COVER LETTERS AND THANK YOU NOTES

Transcription

1 COVER LETTERS AND THANK YOU NOTES WHAT IS A COVER LETTER? A cover letter is your introduction and first communication to a potential employer, and thus, is a necessary companion to your resume. Your cover letter complements your resume by conveying the intelligence and skills you can offer an employer. The purpose of your cover letter is to market yourself, highlight your strongest qualifications and present how they match what the employer seeks. Take into account that the employer has your resume and knows your work experience; the cover letter is meant to complement your resume by explaining how your experience can benefit your potential employer. Remember, a cover letter may be the first thing a potential employer sees about you. You want to make the strongest impression possible. That is why it is imperative to write a personalized cover letter to each employer. While it may be acceptable to write a uniform skeleton for all your cover letters, make sure you complete each one with details matched to each employer. If you do write a uniform cover letter, and use the find and replace feature on your wordprocessing system, be extremely careful to change each and every statement that must be changed you do not want one employer to receive a cover letter with another employer s name on it. So keep in mind: Complement your resume with your cover letter and display the benefits you can bring to that specific employer Personalize your cover letters for each potential employer FORMAT OF COVER LETTERS Cover letters tend to be one-page letters whose main bodies are divided into three main paragraphs. There are some formalities in writing them. Your name and address should be included on your cover letter, and these should be the same as on your resume. Also, you must include your employer s information on the top left-hand corner as follows: Name of Employer Title Firm/Organization Name Street Address City, State, Zip Code Following should be the date, and then the salutation, the easiest and most direct being Dear Mr./Mrs. Contact Name. The next three paragraphs are the main body of your letter, and extremely important. Writing cover letters can seem like a daunting task, so it is easier to view each paragraph as having its own theme: 1 st paragraph: Why should the reader bother reading the rest of your letter? 2 nd paragraph: Why should they meet/hire you? 3 rd paragraph: What do you want to happen next?

2 Now let s break down the cover letter paragraph by paragraph. THE FIRST PARAGRAPH As mentioned above, the first paragraph should grab the reader, giving him a reason to read on. This paragraph is the WHY of your letter, that is, why did you write it? Of course, you must indicate who you are and what you want. But as your hook, you should also use information gathered through research, and/or the use of a reference, to make the employer feel unique. Thus, the first paragraph should be made up of three sentences: Who you are What the catalyst for your letter is What you want An example: Mona Badani, a former summer clerk at your firm, described your firm to me as a dynamic environment for learning about intellectual property work and I found upon further research that your firm handles challenging, progressive cases. As a first year law student at Santa Clara University with a strong interest in intellectual property issues, I would be very interested in pursuing possible job opportunities with your firm. THE SECOND PARAGRAPH The second paragraph goes beyond who you are and why you want to work for a firm by presenting your experience and skills to the employer. More specifically, the paragraph must show how your specific experiences translate into transferable skills that will be of use to this particular employer. It may seem simple to just reiterate your experience from your resume, but don t be tempted to do so! Employers want to see how your strengths (even those from unusual sources) can help them. This does not have to be difficult; one method is to go through your background and choose two to three things about you that will be of most use to the employer. Just don t forget to support every contention you make about yourself. One test: make sure you provide a because for every feature you provide. Here is one example: In the course of researching your firm, I learned that you look for associates with strong legal and analytical skills, and a strong work ethic. I believe my background exhibits all three. For example, while attending college I was simultaneously employed full-time for sony.com, and yet graduated in 4 years with honors. And my legal and analytical skills were sharpened in a recent externship with the Honorable Morrison England, Jr., United States District Court, Eastern District of California, where I gained extensive hands-on experience with many types of cases, and analyzed a wide variety of issues. Also, communicate what you know about the employer, and if they are in a different geographic location as you are now, explain why it is you re interested in moving. Finally, when you have finished writing the letter, make sure your personality gets across and that you appear to be a living person. You want to give the employer many reasons to meet you. In sum: Don t merely copy your resume Prove every skill you have with experience Show through your writing that you have researched the employer Explain why you are willing to move to a certain location (if applicable) Santa Clara University

3 THE THIRD PARAGRAPH In this paragraph, discuss what your next step will be and what you want the employer s next step to be. This can remain very simple. You can either state for the employer to contact you, or that you will contact them (if you go with this option, you must remember to follow up!). If you are writing to an employer out-of-town, you can let them know when you will be near their location. You can also express your willingness to provide additional information. Just remember to thank the employer for their time and interest. An example: If my experience and background meet your requirements for a new associate, please contact me at the address or telephone listed above. I will be available to interview in Los Angeles throughout the winter/spring semester. Thank you for your time and interest. Don t forget to finish off the letter with your name and signature. SENDING OUT YOUR COVER LETTERS In most cases, you will print your cover letters on letter-size professional paper and mail it to your potential employer. Many people, however, their cover letters and resumes. If you choose to your cover letters, you want to follow one of these two methods. The first is to cut and paste your cover letter into the body of your and attach your resume. The second is to attach both the cover letter and resume and treat the body of your as a fax cover sheet. With the latter method, all that is necessary for the body of your is one simple sentence to explain you have attached your documents. Avoid writing a mini cover letter in the body of your if you attach your cover letter to an . TOP 10 TIPS FOR COVER LETTERS 1. Prepare each letter individually to suit that employer s needs. 2. Keep it short and simple. 3. Edit for spelling and grammatical mistakes. 4. Address each employer by name and title. 5. Name a reference in the first paragraph, if you have one. 6. Don t merely copy your resume. 7. Use evidence back up what you say about yourself with examples. 8. Research the employer and use that information in your letter. 9. Explain why you want to be in that geographical location. 10. Be enthusiastic! TOP 10 COMMON MISTAKES IN COVER LETTERS 1. Overlooking replacements when using the find and replace feature. 2. Poor spelling and bad grammar. 3. Incorrect names, titles and addresses. 4. Handwritten, cluttered or extremely short cover letters, or letters that do not follow a standard business letter format. 5. Abbreviating words. Type out each word completely. 6. Run-on sentences and overdrawn paragraphs. 7. Forgetting the date and/or salutation. 8. Addressing the letter Dear Sirs. If the gender is unclear, use a title instead. 9. Using the word I too much (instead, emphasize you ). 10. Forgetting to include a phone number if you have asked the employer to call you. Santa Clara University

