The Evil HR Lady, who I secretly worship, has shamed me into posting an example of a good cover letter.
But first, let’s take a look at what I consider an example of how not to do a cover letter. There’s nothing particularly wrong with this letter — other than being an utterly wasted opportunity, and I’ll explain why:
Dear Human Resources:
Enclosed please find my resume for the position of staff writer.
I currently work as a copy editor for Acme Company, where I am responsible for editing brochures, fact sheets, and Web content. Before that, I spent a year interning at Tiger Beat magazine, where I had the opportunity to write several articles for publication. I also majored in English in college, with a concentration in writing.
I am seeking a position that that will utilize my writing skills with opportunity for growth.
I hope to hear from you to schedule an interview.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe
This letter doesn’t add anything to the application — it just summarizes information already available from the resume. That’s just a waste of space, and space is already really limited! Plus, I hate this: “I am seeking a position that that will utilize my writing skills with opportunity for growth.” Don’t tell the employer what you want (and especially in such generic terms) — tell them why they should want you. And be specific.
Plus, it might as well be a form letter, because nothing about it is specific to the job being offered or the company offering it. It’s sort of the equivalent of a fax cover sheet.
Here’s an example of a cover letter that would grab me:
Dear Ms. Smith:
I hope you will consider me for the position of staff writer, as advertised in The Washington Post.
I was particularly excited to see a position open at the Sierra Club, as I have long been a fan of your work. I’m impressed by the way you make environmental issues accessible to non-environmentalists (particularly in the pages of Sierra Magazine, which has sucked me in more times than I can count), and I would love the opportunity to be part of your work.
Reading over the job description for the position, I recognized myself. As you will see on my attached resume, I have more than seven years’ experience in non-profits, writing everything from newsletters to Web sites to brochures to letters to the editor and op-eds. In addition to in-house publications, my work has been published in newspapers around the country.
Additionally, I am a fast, versatile writer, and I specialize in taking complicated information and presenting it in an easy-to-understand, upbeat format. I’ve never missed a deadline (in a recent performance review, my manager called me “the fastest writer on the planet”) and pride myself on being able to juggle many different projects. My copy-editing skills border on the obsessive-compulsive; I have been known to correct mistakes on restaurant menus!
I think my skills and experience are an excellent match with what you are seeking, and I am excited about the chance to work with you.
If you would like to talk with me or schedule an interview, please call me at 555-555-1212. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe
This letter does the following:
- It shows personal interest in working for this particular organization, and it’s specific about why, which makes it both more believable and more compelling. It’s human nature — people respond when they feel a personal interest from you. Works in dating, works in job-hunting.
- It only briefly touches on the writer’s work experience, giving just the upshot and leaving the details for the resume.
- Perhaps most importantly, it provides information about the writer that will never be available from a resume — personal traits and work habits, and even a reference to feedback from a previous manager.
- It’s far more interesting to read than the first cover letter. I want to call this person in for an interview, and I don’t even have a staff writer position open ( nor do I work for the Sierra Club, for that matter).
Now, can you do this for every position you apply for? Yes. It’s sometimes easier for non-profits, because you can talk about why you support their mission (so I admittedly took the easy way out in my example). But you can do it for regular companies too, with a little bit of research. No time for that when you’re applying to 30 different jobs? Narrow it down and focus on fewer, take the time to write a truly compelling cover letter tailored to each specific job and company, and it’s likely you’ll find that five truly personalized, well-tailored applications will yield you better results than 30 generic applications.
Take my word for it: Your competition is sending in cover letters like example #1 (if they even bother with them at all). You will dramatically rise above the pack if you put in the time they’re not.
{ 100 comments… read them below or add one }
I followed a link over from Evil HR Lady’s blog. This post is clear and brilliant. I’m going to make my students read it.
This one is a keeper. Thanks to you and the Evil One!
A note to all job hunters: Please, please, PLEASE write a cover letter to accompany your resume! I have spent the past two days reviewing resumes while my company’s recruiter is out of town, and I’ve discovered that about 90 percent of our applicants (we get about 12,000 a year) don’t send a cover letter at all. About 9 percent send something like the first example. I weep with gratitude for the 1 percent who write a cover letter like your perfect example. I think I can say this on behalf of every recruiter out there: Use your cover letter to give me a reason to put your resume on the top of the pile!
Cover letter 2 is vast improvement on Cover letter 1, but I would suggest a few refinements.
