A cover letter accompanies your resume, introduces you as an applicant, and highlights your qualifications. Cover letters also enable employers to get a sense of your writing skills and style. Not only do they serve to give your resume/cv focus and accentuate relevant information, but they also give you a chance to make a positive impression, an opportunity to show your commitment, and express your enthusiasm for the position or organization. Cover letters should always accompany resumes. Do not write one general (form) letter to use for all of your applications; you should uniquely tailor your letter for each organization and for the specific position.
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Preparing Your
Cover Letter
Ask
yourself First …
What do employers really look for?
Most Important Factors in
Recruitment:
What is a Cover Letter? Why is it Important?
A
cover letter accompanies your resume, introduces you as an applicant, and
highlights your qualifications. Cover letters also enable employers to get a
sense of your writing skills and style. Not only do they serve to give your
resume/cv focus and accentuate relevant information, but they also give you a
chance to make a positive impression, an opportunity to show your commitment,
and express your enthusiasm for the position or organization. Cover letters
should always accompany resumes. Do not write one general (form) letter to use
for all of your applications; you should uniquely tailor your letter for each
organization and for the specific position.
• Who should I address it to?
It
should be addressed to the person who will be dealing with your application,
check the company website or phone up if you need to.
• What should I include?
Include the work reference or description you're applying for. It is recommended that you outline any special circumstances that you have not covered in your CV for example a disability. You should write about what you can offer the company, referring to your relevant skills. To do this successfully you should research the company first.
• How should I produce it?
Stylistically
is should be similar to your CV showing that you have thought about its design,
it is far too easy to thrash out a covering letter after spending a long time
on a CV.
The follow-up
There is no harm in a follow-up
over the phone or by physical visit after a few days to check to see that the
CV was received, ideally, you should talk to the person you sent it to(if
possible). The reason for this is simple emailed CVs can end up with the wrong
person, and posted CVs can get lost, if this happens to you, you may be given
time to send in another.
How To Write a Cover Letter ?
A the cover letter needs to be concise and informative, including all pertinent
information in as brief a format as possible. Scenarios in which a cover letter
might be necessary include looking for a first job and submitting resumes. A
cover letter might also be needed when applying for graduate schools or entry
into another university. In either case, this letter is a synopsis of either a
resume or an application and is important to give a good first impression to
the reader. The goal of canopy letters is to summarize the knowledge included
within the piece to be mailed. For instance, if a student covering letter is
required for essay applications for school, then the letter should contain
information like current mark average, any advanced classes that one might have
taken or be taking, extracurricular activities in which one is involved, and
what the college entrance might mean for the future of the applicant and the
school.
It is
generally considered to be important that a cover letter be less than one page.
If it gets longer than that, then one risks the reader becoming bored or
uninterested. Typically, human resources managers receive plenty of mail and a
brief, articulate cover letter may stand out from the pack. A cover letter
should always be proofread by someone who knows how to edit writing for
punctuation, grammar, and spelling mistakes. The cover letter might be the
first and only piece of information seen by potential officers of a company.
The importance of editing a cover letter properly cannot be understated. A key
to successful writing, in general, is to know the audience. One must know who
is going to be reading the duvet letter and check out to cater to the
requirements and ideals of the reader. For example, it might not behoove a
student to write down about his or her school of law experience when applying
to the department of medicine. One must keep the information relevant.
There are optional pieces of information that might be included in a cover letter, depending on the writer’s situation and the goals in mind. One such item is salaried consideration. A student applying for his or her first job may want to include salary expectation as a way of weeding out jobs that pay too low or too high for the writer’s qualifications. On the opposite hand, one might want to avoid any mention of salary until a call or interview is scheduled.
GENERAL TIPS
Tailor your letter to the specific institution and department to
which you are applying. Visit the department’s websiteÆ
Format
Ø Contact
Information
Ø The Date
Ø Employer’s Name,
Position, and Address
Ø The Greeting
Ø Introductory Paragraph
Ø Body of the Letter
Ø Summary Paragraph
Ø Closing
Ø Name and Signature
Opening Information
Ø Street Address
Ø City, Zip
Ø Telephone Number
Ø Current Date
Employer’s
Name
Ø Title
Ø Department
Ø Organization
Ø Street Address
Ø City, State, Zip
Ø Dear Mr./Ms./ Dr./
Individual’s Name:
Sample Intro Paragraph
I am responding to your ad in News Paper (name) for a
position as a (Position). My experience and education make me an
excellent candidate for this position.
Body of the Letter
Ø Elaborate on your resume
l Use real examples (mini-STARs)
l State applicable
work/internship experiences
l List relevant coursework
l Stress your key assets
as they relate to this specific job
Ø Highlight applicable
skillsets
l technical skills
l writing ability
l proficiency in languages
l job-applicable personal
interests
Ø Make reference to
attachments
Sample Body
Ø Limit paragraphs to two
to five complete sentences
Ø Use appropriate
vocabulary
Ø My career has been built
in non-profit management, commercial banking, public finance, accounting,
management, law, and human resources. My success has come from
identifying, leveraging, and combining my skills and knowledge with my passion
to achieve. I have consistently met, even exceeded, the expectations of
my employers.
CLOSING
Ø Ask for an interview
Ø Indicate your next
action
Ø Appropriate closing
line, such as:
Sincerely, / Truly yours,
Ø Typed name
Ø Enclosure:
Ø cc: (indicates to whom a
copy has been sent)
Sample Closing
I would like to discuss this position
with you in person. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you
have. You may reach me at 880-12-345-6789 or myname@southern.edu.bd.
Thank you very much for your
consideration.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Enclosure: resume
Ø
Proofread the next day
Ø
No errors are allowed
Ø
Read the letter aloud
Ø Seek advice from qualified sources such as career counselors, professors, business associates, relatives, and friends
Applications
What are application forms?
Application
forms are tools that companies and organizations use to screen for prospective
employees, as they are an effective way of checking what prospective employees
have to offer. Always check closing dates and follow the guidelines and
regulations very carefully. Applicants
are likely to be required to submit an application form either on or offline.
There will be additional requirements. Check the terms and conditions, and
clearly label your work following the guidelines laid out. There may also be a
charge for your application particularly for entry to competitions; failure to
do so will result in you not being entered.
The types of application
As a student,
you will come across plenty of application forms. You will have already filled
some out in your application to the University. There are many more that you
may come across during your studies or when applying for a job, these include:
• Standard
Applications
Many organizations use a standard and generic application form; these forms
are designed for general use and are not targeted at a specific type of job.
From a company or organization, prospective standard application forms are a
way of assuring that they get the information they require from applicants.
• Speculative
Applications
A speculative application is an application for a job that doesn’t
necessarily exist. For example, you may want to work for one company in
particular, so you send in an application and try to sell yourself to them,
showing through the application how they could use you. You need to thoroughly
investigate the company, finding out as much as you can. You need to show your
enthusiasm for the company and the work they do as well as selling yourself as
best you can. You may not get the job you seek, but you may well be asked in
for an informal talk, perhaps even the opportunity to do work experience or
freelance initially.
• Online
Applications
More companies are using some kind of online application in their
recruitment process. You may still be required to send in a CV and covering
letter so carefully read any instructions that are available.
• Proposal
for Postgraduate Applications
You are usually required to write a project proposal as part of your application process. This proposal outlines your area of study for the duration of your postgraduate course. It should be well researched and presented. Further information can often be obtained from the tutors of the postgraduate course you are interested in.
