Center for Professional Excellence Cover Letter Guide

Transcription

1 Center for Professional Excellence Cover Letter Guide What is a Cover Letter? A cover letter introduces you to perspective employers. While your resume displays your skills, talents and experiences, the cover letter allows employers to get a sense of your personality. A cover letter should always accompany your resume whether you are responding to an advertised position, or sending your resume to a company for whom you would like to work. In this case you are sending what is called a prospecting letter. A good cover letter should be brief three to four paragraphs. The first paragraph tells the employer why you are interested in working for that particular company. If you were applying for an advertised position, you would also want to mention where you heard about their opening. Below are some examples: I am currently looking for a full-time sales position and your posting in the (name of publication) caught my eye. I am interested in relocating to the St. Louis area after graduation in May. With my marketing degree and internship experience with the Quincy Gems, I have the qualifications for this position. The information I have been able to gather about (name of company) has been impressive. After graduation in May I would like a public relations position in a company such as yours. I am writing to inquire if there will be any vacancies this summer or fall. Your second paragraph for either type of letter will highlight your skills and experiences that best match the position for which you are applying. For example: As you can see from the enclosed resume, I have experience working with youth, both as a volunteer coach and as a Resident Technician at a boy s group home here in Quincy. If hired for this position you will find I am a capable employee who thrives on challenges. Your last paragraph is an opportunity for you to initiate an interview and let the person know how to contact you. I would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you in person about my qualifications for this position. If you have further questions about my qualifications feel free to contact me at (your telephone number). Thank you for your consideration. My enclosed resume further details my experience and qualifications. The opportunity to discuss my credentials in a personal interview would be appreciated. I can be contacted at the address and telephone number listed above.

2 EDUCATION LETTER Anita Jobb 1810 Lind Street Box April 15, 2011 Dr. Francine Thomas Superintendent of Schools Chicago Public Schools 5000 Some Avenue Chicago, IL Dear Dr. Thomas: I will be graduating from Quincy University this May with a degree in Elementary Education and plan to return to the Chicago area. I am writing to express my interest in the fifth grade teaching position you listed with our school s Career Services Center on April 14th. I feel I am well qualified to teach fifth grade having done my student teaching with this grade at Baldwin Intermediate School here in Quincy this spring. During my student teaching experience, I had the opportunity to develop some exciting lessons plans in science and social sciences. At Baldwin School we utilized the Glasser model of classroom management; however, I have experience and familiarity with other models through my clinical and classroom experiences, which are outlined on the enclosed resume. I would appreciate your sending me any necessary application materials. You will be receiving my credential file from the Quincy University Career Services Center sometime within the week. I plan to be in the Chicago area April 25-29th and again after May 12th and would like to meet with you regarding my application. Please feel free to contact me should you need any additional information. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Anita Jobb

3 PROSPECTING LETTERS Will Work 1810 Lind Street Box February 21, 2 Mr. Kent Jones Director of Marketing Anheuser-Busch, Inc Some Street St. Louis, MO Dear Mr. Jones: I am writing to express my interest in an entry level Sales/Marketing position with your company. I will be graduating from Quincy University this May with a degree in Marketing. I am originally from St. Charles, Missouri and would like to return to the St. Louis area after graduation. This past summer I worked as an intern with XYZ Corporation in St. Louis. My sales and marketing duties included representing and organizing promotional events in the St. Louis area. I was later given additional responsibilities in the area of account merchandising. This experience has given me an opportunity to learn more about the market and how it actually operates. A previous internship with the Quincy Gems here in Quincy Illinois, gave me an introduction to marketing, as I coordinated promotional events for the minor league baseball team. I would greatly appreciate a chance to talk with you about a Sales/Marketing position with your company. Enclosed, you will find a copy of my resume detailing my educational and work experience. Please feel free to contact me should you need any additional information. I will give you a call next week to discuss any openings with Anheuser-Busch. Will Work

4 APPLICATION LETTER Lisa Wilson 1810 Lind Street Box March 1, 2 Ms. Jennifer Donaldson Manager of Human Resources Continental Tech., Inc Naperville Boulevard Naperville, IL Dear Ms. Donaldson: I am applying for the web developer position, which was advertised with the Quincy University Career Services Center this week. The position seems to fit very well with my education, experience, and career interests. Your position requires skills in various types of programming and software used in web development. My academic program in computer science emphasized C, C++, Visual Basic, Assembler, Java, and SQL. In addition, I have extensive experience in using several software packages in web development, including Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Dreamweaver. My experience as a department computer consultant gave me exposure to both PC and Macintosh platforms as well as Novell and NT LANs. Additionally, I worked as a summer intern in computing operations for a major Quincy employer where I gained knowledge of enterprise systems and e-commerce operations. My enclosed resume provides more details on my qualifications. Would you please consider my request for a personal interview to further discuss my qualifications and to learn more about this opportunity? I will call you next week to see if a meeting can be arranged. Should you need to reach me, please feel free to contact me at (217) or [email protected]? Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to talking with you. Lisa Wilson

5 PROSPECTING LETTER Carmen O Kelly 1810 Lind Street [email protected] April 2, 2 Mr. Brian Newman Director of College Recruiting Midwest Business Associates 5000 Wackerle Drive Chicago, IL Dear Mr. Newman: I read your company s description in NACE s Job Choices in Business and would like to inquire about employment opportunities in your public relations department. I want to work in public relations for a growing company and would like to relocate to the Chicago area after graduation. I shall receive my B.S. degree this May in media studies and communication. My interest in public relations started in Junior Achievement while in high school and developed further through my work-study position in the Public Relations office at Quincy University. When I researched growing companies in the Chicago area, Midwest Business Associates emerged as having an excellent reputation for treating employees well. My resume is enclosed for your consideration. My education and experience match the qualifications often sought for public relations departments. I would appreciate a few minutes of your time to discuss any openings with your company. I shall call you during the week of April 7. In the meantime, if you need to contact me, my number is and my is [email protected]. Thank you very much for considering my request. I look forward to talking with you. Carmen O Kelly

6 INTERNSHIP LETTER Ivanna Intern 1810 Lind Street February 15, 2 Mr. Frank Montelongo Lamar Group Home 1111 College Dear Mr. Montelongo: I am currently seeking an internship position in social services here in the Quincy area. The Director of Career Services at Quincy University gave me your name as someone I should contact. With my degree in Psychology, I am interested in working with youth and was very pleased to learn that your organization offers internships to college students. My interest in Psychology began in high school with an introductory psychology class taught by Ms. Jeanne White. Ms. White talked about her experiences working with youth throughout Illinois. This type of work fascinated me. As a college student in pursuit of experiences related to working with young adults, I accepted an offer to serve as a Resident Assistant in Garner Residence Hall. This has given me experience and training in crisis management, filling out daily log sheets and writing up incident reports. I believe this experience will help me as an intern with your organization. I would appreciate the opportunity to tell you in person how my skills make me a qualified candidate for an internship at Lamar Group Home. My resume is enclosed for your review. I can be reached at Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely Ivanna Intern