I like lots of it, but my cheese-o-meter fired off at “Reading over the job description for the position, I recognized myself”
It feels like a cliche in the making. And it’s padding, and needn’t be there (other than confirming that the job description has been read).
Actually its the phrase “I recognised myself” which grates. It is a bit ummm…..twee? self-regarding?
I thought “which has sucked me in more times than I can count” a bit colloquial/slangy for my (non North American) taste.
I’d also lose the “additionally” following on from the “in addition” in the earlier paragraph. It isn’t needed as a segue anyway – it’s padding.
I find the letter a tad self-congratulatory in tone. But I’m from an English/Antipodean background, and it may go over fine in the US.
But good on you for publishing it. I hope you don’t mind my minor carping (some of which is cultural anyway).
The points you make are very strong.
If I can also add something – be aware if you’re applying for jobs in other countries what the norms are there, both as regards CV/Resume formats, and style.
This letter wouldn’t work as well in the UK, New Zealand or Australia as written (although the underlying points still hold good – that is, the letter should add something to the CV (not repeat it)
Thanks to Evil HR Lady and AskAManager, your blogs are enjoyed the world over! (my parts of the world anyway)
Skinny Size Me Please: It’s interesting to hear the take of someone with a non-North American perspective. I actually found example #2 far less self-congratulatory than the usual cover letters I receive! And I enjoy the slighly less formal tone because it’s a refreshing change from the usual very stiff sounding letters that scream “form letter.” It gives me a better sense of the applicant, unlike most of what I see. But of course, this is just an example of what resonates for me as a hiring manager, and I have no doubt that others respond to other things. I found your take on it interesting!
I also found the “I recognized myself” a little grating, but that just may be because I would feel incredibly uncomfortable saying it. Also, in resumes I’ve reviewed, that type of phrase is SO often used by people who seem to have not even read the job description – or somehow think that a merit badge in sewing qualifies them to be a surgeon.
I think what you said about “30 cover letters” is dead on. I spent almost five years in continuous job hunting, after the company I was working for went under. It took that long to find the right job, maybe because I wasn’t looking in the right way.
When I started out I was using my excellent mail-merge skills to send out 40 resumes a week. My cover letters looked more like #1 because I was trying not to be eliminated from consideration, so I was writing vague and encouraging things that essentially boiled down to “Hire me PLEASE!”
I did find two mediocre jobs that way, the second one a simply atrocious mismatch of me and them. I stayed there for two and a half years and I swear I started looking for a new job two days after I started.
Finally I found some advice like yours. Not only did I write more individually-crafted letters that were much more a presentation of what I have to offer, but I also realized that 90% of the jobs that I was applying for, that I “might” possibly qualify for were things that I would find monumentally distasteful.
This is a long way of saying: much, much better to spend an hour writing a single thoughtful, targeted, beautifully proofed and punctuated cover letter than to dash off ten of these generic ones.
I realized that the purpose of the letter was to show them how my resume related to their job description. So I would pull the relevant things out of the position description in my letter and talk about how the fabulous task on my resume involved doing JUST THAT THING that they were looking for.
Sometimes I felt like an idiot, because it felt to me like I was just parroting the description back to them, but I did it and I got my dream job.
In this dream job I had occasion to screen 90+ resumes for a position as my assistant. Boy oh boy. I realized that what had felt to me like “parroting” was actually incredibly helpful to the reviewer of the resume.
I used a cover sheet to rate the applications I received, including the number of spelling and grammar errors. My top three finishers had three or less, and the one I hired had none – and had a cover letter that parrotted back the description to me. But now, on the recieving end, I felt, “Oh my gosh, here is someone who ACTUALLY READ THE DESCRIPTION before they applied for the job!”
This is probably cliche as well. USE A SPELL CHECK. That would immediately point out that recieving (sic) is spelled improperly.
Maybe it was just a typo, but even typographical errors hurt a good person’s chance at landing that dream job.
THANK YOU for posting this! I’m a writer (journalist) yet I really struggle with writing cover letters. This was very helpful! It’s good to know that it is okay to step out of the “form letter” and show a bit of personality if appropriate.
What are your thoughts on jobs posted online, with no address or fax number to contact, just an anonymous email address? (I’m particularly thinking of Craigslist.org)
Should an applicant attach a cover letter and attach a resume, or may the email body/text itself be the cover letter? In many case, there’s no indication what company you’re even applying to, so things like header, “Dear Mr. Smith” [hiring manager] etc. can’t be included because there’s no way to know these things.
