Cover letters are the professional way in which one forwards their résumé to the intended reader. It is a polished transmittal that explains to a prospective employer why you, in particular, are sending them your résumé.
The content should augment your résumé by listing qualitative information about you and your situation. You should never rehash your résumé in the cover letters. Why should the recruiter read the same information twice?
Cover letters shouldn’t be any longer than one page
Make it short and to the point. Don’t tell them too much, or they will have no reason to contact you for an interview because they will think they know all there is to know about you. This may not be the case, but you won’t have a second chance to explain yourself.
You should always send a cover letter with your résumé when faxing or emailing.
Without the cover letter the person opening the message (not necessarily the ultimate reader) would not know where to direct your résumé.
If you are responding to a printed or online advertisement, job vacancy notice, or other type of posting, your reference line just above the Dear Mr. Whomever should contain any job code, title or posting number. If there is no specific code or identification number make sure you refer to a job title and the issue date of the notice. For example, “I am responding to the ad in The New York Times on Sunday, February 3, 2020 for a legal secretary.”
f you are responding to a request for a résumé by someone with whom you spoke on the telephone, similarly address the letter to that individual and refer to the date of your telephone conversation. This will serve to refresh their memory. For example: “Pursuant to our telephone conversation of Monday, February 4, 2020 concerning your opening for a paralegal, I am attaching a copy of my résumé, as you requested.”
If you are presenting your résumé in person, you are there to be spoken to. It would seem silly to be standing in front of a recruiter and hand him a cover letter.
Whenever possible, address a specific person in your cover letters
Do your homework and call for a contact name. Never send it to the president or CEO of a company. It makes you look unsophisticated to think that the president of a company has so little to do that he will sit and read your material, At best, he will forward it to another department when he gets around to it, which may cost you valuable time in being considered for the position. So cut the trip short and send it to the department most likely to be truly interested. As a last resort, send it to Human Resources.
If you are answering an advertisement with a box number address, such as “reply to Box Y-52, New York Times” or “reply to McGraw-Hill, 154 Highland Street, Box #50 (or Mail Stop #75, etc.), Linden, NJ 07036” make absolutely sure you include that box number. Quite often large companies will assign a specific box number to a specific job opening, such as Box OM for Office Manager, or to a category of employment such as Secretarial. This box number automatically tells them which category you fall under, and consequently which particular recruiter is assigned to that candidate search.
Ideally, your salutation should be to a specific individual such as Dear Mr. Jones.
Never use “To whom it may concern.” If you are responding to an advertisement and no person’s name was mentioned, use “Dear Sir/Madam” or “Gentleman” without the “Dear.” Alternatively, use “Dear Members of the Recruiting Committee” or Dear Hiring Manager.” If your contact name is female but you only know her by her first and last name, don’t assume her marital status. Irrespective of nonbinary or binary considerations, do not use Miss or Mrs., instead use the politically correct neutral “Ms.” or “M. ” Preferably, tailor the letter to the specific job or your objective. Show that you have the qualifications required for that job.
If you lack the resources to tailor each and every cover letters and will be pursuing the same type of position each time, (e.g. administrative assistant, purchasing agent, benefits manager) it is permissible to write one letter geared to that quest which you can then individually address to the particular company.
The trick is to set up the body of the cover letters allowing adequate blank space so that once you obtain the employer’s address, etc. you can take a preprinted letter and only type in the personal specifics without redoing the entire letter. We suggest 8-10 blank lines for insertion of date; contact person; their title; company; street; city, state, zip followed by one line of space before reference line (Re: ________) where you would insert the job vacancy ID and/or job title.
Don’t beg – be respectful but confident.
Avoid making demands or condescending statements. The reader may very well think “Well, aren’t you special!” (not necessarily in the comedian Dana Carvey’s voice) or “Who the hell do you think you are?” and toss your package in the garbage.
Don’t be flip or use promotional advertising “flyer” language. For example: “If you are looking for a hard worker, I’m your man!” “Ugggh” would be the reader’s mental response. Be businesslike rather than glib. Above all else, it must convey the image that you are professionally qualified, well organized, intelligent, neat and obliging—all desirable attributes, and among the best reasons for the employer to schedule an interview to meet you.
Don’t repeat in the letter what’s already in the résumé and don’t split information between the two. The résumé should be complete so that if it ever becomes separated from the cover letters it could stand on its own. The cover letter should only amplify what you’ve already said in the résumé or provide incidental information that better explains your reason for looking for a job and/or contacting them. For example, you’re relocating to their area, you’re trying to get back into your old industry, etc.
If they ask for salary requirements in a posting, don’t paint yourself into a corner with a single number such as $60,000 per year. Try for an industry range so that they have some wiggle room. First of all, you may have priced yourself out of the game by a couple of thousand dollars, or worst case scenario they were thinking of paying more and you just gave them an excuse to lower the offer.
Additionally, they may be offering a benefits package that adds up to considerable monetary value, far surpassing a higher base salary at another company. Also bonuses and commissions may be in the mix.