4 EXAMPLE COVER LETTER #1 [Firm name and address] [date], 2009 Dear XXX, As a -year law student at Santa Clara University School, I am interested in an associate position with your firm for the summer of I am particularly interested in gaining practical experience in, which I understand is an important practice area for your firm. The work your firm has done on [list 2 or 3 cases or matters in the same practice area that the firm has recently worked on] is the type of legal work I look forward to tackling as a first year associate. I m hoping my experience in and my continued academic success in law school will make me a strong candidate for your firm. By working in and clerking for this summer, I have developed the ability to multitask, take initiative, and see complex matters through to fruition. I am confident that my strong background has provided me with the capacity necessary to be an effective member of your team. I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and learn more about your firm. Please contact me if you would like any further information. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, [student name] Enclosure Santa Clara University

5 EXAMPLE COVER LETTER #2 [insert applicant s name] [date] [name of law firm contact] [title of law firm contact] [name of law firm] [law firm street address] [city, state & zip] Dear Ms. Jones: It is with great enthusiasm that I write to apply for a summer associate position at [insert firm s name]. As a third-year J.D./M.B.A. student at Santa Clara University, my strong interests in corporate law, finance and taxation prompted me to seek out your firm, particularly because of its strong reputation in these areas. Furthermore, I am especially impressed by the firm s rating in Fortune Magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. I believe my experiences both during and prior to law school enable me to make a valuable contribution to [insert firm s name]. In my current position as a law clerk at [insert name of employer], I had the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects, including managing two corporate reorganizations from inception, preparing a stock purchase agreement for the sale of a multinational corporation and advising clients on employment law matters. This experience, combined with my responsibility as an Editor on the Santa Clara Law Review, has provided me with the opportunity to continually develop my legal analysis and writing skills. Prior to law school, I gained extensive experience at a public accounting firm in the areas of tax, accounting and finance, which I believe are particularly relevant to your practice. Combining this background with my Master s of Business Administration studies, I am able to analyze problems not only from the perspective of legal counsel, but from that of a client. With this diverse experience, I can offer [insert firm s name] a strong blend of creativity, intelligence and maturity. I would genuinely appreciate the opportunity to speak with you further regarding the summer associate program and my qualifications. Please contact me if I can provide you with additional information. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely yours, [type applicant s name] Santa Clara University

6 THANK YOU NOTES Thank you notes are an important component of your correspondence during your job search process. They are another marketing tool. They show a favorable image of you and keep you in the employer s radar screen. WHEN SHOULD YOU SEND A THANK-YOU NOTE? You should send a thank you letter when you are: Interviewed for employment. Given an informational interview. Given a recommendation to an employer. Given a job offer, whether or not you accepted it. Given a job referral. Send your thank-you notes no later than 3-4 days after the interview (if possible, send it the next day). It is most wise to send a paper note, but if the employer indicates that is the preferred method of communication, an may do. TO WHOM SHOULD YOU SEND A THANK-YOU NOTE? In many cases, you may only have contact with one person in the employer s office. If that s the case, it is simple; only one thank-you note is needed. However, if you met with many different people in the office, it is preferable to write to each person individually, with the most personalized note going to the highest-ranking person and the person who brought you in for the interview in the first place (such as the recruiter). Make sure to always spell each person s full name correctly; it is advisable to collect each person s business card during your interview. THE FORMAT OF THE THANK-YOU NOTE While there are no hard-and-fast rules as there are in the writing of cover letters, there is nonetheless certain information that should find its way into your thank-you notes. First, you should thank the person for taking the time out to meeting with you, indicating the date of your meeting. Next, you should reaffirm your interest in the employer by writing about any issue or topic that was discussed or occurred during the interview. Do not forget to include any materials you promised during the interview, such as transcripts or reference letters. And lastly, offer another word of appreciation and reiterate your enthusiasm in the employer. If you keep it sincere, it will be appreciated. TOP FIVE THANK-YOU NOTE TIPS 1. Write a thank-you note after each encounter with a potential employer. 2. Send out the thank-you note no more than 4 days after the interview. 3. Make sure that you spell each name correctly. 4. Thank-you notes are another chance to make a good impression if there was something you did not mention at the interview, do so in the note. 5. If you interviewed with multiple people in one office, write them each a thank-you note, or ask for the thank-you note to be circulated to each person. Santa Clara University