Thoughts? Thanks!
I personally think that the approach you discribed is very unprofessional and do not know why someone would allow that to be posted to a website of any kind even craigslist! In my oppinon if you are going to put up something for a job ethier on a website or in the paper then you should at least respect the posible applicant and put the information where the person who made the job oppening so that the applicant can reach the employer to ethier recive more information or schedual an appointmant to review their resume.
Dear Anonymous: I suggest you use a spell-checker before you post your advice next time.
Grow up.
Hey, Anonymous. I would say that in cases where a job is posted without any indication of what company it is or a way to find out, you can use other ways to personalize your approach. In your cover letter, talk about the skills they’re looking for (which should be evident from the job positing) and how you fulfill those needs. Make your application as specific to their stated needs as you can (without blatantly parroting their ad back to them — and be honest, of course). And I think it’s fine for the email body to be the cover letter rather than attaching one separately.
It’s funny, your post reminds me of the last cover letter I had to write – it was two pages long, not as ‘cheesy’ as the European types would put it – but it was truly different.
At my interview, I was told that my CL was different from everyone else’s.
Not having gone through this whole process (or read blogs like yours back then), I got worried, but calmed down when it was explained that this was v. positive.
Phew. :)
I would be really nervous as well if I were in that situation!
A cover letter full of subjective claims is useless. What you really want to include is:
1. The job you are after
2. Bullet points that show the match between the job requirements and your resume.
3. If there is some special, compelling, qualification that would not go into a resume, you can include that.
The cover letter should give the recipient a reason, based on your experience, to read the more detailed resume.
If you can put a good argument together defending your view you are welcome to fight me on The Recruiting Animal Show!
I’m jobhunting at the moment and this post has been a real eye opener as to what recruiters are looking for in a cover letter. Thanks
If this post and the responses don’t point out the subjective nature of recruiting than I don’t know what does!
@ Matthew: I totally agree, perception is in the interviewer, not the letter…but still an interesting topic that has many good points (in my opinion – ha ha).
thanks for the informative article. one question about cover letter format? is it wise to have a cover letter over 1 page even if i am extremely interested in a particular position? or is a drawn out letter frowned upon?
This post is just what I was looking for. I think I'll reference you (and give you a small bump) on my blog as well, so that others can come across it.
When I was in university, we were told to make a letter like e.g. #2, but #2 has some cheesy-factor in it (which others have pointed out). I think it's important to show your commitment to the receiving end so that they can actually consider you.
Great work. Thanks.
Thank you for this post. I knew my cover letters needed work, but have had a hard time finding examples that sounded like something I'd write. This gives me a great starting point for improvement.
I was wondering if there are different guidelines if you're applying for higher profile jobs that require an MBA.
I had to laugh at Teri's comments. She says she hired the person who had no spelling errors, and yet she misspelled "receiving" in her note.
Great ideas for cover letters. Thanks for using an actual example. Too many times people talk about what makes a good cover letter, but never show you what that really looks like.
Pretty cool blog you've got here. Thanx for it. I like such themes and anything connected to them. BTW, try to add some pics :).
naked ones…
Awesome post, might really help someone or more likely many people getting either a new job or a job at all.
And I do agree, it´s better to show something you´ve done.
Once again, Great post
The good cover letter is written with an overly personal tone that isn’t formal enough for business/legal applications.
People often think good writing means formal writing, but it’s often not the case. If the writing is good, it’s actually a good thing to use a conversational tone.
First, let me say that I do appreciate the information in this article. But am I the only one to catch the typo in the first example?…
“I am seeking a position that that will utilize my writing skills with opportunity for growth.”
…or am I just being overly critical? Or… was the typo left in intentionally? Gotta wonder.
I automatically toss any cover letter that uses the word “utilize.”
@Sassenach…. why, may I ask, do you throw out cover letters that incorporate the word “utilize”? Doesn’t that seem a bit capricious to you? Would you rather someone exemplify a shoddy vocabulary? Just asking as a job-seeker, frustrated knowing all the effort I put into a job application can be undone by someone’s prejudice against the utilization of one, seemingly innocuous word. Is it overused?
Don’t write ‘utilize’ if you actually mean to say ‘use’. The word ‘use’ doesn’t indicate a shoddy vocabulary–it’s a perfectly valid and meaningful English word. Why, exactly, do so many people prefer ‘utilize’?
