Collegiettes, here’s some quick advice for writing a cover letter that you can be proud of. Hopefully, these tips will make writing a cover letter less daunting, or at least make you less frustrated than this guy…
Always address the letter by name.
If you don’t want this to happen to your application then find who you need to address the letter to. If you don’t know who you’re supposed to address the letter to then you haven’t done your homework! The heading is at the top of the page so make sure you get it right. If you absolutely cannot find who the hiring manager is, etc. don’t guess! It would be better to address the reader as “Dear Sir/ Madam” than writing the wrong name.
Make them care.
Do not make the mistake of rambling about why you’re great. Write about why you’re great for this particular position, and how you’re going to bring great results to X company. An easy way to get your cover letter thrown in the trash is to send a generic letter. Make your letter stand out from the rest by including a story of how you overcame an obstacle, organized an event, or spent your spring break volunteering.
Do not duplicate your resume.
Your cover letter should complement, but not duplicate your resume. Your resume lists your experience while the cover letter should tell the story behind it. Also, always send your document as a PDF (never a Word document), and keep it to one page max.
Show your excitement!
Tell them why you want this job, and what skills you have to be successful in this position. After explaining why you’re eager for X opportunity make sure your contact information is somewhere on the page.
Check, check, and check again!
It always helps to have another set of eyes read over your draft. Other people will catch errors you missed. After, you’ve looked over your letter and read it aloud it’s time to send! I hope you press the send button in confidence now that you have a perfect cover letter!
Best of luck, Collegiettes! Also make sure to take advantage of free resources at the campus career center. Mastering applications is an on-going process, and there are plenty of people on campus willing to help. Now go leave your mark in the world!