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Writing a cover letter to send with your resume can
be both confusing and frustrating. What exactly
should you say? Are you saying too much? Are you
only speaking about your needs vs. the company's
needs? Oh, what to do! In this "short" piece, I will
list some ideas on how to craft your cover letter. I
have also provided some important links - for
additional assistance - particularly if you find
yourself still needing outside help.
Basics
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Make sure you use exactly the same type of paper you
use for your resume. White with white is best,
business paper is strongly advised, especially paper
containing 100% cotton. Cheap 20 lb. copier paper is
a terrible idea!
* A
matching business envelope {#10} is acceptable.
Tri-fold your copies separately; when you place the
cover letter inside the envelope, make sure that the
letter is shown first [when you lift the flap of the
envelope up] followed by your resume. Fold it so
that your name and contact information is the first
thing the recruiter sees. If you choose to use a
kraft envelope make sure that is no smaller than
9x12 or bigger than 10x13. Place an attractive
computer generated label on it with your return
address shown appropriately. If you must write on
it, PRINT your information and do not be fancy.
Remember: you want the post office and the company's
mailroom to be able to read what you wrote!
Otherwise, important time may be lost in the
process.
*
If you are emailing your information, make sure that
the job listing stipulates that attachments are
okay. If not, don't you dare send attachments!
Instead, within the body of an email message you can
write your cover letter [a brief introduction] and
then cut and paste your resume. I cannot tell you
how many files never get read when the person does
not do as instructed. You can also follow up and
mail in a hard [paper] copy if an address is
provided.
Beginnings
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Match the header on your resume with the header on
your cover letter. They can and do get separated! An
example header should look like this:
Jane Doe
14 Star Lane
Smithville, NC 27777 USA
Telephone: 919-555-1212
Cell Phone: 919-555-1213
Email:
jdoe@nc.rrs.com
*
Include your personal website address only if that
information is valuable. If you host a site that is
weird, inflammatory, adult oriented, or otherwise
controversial, simply do not expect any response
from the company.
*
Put today's date on the cover letter.
*
Next, include your contact's information, which can
include:
Ms.
Ellen Snow
Human Resources Coordinator
FlyByNight Aviation, Inc.
1234 Orville Wright Lane
Serendipity, NC 27776
*
Your salutation comes next and should look like this
--
Dear Ms. Snow:
Body
*
Keep in mind that your cover letter must not be
lengthy. You can say all that must be said in no
more than three, maybe four, brief paragraphs.
*
Here is a sample:
Attached, please find a copy of my resume for your
review. I am interested in the position of corporate
flight attendant listed online at
www.flybynight.com.
I
believe my three years of international flying
experience along with my culinary background and
language skills makes me the ideal candidate to
serve FlyByNight's distinguished clientele.
Currently, I work as an independent contractor and
have flown to top destinations in Europe as well as
throughout the U.S. and Canada. FlyByNight's need
for a dependable, trained, and highly experienced
team player is exactly the type of position I
desire.
I
look forward to meeting with you in person to
discuss your particular needs and how I can help
FlyByNight successfully carry out its mission as the
best operator of private jets in the world. Feel
free to contact me at your earliest convenience. I
can be reached at 919-555-1212 or by cell phone at
919-555-1213.
Byes
*
Sincerely, Jane Doe - Leave 3-4 lines from your
"Sincerely" to your name. Your closing shouldn't
include other words including Regards [too plain],
Cheers! [too British], Love [too personal], etc.
Remember, this is a business letter.
In
summation, keep it short and specific. Have three or
four main points you can emphasize about your
strengths, particularly, those points which match
with the points listed by the company in their job
details. In this particular case, the candidate
emphasized her culinary, language, and international
travel experience, as well as her availability. All
four points were stressed in the company's job
listing which read:
"...international jet operator is searching for an
experienced cabin attendant. This position involves
serving our on demand charter clients from east
coast locations to destinations in the U.S. and
abroad. Must have exceptional food service skills.
Current training with FACTS, FlightSafety or similar
training vendor; French or Spanish language skills:
a plus...
You
cannot avoid talking about yourself, but you can
control how you talk about yourself.
Do not...
1.
...beg for an interview.
2.
...mention money or benefits. If the job listing
"demands" that you list your salary requirements,
simply state that salary is negotiable.
3.
...overly boast about your skills: think about what
the company's needs are, do you think they care that
you were the recipient of an NBAA scholarship? It
is, however, okay to list scholarship awards on your
resume.
4.
...name drop. Unless you already come highly
recommended by someone they know and like. Your
mentor may be well known in this industry, but not
universally liked. You can use them on your list of
references, however.
Tying it all together,
this is what your cover letter could look like:
Jane Doe
14 Star Lane
Smithville, NC 27777 USA
Telephone: 919-555-1212
Cell Phone: 919-555-1213
Email:
jdoe@nc.rrs.com
March 21, 2005
Ms. Ellen Snow
Human Resources Coordinator
FlyByNight Aviation, Inc.
1234 Orville Wright Lane
Serendipity, NC 27776
Re:
Corporate Flight Attendant Opening [this is
optional, but it can be helpful especially if the
company has multiple openings available.]
Dear Ms. Snow:
Attached, please find a copy of my resume for your
review. I am interested in the position of corporate
flight attendant listed online at
www.flybynight.com.
I
believe my three years of international flying
experience along with my culinary background and
language skills makes me the ideal candidate to
serve FlyByNight's distinguished clientele.
Currently, I work as an independent contractor and
have flown to top destinations in Europe as well as
throughout the U.S. and Canada. FlyByNight's need
for a dependable, trained, and highly experienced
team player is exactly the type of position I
desire.
I
look forward to meeting with you in person to
discuss your particular needs and how I can help
FlyByNight successfully carry out its mission as the
best operator of private jets in the world. Feel
free to contact me at your earliest convenience. I
can be reached at 919-555-1212 or by cell phone at
919-555-1213.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe
Copyright 2005 - Matthew Keegan writes on a variety
of topics, including: advocacy, automobiles,
aviation, business, Christian themes, family, news,
product reviews, travel, writing, and more. Samples
from his portfolio are available right online.
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