Cuz it sounds sciencey?
Honestly, I have no idea. I dislike that word.
Aren’t we constantly being told to use “action” words in our resumes?
“utilize” is no more an action word than “use,” though.
I’m not opposed to using utilize, nor utilizing use. I seldom use utilize, but when I do, it’s usually useful.
I hear this word a lot and it always makes me cringe.
In response to those that find the second cover letter too informal:
Though I’m certainly no authority on the subject, I have landed at least one, if not two, well-paying engineering jobs using a different format (even much more so than the second CL) than what is typically considered standard. As some people have said, it is subjective to who is reading the cover letter.
One thing I always try to do when I’m really interested in a position is get a feel for the attitude of the company (if I’m mildly interested I don’t waste extra time with my application). If the company seems innovative and a little more casual than your typical corporation, I take that as a ticket to be innovative and a little more casual with my cover letter. If the company seems conservative and formal, I typically opt for a more standard approach.
In my experience, mirroring a company’s paradigm has worked well for me, as I’m guessing it shows them you’re willing to play by their rules and be a team player. Again, I’m fairly fresh to the job market, but I have had some successes thus far which may give me a little wisdom to dole out. Hope this helps.
It has been incredibly helpful reading these comments- thank you.
my main concern- is how do you stand out to an employer when applying for a job in which you have no experience? I am graduating in May with my RN-BSN. when looking over job req’s, they all want a year of experience. of course- many of us don’t meet that and are stumped on what to do.
At this point- I feel I am heavily relying on personality and work ethic- how do you sell those things?
help???!!!!
- scared nursing student
Good job welldone here! Just discovered Ask A Manager.Pls I need some tips on how to write a compelling cover letter on a job position one has got no experience, being a fresh graduate in the field.Thanks.
Ask a Manager – I do not see your response to anonymous 4-4-11. A recent nursing grad. I would love to hear your opinion on the question. Thanks!
Same answer as always about standing out: You stand out by writing an awesome cover letter, having a great resume, and being well-matched for the job!
There was another blog post early on that said job requirements were really just preferences, and AAM you said to go ahead and apply anyway.
I’ll also say that I’ve spoken with many nurses, and several started with a temp agency at first. While there are certainly disadvantages to being a temp, for a new nurse I think the advantages definitely outweigh them. Consider: you’re a temp. You won’t be expected to know how that hospital works, let alone that dept. So questions every five minutes are expected. If you don’t like a dept, you can opt not to work that anymore. You get the opportunity to work at more than one hospital, or even a non-hospital environment. So the culture, workflow, types of patients, etc are all things that you can evaluate before you have to decide where to work.
It’s true that job requirements are often wish lists, although that’s a lot less true now that the job market has gotten so bad. If I know the post you’re thinking of (this one?), it was 2007, when the job market was a bit different. It can still sometimes work now, but it’s definitely gotten harder!
Wow, brilliant post and comments. Keep it up.
Hello,
I just recently discovered Ask a Manager and really enjoy reading the posts :) I was wondering if you can give any advise on what to definitely include in a cover letter/resume when applying for a permanent job overseas?
Thank you
Ask a Manager: Question… I am looking at a job posting that has 15 responsibilities and 12 requirements listed (including overarching concepts like: Team player, building realationship, interpersonal skills, problem solving skills etc). How do you know which skills to highlight? They are all important and it is impossible to discuss them all in one coverletter. In addition, I took one year off from work while I looked after a family member that I need to touch on in my cover letter. Thanks for your help
Look at the job description and figure out what YOU think are the most crucial skills of the ones listed, when you imagine what it would take to do that job well. Then focus on those. (Some of those are practically meaningless boilerplate that you can probably ignore.)
Does a cover letter even matter nowadays with job markets being so saturated? I’ve submitted my resume with and without cover letters, and still find that it’s roughly the same (low) percentage of a callback to a job that I applied to that fits my experience and skills set. Albeit, having a cover letter does appear more professional, but HR people have become even more scrutinizing due to the way the job markets are now, no thanks to the economy, so based off my experiences with job hunting the past few months in the West LA area, ehhhhhh.
Yes. It matters. My mail is full of letters from readers who said that when they started writing customized cover letters, they started getting interviews. Customized, though; not form letters.
