Cover Letters: Beyond the Basics

Cover Letter Writing: Beyond the Basics

“Is a cover letter really necessary?”

“If I am sending the resume, why do I have to send a cover letter too?  Doesn't the resume have all the information the employer needs?”

“Do employers actually read cover letters?”

“What is a cover letter for, anyway?”

Cover letter writing can be mysterious and confusing, and job seekers are often unclear on what would make a cover letter “excellent” as opposed to just “OK”.

First, you want to keep in mind the purpose of the cover letter (along with the resume, as they are usually submitted together): to get the interview. The way to do that is to read the job posting carefully and customize your cover letter each time you apply for a job, to make it clear to the reader that you are a strong candidate for this specific position. So a cover letter is not a document you can write once and then consider yourself done with cover letter writing.

While a resume is written primarily to give info about your experience, education, skills, and strengths, the cover letter is a bit more complex. 

IN A COVER LETTER YOU ARE WRITING TO:

• INFORM: to give information, beyond what is in the resume. The employer already has the resume; give them additional info about how and why you would be good in the job they are looking to fill.
• CONVEY your enthusiasm for the job and the opportunity to apply: demonstrate confidence that you can do the job well, and explain your interest and why you decided to apply for this job in particular.
• PERSUADE the reader to contact you to set up an interview (this is where the cover letter really differs from the just-the-facts resume).

How do you know what to focus on? Start by reading the job description carefully. 

• Pay attention to requirements vs. preferences
• What is the employer emphasizing? What seem to be the most important things they are seeking, for this position? Is anything mentioned more than once?
• Consider keywords and phrases from the job description that would be good to include in your application documents
• Based on the job description, what would you need to say to the reader to get that interview? Make sure you are writing about the same things in your cover letter that the employer is writing about in their job posting. 

Some red flags to to look out for:

• Very brief or vague description
• Unreasonable workload (enough responsibilities for two or more people)
• “Unicorn” requirements (lengthy list of random required skills)

Quick tips:

• Be concise! This is a one page document.
• Include your strengths only; don’t draw attention to any way in which you are not a strong candidate.
• It's a very good idea to check out the employer’s website and their Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn, etc., to understand what is important to them and what their public image and values are.
• Make sure you are following all of the employer's instructions for applying, including any specific instructions re: the cover letter.

Some employers will give a lot of attention to a cover letter, others will focus more on the resume. Two people on the same hiring committee might have different ideas of the importance of a cover letter. As the applicant, you won't know how much weight the cover letter has in a certain situation. So, if an employer requests a cover letter you definitely want to send one, and to write it with care. A cover letter written quickly “just to get it over with” is a missed opportunity. Effort is required to write an effective cover letter but if you take the time to do it right you have a much better chance of getting the interview.

Good luck!

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For more info on cover letters, including samples and a tip sheet, and the Business & Career Center’s resources and services for job seekers, including FREE one-on-one resume & career help via email and Zoom, visit our page. (Please note: we give feedback and advice on resumes and cover letters but we do not write or re-write your documents.) If you have a question for us or a suggestion for a topic for a future blog post, please write to us at [email protected].