4 Responses to “What do i include in a cover letter?”

1. lovely says:

   April 22, 2010 at 10:55 am

   your cover letter is nothing more then a short contrived brief overview of your skills for that particular job, your name, your skills, why your good for the job, your basically wanting the prespective employer to read your resume.
2. very angry new yorker says:

   April 22, 2010 at 11:50 am

   it should be at least a page with:
   first pharAgraph: three sentence saying who you are and where you found out about the job
   second: what you know about the the job opening and why they should hire you
   third: your experience for the position and why you want. (i add some info which might miscellous but it is ABOUT what i know about the area or any back round you have

   and you can get a little bit personal too
3. Máire Siobhán says:

   April 22, 2010 at 12:40 pm

   I always write a cover letter that is specific about one responsibility and accomplishment that most strongly positions me for the type of work.

   Something like, “I’m a multi-skilled PR practitioner overseeing a $250,000 a year media budget. Last year I generated a 350% return on that investment.”

   I have found that by just giving that kind of information there is no way someone hiring for a public relations position for which I know I’m qualified will not want to talk to me. There may be other people as qualified, but I will make that first cut, for sure. After that, I get face to face to make my case, which is where I will be most effective.

   The purpose of your cover letter & resume is not to WIN the job, but to make that first cut. So give them enough to want to talk to you in person, but not enough to make a decision on you. You won’t win the job by your resume anyway. Just lead with your strongest suits.

   I review a lot of cover letters, and they are all soooo general. Get rid of the canned information; if your cover letter could have been written by anyone else on the planet, it’s not representing you as an individual. We hire individuals. We want to hire individuals who are able to the job and will be enjoyable to work with. So position yourself for those things.

   PS If you know someone on staff at the company, mention that is a PS, so it stands out. People reviewing cover letters and resumes are BUSY.

   Hope that helps.
4. The Fex Sairy says:

   April 22, 2010 at 1:31 pm

   Not to be a pain, but it’s their website, not there website…. Make sure your spelling is good, no matter what you write. What sort of job are you applying for? I can make a letter for you, but they are personal – to you, and particular to the position you are applying for.

   If you just send a generic one, you will sound like every other shmuck who sends one. You want to stand out – that’s the purpose of the cover letter.