I read advice from a Cornell job assistance source that said to include a follow-up plan in your cover letter. Therefore, I said that I’d email in a week to touch base for a professional creative position. After reading this post as well as your post on how long creative employers take to reply, I feel like I’ve blown it. What do you think?
You haven’t blown it! Just don’t do it again :)
But since you said you’d follow up, make sure you do (or you’ll look like you don’t do what you say). Just send a quick email to reiterate your strong interest!
Very helpful thank you!
I recently discovered this site as well, and I have been reading through these old posts. You have great advice, and it has been very interesting for the job seeker!
However, I’m also a little put off by the tone of the second letter. Perhaps it is because I am an academic at heart, but I find the “chatty” style to be really awkward, and I inwardly wince when I read things written in that manner. Maybe this indicates that my own letters are coming across as overly formal?
There’s obviously some degree of personal preference here, but in the sample letter here, the informality is actually pretty minimal — one could go a lot more in that direction! So that makes me think that your letters might be quite formal indeed.
I appreciate your approach and the logic. However, I have been looking for a job for 9 months and have not once filled out a paper application nor presented a resume with cover letter in person. All companies I have found job postings for require an online app and resume. All of these companies are represented by Job sites and recruiters, rarely linking an applicant to the company’s site, therefore making the research of these companies to individualize a cover letter difficult. Most of the time, I do not receive a confirmation of receipt from the company… causing me to question whether my resume was even submitted for consideration by the company’s HR dept. Maybe I’m missing something and if you can throw me some solution and/or tips, I’d be extremely grateful.
Yes, I’m assuming online applications too — definitely not in person or on paper! If you don’t know about the company, just talk about why you would excel at the job itself!
Hi, I am working at a hospital in Niagarafalls. My family lives in NJ. I want to move there. I have applied for job in NJ, but haven’t gottne any interview. Should I mention in my cover letter that I want to move to NJ becz of my family?
Thank You for your help.
I’d think so. You don’t want to put an employer off of giving you a chance because you might hate NJ and leave. You having a strong reason to stay is a strong reason for them not to dismiss your application for being an out of towner.
I just got my resume critiqued by a job board I belong to. I understand and acknowledge my resume needs the changes they suggest; however, being unemployed I cannot afford $399 to they charge to have it professionally “upgraded”. When I replied with the question what can a Resume Writer give me, other than doing the physical work, that I can not get from a resume program or membership to a website (costing from $29.99 to $69.99)… they did not respond. Can you, will you post an answer? Sincere thanks.
I don’t know the answer, since I’ve never used one. But I can tell you that I’ve seen some very mediocre results from some — which doesn’t mean they’re all bad, but just that you’d need to choose carefully. Ask to see samples of their work before you commit.
But really, I think that if you’re good with words and you do your research, there’s no reason you can’t craft your own very effective resume, for free.
And stay away from The Ladders no matter what.
Hi, I’ve recently discovered your site I hope you can help me. I am recently short listed for a junior position and my interview will held next week. I am so much scared and I dnt know how to prepare my self for my interview. Please help me + I want to ask another thing I dnt have recieved my job description because it was an unsolicited job so should I email my employer to send me job details and what wording should I use which is appropiate to write in an email to employer?
I have a free guide on preparing for an interview that might be helpful. You can get it here:
http://www.askamanager.org/how-to-guide
I am seeking an internship on the social service side of things, and my job experience is on the fast food side of things. My resume is strictly my job experience and my educational background. Specifically, it is dates, salary, and responsibilities for the work experience. Only one person at my job, where i have worked for over 3 years beginning when i was 17, had been promoted. She recently quit because of failed promises to promote her further. I feel any attempt relaying achievement at this job would be weak.
It is strictly dates, degrees obtained, GPA for education. In my cover letter I dove into how my educational background has prepared me for the internship. I have no relevant provable volunteer service, other than tutoring for a summer due to needing a paying job. How do other working students handle this? How do I explain not having a promotion without bad-mouthing my current boss? The business is not doing the best, which must be taken into consideration.
Also, my cover letter is a page long already; I was told not to make it any longer. How can I spice up my resume?
So sorry for the long post, thanks to anyone who reads and answers!
Include any volunteer experience, even if it’s not relevant or provable. Extracurriculars too.
I’ve been applying to everything I can find for a few years now, only interrupted by a summer job the summer before last. I understand the idea behind a cover letter, but there are a few things that make them a real pain to write for me. I mean, more than the average amount of pain.
