emailed you, reply back in the same
style, so if they have signed their email "Jenny", write Dear
Jenny, but if they have signed it "Ms Smith", write Dear Ms
Smith
• Scanned copy of Signature can be inserted, if required
 General Types of cover letter
• Types of cover letter depend on the
a. type of job
b. Type of communication between job seekers
and employers: the way both want to reach
each others
*Choosing appropriate format for all letters is
important
 General Types of Cover letter
• application letters, referral cover letters, letters of
interest, networking, and value proposition
letters.
• Application Letter. An application letter is written
to apply for a specific job opening (
sample cover letters). This is a traditional cover
letter that is sent with a resume to apply for a job.
• Letter of Interest. A letter of interest, also known
as a prospecting letter, inquires about possible job
openings at a particular company (
sample letters of interest).
 Types
• Referral Cover Letter. A referral cover letter mentions the name
of a person who has referred you to a job (
sample referral cover letters). This can be a great way to gain an
employer’s interest, particularly if the individual providing the
referral is known to the company you are interested in working
for.
• Networking Letter. Networking letters request job search advice
and assistance (sample networking letters). These can be
addressed to colleagues, to individuals you have met at
professional conferences or other industry events, or to people to
whom you connected through professional social networking
sites like LinkedIn etc.
• Value Proposition Letter. A value proposition is a brief statement
explaining what makes the candidate unique (
sample value proposition letters).