Some say that if you really want a boyfriend or girlfriend, you’ll find one as soon as you stop actively looking (I’m not sure it actually works). More likely, as the above pithy, insightful quote by Pasteur implies, good fortune comes to those who are ready for it. I recall a student who received a phone call from a company two years after she had sent in her resume. "We’re hiring now," a company representative told her. "What have you been doing for two years?" It turns out that, unable to get a job, she had gone to graduate school and was just finishing up her master’s degree. The consulting company promptly hired her, and she had suddenly landed her dream job.
Although this may be an unusual scenario, it demonstrates the power of a written document filed away in some company folder. The more professional a paper trail you leave, the more impressive a candidate you become. Any letter you write to a company—from a query letter to a thank you and even to a letter rejecting a job offer—is a professional act and a networking opportunity. Even if composing a letter at midnight with a Coke and bag of Doritos handy, you should be sure that the letter carries with it a tone suggesting that you are sitting across the desk from an interviewer—because some day you may be, with that very letter within the interviewer’s arm’s reach.
Check out these two sites in cyberspace for tips on composing cover letters . . .
"How to Write a CV and Cover Letter" article from themarketinghelpline.com [1]
"Six Secrets to Writing a Great Cover Letter" article from forbes.com [2]
. . . and this site for tips on a post-interview thank you e-mail:
Advice and samples on how to write a thank you e-mail from careermatch.com [3]
When reading cover letters, the key benchmark I use is simple: Do I get to know both the person and the professional? As we read a cover letter, we should have a sense that no other candidate could have written this particular document in this particular way. Hence, we respect and honor the individual.
In conversation, the term "cover letter" is used loosely to mean any professional letter that you write in an attempt to get a job, with the term "cover" denoting that the letter is usually a "cover piece" designed to introduce and accompany your resume. Thus, too many writers think of the cover letter as mere mechanical introductory fluff—disposable goods—when in fact it can be more important than your resume.
The best tip that I have heard on cover letter writing is that the letter is for the audience, not for you. Certainly you are selling yourself, but you do that best by molding your skills to what an employer needs and by knowing all that you can about your audience. This tells you that you should visit a company’s website, read the company literature, and have a specific person’s name and title to write to (you can always request this by phone or e-mail before you write). In sum, know what your audience is interested in and how you might fit into a company’s plans, not the other way around. Unless an employer instructs you otherwise, always include a cover letter with your resume as you apply for a job.
Loads of sample cover letters are available online. Here are four URLs:
As with resumes, great cover letters tend to be based on excellent models, so below is a pdf where you can download a variety of models that you can use. The letters are organized by level of experience, beginning with a letter from a sophomore seeking an internship and moving on through a graduate student seeking a research position. Along the way you’ll also find a letter from a returning adult student with military service and a graduated senior seeking an international sales position outside of her field. Despite this variety, all of these sample letters are successful, for reasons analyzed below.
From a form standpoint, all ten sample letters are kept to one page, in some cases by the writer using size 11 font rather than size 12, and by skipping fewer lines or no lines between letter sections. All of the letters include ample white space with lines skipped between paragraphs so that the material is not crowded, and they all include full addresses with the writer’s address and signature aligned with each other. Note also that the sample letters include a minimum of three paragraphs and in some cases even use one-sentence paragraphs—thus the letter recipient is not daunted by the task of reading. Finally, in one letter emphasizing skills that the writer has to offer, she goes so far as to enumerate and physically underscore her skills, indenting the paragraphs in which they appear as well, so that those skills stand out for the reader. Such an approach exudes confidence without the letter breaking any fundamental rules of form.
As far as content and rhetorical stance, even the first letter by a sophomore includes some specialized material, mentioning CVD reactors, while other letters provide relevant quantitative information ("I have assisted with . . .nearly 100 Unix workstations") and qualitative assessment ( . . . an experience that made me a confident public speaker."). Most importantly, we see these writers showcasing their homework about the companies, noting IBM’s "constant striving to become a six-sigma company," citing part of the company’s mission statement verbatim, and dropping names of company employees. Through these tactics, we realize that these letters have been tailored to the specific job circumstances, and we recognize that we are reading purposeful, informed writing. One of the most impressive sentences in these letters tackles the difficult rhetorical challenge head-on:
"Admittedly, I do not have a specifically business- or technology-related degree; nonetheless I have some proficiency with both as well as a sharp, probing mind and a keen, demonstrated interest."
In her letter, this student goes on to prove her bold claim, and the letter got her the interview, which landed her the job.
Click here to download a pdf of ten sample cover letters. [6]Beyond the cover letter, you will undoubtedly be faced with the need to write other professional correspondence, be it by e-mail or envelope. These letters are just as important in that they can also become part of a file devoted to all of your correspondence with a company or individual. Professional letters you write are likely to be kept in a file along with your resume as part of your permanent record. Letters are also your opportunity to show professional courtesy, impress companies with your knowledge of and interest in them, and allow readers to know you as a person. Good letters humanize you. And employers tend to choose people they feel they know—not strangers.
In addition to the cover letter, the other types of professional correspondence you are most likely to write include:
While writing a letter for any of these circumstances, follow the same basic guidelines for tone, appearance, mechanics, and format as you do for cover letters. However, keep these letters brief—just a few short paragraphs—so they can be read in one-minute’s time. Using a gracious, professional tone, fill your letter with specifics particular to the circumstances, for example:
Follow these guidelines carefully and you can be assured that your letter will inspire your reader to take appropriate action, whether that is simply to place your letter into a file respectfully or perform a more involved task that you requested professionally.
For further advice on writing professional letters, I recommend:
"Writing the Basic Business Letter" article from Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL) [7]
"Writing Professional Letters" guide from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay [8]
In the sample letters available in pdf form below, we trace the story of one particular job seeker from her query for company information to her thank you letter after her interview to a sample letter of acceptance (as well as a sample letter of decline) once she receives a job offer. Though these letters are hypothetical, they are modeled on real letters that I have worked on with students over the years, and they represent real scenarios and decisions that students are faced with—scenarios that must be responded to in writing.
In form, the letters are all professional and conventional, following the same overall format guidelines that apply to cover letters. In tone, the letters are increasingly warm and personal, especially as the writer develops a relationship with the company representative whom she has met. In content, the letters are specific to the circumstances ("‘Project Paradigm’ holds a special interest for me . . .") and both efficient and purposeful, so that they can read quickly and comprehended easily. Note that even in the final example, which declines the job offer, the writer remains cordial, specific and explanatory, and hopeful that she may have further contact with the company in the future. In a word, she remains professional.
Click here to download a pdf of five sample professional letters. [9]Links
[1] https://themarketinghelpline.com/how-to-write-a-cv-and-cover-letter/
[2] http://www.forbes.com/sites/sethporges/2012/08/29/6-secrets-to-writing-a-great-cover-letter/#2715e4857a0b35f5999028e4
[3] https://www.careermatch.com/job-prep/interviews/thank-you-emails/
[4] https://www.livecareer.com/cover-letter-examples
[5] https://www.careermatch.com/job-prep/apply-for-a-job/cover-letters/cover-letter-full-guide/
[6] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/sites/www.e-education.psu.edu.styleforstudents/files/file/chapter 9/Letters1_new.pdf
[7] http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/653/01/
[8] http://www.uwgb.edu/careers/PDF-Files/Professional-Letters-Guide.pdf
[9] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/sites/www.e-education.psu.edu.styleforstudents/files/file/chapter 9/Letters2_new.pdf