First, I have limited experience. I’m in my early twenties and I’ve only held one “proper” job (that summer job). I’ve tried freelancing (web design/photography), but only found limited success. Nothing to pay the bills, anyway. While I still plan to continue freelancing, I need a 9-5 (or 2-11, or 11-7) to keep things paid and to invest in the freelancing (marketing/equipment/etc) until I’m making enough with it to be self-sufficient.
Creative skills are great, sure, but I’m in rural Indiana. I can’t find salaried work in design or photography around here (the best I’d be able to manage is an unpaid internship in a neighboring city, but those are still hard to come by), so I’ve been applying to janitorial and shipping/receiving type work.
Nothing against janitors (hey, I’ve been one and I’m trying to rejoin the ranks), but every example letter I see is (or seems to be) largely irrelevant to the kind of work I’m applying for. My ability to mop a bathroom or change out dozens of trash bags seems out of place in a formal letter, and I’m just left with generic buzzwords (hardworking, dedicated, etc) if I don’t list specific job skills.
There’s more, but this comment is long enough as is. Any help is greatly appreciated.
For my cover letter, I ended up relying on my education. I go to a community college, which isn’t normally impressive, but the internship is aimed at community college grads, and i named specific research topics. Can you include any education, or experimentation you did on your own time?
Sure.
Hi there! Awesome post! I’ve bookmarked your page for reference regarding this matter. Your cover letter example made me realize that what’s in the resume shouldn’t be all repeated in a cover letter. Good point in drawing the interest of an Employer. A lot learned from this blog, thank you so much!
How does this work for online applications? Sometimes there’s no section to upload anything more than a resume? Should we just hope and pray if we are “under-qualified”?
In this market, it’s very hard to get hired if you’re under-qualified. But if there’s no way to upload a cover letter, that’s a company that (unwisely) doesn’t care about them.
Really great advice! This is a short, specific and very well presented article! I think this consice example is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the job application requirements. A specially as a junior college student this little blog has contributed a lot to my understanding of managerial outlook and will be applied to my current internship search!
Thank you for your help and effort!
Hani Dianna W
yayyayayayayay!!! coveer letters!!! yayayayayayayay
Thank you so much for posting this! I’ve been trying to write an effective cover letter for a while now, but my writing skills are rusty and all attempts have sounded way too formal, stiff, and uninteresting. It was wonderful reading your article and having an example letter to look over and provide inspiration.
A very interesting and helpful article. I thought I had finished my own cover letter and was going to send it to a friend to proof read. Your article allowed me to tweak my letter and I now feel it is better for it. Thank you.
A question on over/under qualified applicants. My fear is that I may be considered over qualified for a position I am very interested in. I understand why under qual’d would be undesirable but why would an employer not want an over qualified applicant and how might somebody overcome this perception?
This old column by me might help:
http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2008/07/14/what-to-do-if-youre-overqualified
Very insightful. Thank you.
Thanks for posting this! I just used it and it was very helpful to make my letter “pop” a bit more.
Hi Ask a Manager,
This is an incredible post, I am happy to have come across it. I am currently applying for full time positions. I found this post (and resulting comments) very useful in re-vamping my cover letter to make me more attractive to my dream employers.
Do you have any “science-people-specific” advice w.r.t cover letter writing?
Thank you!!
Awesummm find!!!! I have been congratulating myself on finding this page! This is such a rarity in these times of deep insecurity. the obsessive-compulsive copy editing skills… that is soooo me. Its been like five years since you wrote this, but wonderfully wow! Before I forget congrats for writing such a brilliant one! Kudos!
Hey, askamanager, i have to admit, your post is far congratulatory. Hey, look, i am an internet-surfer-addict and i search for about everything i need to know. During the past 3 years, while working with Blue Financial Services, i have been searching for CV/Resume samples and good cover letter examples. I have been using such as that in example 1 and never chanced securing an interview. Believe it or not, when i came across this post one day (about a year ago), i drafted my letter, personalised it, (and it was my first longest letter i have ever wrote) then sent it to the company i was intending to work for. In a weeks time i was called for an interview and in 3 days time i was called to start work. Much as i understand that we view things differently, i hated it so much today (the day i posted this comment-06 March, 2012) reading some comments criticizing the outline of the example 2. Guys, to be true, if this doesn’t work out for you stop blaming askamanager for not having grafted you the kind of writing your boss wanted from the firm you were applying. Why, i don’t see you writing such criticism on websites and posts that FALSELY embark themselves on the “what does a good cover letter and resume look like” platfoam and yet when you get there you see nothing like it. If you can’t see anything helpful here, stop wasting your time finding faults and discourage those who really need the help here. Get lost.