Don’t make apologies or list negatives about yourself.
If there is a detracting factor in your job history, meet it head on and explain it away in a positive manner. For example: “The four-year gap in my work history is due to staying at home with my young son until he reached school age”.. .or (devoting my full attention to finishing college).. .or (stranded on a desert island), etc.
Many counselors will tell you to end the letter assertively by telling the reader you will contact them shortly, next week, etc. This is not necessarily realistic. The recruiter may prefer to call you at their convenience. It’s a fine balance between pushy and persistent.
Now you are ready to write the body of the letter, keeping in mind the same rules you followed when writing your résumé.
1. BE CLEAR & CONCISE
Don’t be wordy or ramble on. Don’t use run-on sentences. Use proper punctuation and spelling. Don’t use several $10 words where a $5 one will-suffice. On the other hand, don’t write in single syllables. If you are lucky enough to possess a good vocabulary, use it — but in moderation. Again, you are corresponding with someone who can neither see you nor hear you.
If you write a letter and sound like a first grader but your résumé states you have a college degree in journalism, the interviewer is going to be puzzled. If you write a letter requiring an accompanying dictionary to translate, the reader may be turned off or feel insecure. Don’t be a snob. Conversely, if you were the American Poet Laureate Carl Sandburg applying for a position as the Dean of Humanities at Princeton University it would be obligatory to write on a more arcane level.
If the vacancy notice asks for your current salary or your desired salary (salary requirement), be careful how you answer the question. For example: “I am currently earning $23,500 and would like to improve that salary. However, I am flexible and under the right circumstances, i.e. benefits, commissions, etc. will adjust my sights accordingly.”
2. BE MODEST BUT CONFIDENT
In trying to grab their attention, avoid egotistical remarks like “You can’t get anyone better than me.” Better wording would be, “I believe I possess the qualifications that this position requires and would appreciate the opportunity to demonstrate my capabilities” or ” I would welcome the opportunity to meet so that we may discuss how my qualifications match your requirements.”
3. BE TRUTHFUL BUT DON’T VOLUNTEER DAMAGING INFORMATION
There is no crime in stating that you would like a particular job and why. For example: “I am extremely interested in applying for the advertised position of Office Manager at Revlon because I studied cosmetics marketing in college and the company is a short commute from my home.” Leave it at that.
Don’t volunteer any information which might prove negative. For example: “I need a job within walking distance because my driver’s license was suspended.” Obviously, that was meant to be an outrageous example, but the motto is
Think before you write!
Carefully consider what the person who is reading your cover letters is going to think. For example, if you say “I am interested in this position because it sounds like it doesn’t require overtime, which would interfere with my night school schedule” you may have said too much or not enough.
While the job may be a simple 9-5, the interviewer might be looking for someone who can commit to the occasional half-hour delay. Since you didn’t say you had some flexibility, they will assume you cannot stay late once in a while and decide you’re not the person for the job.
If the posting stipulates you must provide the names of your previous supervisors, do so. However, if you had a personality clash with a particular individual and left the job for that reason be forthright about it, but be careful. Do not say, “He/she was a racist…wanted me to pad an invoice.., was having an office affair and wanted me to lie to their spouse” or any other similar negative remarks. Instead, say “Please be advised that my supervisor Jim Jones and I had a personal difference of opinion which made it uncomfortable to work together.
Because there were no other transfers available at the time, I resigned from the firm. Consequently, because of this he may not give me a favorable reference even though it did not relate to my professional conduct or abilities. A better critique of my performance on the job may be acquired from his immediate manager, Mr. So and So.”
You simply want to alert the recruiter to the fact that potential problem exists; this will eliminate the element of surprise on his part. Everyone has had a bad job experience at one time or another, including the recruiter who is reading your cover letter.
4. LIMIT IT TO ONE PAGE – PREFERABLY THREE OR FOUR PARAGRAPHS
The benchmark of a good cover letter is brevity: “Make it short and sweet.” Say what has to be said and stop while you’re ahead. Make sure the wording flows smoothly and sounds polished. if necessary, have someone read it aloud to give you a sense of how it will impact on the employer.
5. ENSURE QUALITY PRESENTATION APPEARANCE
Type/word process/print without typos, errors, strikeovers or smudges. In a digital world, online upload, email or fax is generally how it will be transmitted. However, if requested to send by postal mail, print the résumé on 24-pound bond stationery in white, ivory or pale grey. The letter color does not necessarily have to be the same as your résumé. White bond and matching envelope is a safe choice.
The thinking is that a current résumé is a document you should always have ready on a moment’s notice but the letter is prepared in the instant. It shouldn’t look as though you necessarily prepared (and therefore may have skewed) the résumé and letter in answer to a particular job for which you are not absolutely qualified. Don’t contort your facts to match the posting requirements.
Remember, if you feel your writing skills are limited or need a boost, let us write your letter—we’ve had much more practice than you.