Perhaps you’ve been told by a parent, friend, or other trusted source that you don’t need to include a cover letter when sending your résumé out.  “Nobody reads them,” they assure you, “and even those who do just glance over before continuing on to your résumé.”  Perhaps you will be “lucky” and have your résumé land on someone’s desk who won’t care that there isn’t a cover letter on top of it.  But for every hiring manager like this, there’s one who looks to the cover letter for several opening impressions of the job candidate. 

Indeed, though you may not intend it to be, the cover letter is quite revealing of its author, demonstrating how well you communicate, what your experience and qualifications are (briefly), your level of profession, clues to your personality, and even how oriented you are to detail.  To make that great first impression, you need to know what makes a cover letter good and put some thought into how you want to present yourself.  Something as simple as a cover letter can be the deciding factor between getting the job you’ve been dreaming about and settling for something less than perfect.

                A cover letter is an introduction, a sales pitch, and a proposal for further action all in one. It gives the reader a taste of what's to come—not by simply summarizing the resume, but by highlighting the aspects of your background that will be most relevant to the reader. A cover letter also demonstrates that you can organize your thoughts and express yourself clearly and appropriately; in other words, it reflects your communication skills and, to some extent, your personality.

                Cover letters, typically in one-page format, begin with an introduction where you state who you are and why you are writing.  The middle is taken up by the sales pitch, where you attempt to advertise yourself in the most successful way.  The letter concludes with your proposal for further action, where you highlight steps you would like to take and see the employer take.  Before you write, begin by asking yourself questions about your role with the employer and your plans for the future.  What does the employer need?  What do you hope to accomplish?  What are some qualities you will bring to this job?  Why do you want to work for this employer?  When you come up with good, solid answers to these, you’re ready to start writing.

                If you’re having trouble with how you’re actually going to write the letter, break it into the following four sections:

 

The Opening

                Tell the employer who you are, why you’re writing, and how you heard about the job opening.  A brief phrase describing who you are will suffice, like “I am a sophomore at ABC University majoring in anthropology.”  Choose a few simple facts about yourself that will be most relevant to the job for which you are applying.  When you explain why you’re writing, mention the specific job you seek or your general employment objective if no specific opening has been advertised.  Be sure to tell them how you heard about the organization or the job, like “I read about the expansion of your internship program and I wanted to investigate the different opportunities available to a student.”

               

The Sales Pitch

                Get right to the point: list, either in paragraph form or with bullets, the reasons why the reader should consider your candidacy for employment.  Begin with a statement that identifies your qualifications and then go into them in more detail, utilizing the examples you selected before you began writing.  Something like, “As a student of anthropology and a former researcher in ABC University’s hospital, I offer the following skills and accomplishments,” is an appropriate opening statement.

 

The Flattery

                Comment on something positive about the employer and let them know why you want to work there.  This is the “why them” section of the cover letter, where you should let the employer know you’ve chosen them for a reason and are not merely sending them a form letter.  You might mention the company’s size, reputation, sales record, or anything else in which they take pride and which you can easily show in a positive light.  Be sure to not be overly flattering, for that may come across as insincerity.

 

The Request for Further Action

                Suggest how they proceed now that they know something more about you than they did before they read the letter.  Usually you should suggest that you will follow up with a call or email to see if a meeting can be arranged.  End the letter with assertiveness—don’t be afraid to take the lead in following up.  After you’ve done this, go back and check for spelling and grammatical mistakes—if you’re attempting to make a good impression with your professionalism, misspellings and poor grammar will hinder you significantly.  Finish up by closing with a “Sincerely” or “Best Regards” and your signature, and you’re ready to attach your résumé and send it off.

 

                The cover letter can be one of the most important tools at your disposal when looking for a job, so don’t neglect it.  Make sure to talk about what you can bring to the employer but try to keep things short (one page) and concise (don’t ramble).  If you think they will help, seek out the opinions of others before you send the letter out.  And lastly, keep copies of all the letters you send along with the dates and places they were sent.  This will allow you to follow up in an appropriate fashion and eventually have your choice of jobs.