KingsCrib
Hi! So i am writing my first cover letter for a garden nursery and i have no idea what to write!
I just have to say thank you so very much. I became unemployed back in January 2012 and for whatever reason, I’ve been struggling with cover letters this time around! I’m not sure if it’s because I just can’t believe I have to go through this process yet again (I really thought I found “the one”) or if I’m just so overwhelmed by the process because I have very little time to find a new job before unemployment runs out. Regardless…something about your post just made everything so clear. Thankfully, my passionate and heart-felt cover letter wasn’t saccharine as it was truly how I feel about wanting to work for this specific company, but all the words fell right into place after your clear, concise advice. Thank you again!
That’s great to hear! Thank you, and good luck!
I want to apply for a job online, the posting requires that you complete the online application and submit a resume and formal cover letter.
The problem I have with the posting is it does not provide any contact information and with that I do not have a person’s name or title. Also, the job is with a subsidiary of a large company, which company do I use in the letter, the parent company or the subsidiary?
What do I use for the internal address in the letter? Please help.
Thanks
None of these things much matter. Open it with “dear hiring manager,” don’t include an address, and use the company that you’d be applying to work for.
This pretty helpful, but what if you don’t find that your values coincide with those of the company you are applying to? I think it’s much easier to write an impassioned, thoughtful letter to a company you’ve always dreamed of working for, but unfortunately that is not the way the world works most of the time. I wish I had such a personal interest in the jobs I seek, but rarely am I applying to positions at companies whose values truly coincide with my own. Should I just pretend that I care deeply about the kind of work they are doing? How can I appear to have a connection with a company when really I’m just applying because I’m qualified for the position?
Addendum: I meant to say that this was actually extremely helpful; this post has been my guideline for applying to a few jobs recently, and while I have not heard back, I’m sure my letters are superior to those I was previously crafting. Thank you!
Talk about why you’d be excited about and awesome at the work!
I want to apply for a job advertised, they expect a more experience person rather then fresh graduates. But I see myself that I can do that job, please give me hints for my cover letter.
Thank you! Best post I’ve read on the topic. I’ll definitely follow the advice.
Thanks for sharing your insights. I came across the website a few days back and have it bookmarked. I would like to know your thoughts about including a brief history of professional/academic work in the cover letter. I had some difficulties with graduate studies (academic, financial and personal) and ended up taking a break to do a couple of internships and a full time job. I came back to finish my grad studies after a 5 year break and will be finishing soon. My resume now lists 2 internships and a full time job and I have references from these places. I have done quite well in school since I returned and have references from past internship and job position on the resume. I am wondering how much of this information should be included in the cover letter. I feel like I am a much stronger person due to my (not so good) experience and it also allowed me to explore directions that I now want to pursue full time. But I am also worried that including this information might put off prospective employers. I would liek to hear what you think about it?
I wouldn’t. I see where you’re coming from, but it’s the kind of thing that can make employers uncomfortable when it’s in a letter from a stranger.
This cover letter is so long, I can’t imagine someone taking the time to read it. I’m a manager and rarely use the cover letter to differentiate applicants. It’s all in the resume, which should be scannable. A long letter just says to me that you don’t understand how busy work life is these days and you expect me stop everything for you. I think this is misinformation at best. I just don’t see how agonizing over a cover letter letter is worth it; rather, spend your time writing a really good targeted, customized resume.
I get mail all the time from people whose cover letters got them interviews.
Dearest ‘Searcher,’
If you are so busy my typo-riddled-tirade friend, perhaps you shouldn’t be playing on a Blog when you should be ‘busy’ looking at resumes. I would suggest you do your level best at your current position, as this economy continues to tighten, you may find a Cover Letter is well needed to stand out in a sea of applicants. But for now, you should be getting yourself back to work.
And, to Ask A Manager, this blog is a wonderful asset and your advice is kind, straight-forward and very helpful and respectful. I appreciate your dedication to us all.
I have a question if you don’t mind. I see that a lot of cover letters have the human resource person name but what happens if you can’t find out who it is what should you put?
Thanks
“dear hiring manager”
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