No-Nonsense Cover Letters

The Essential Guide to Creating Attention-Grabbing Cover Letters That Get Interviews & Job Offers

Arnold G. Boldt, Wendy S. Enelow

• Publisher: Career Press
• Year: 2006
• ISBN:
  9781601638168
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

In today's competitive job market, if your cover letter doesn't grab the interviewer's attention, he or she may never even glance at your resume. No-Nonsense Cover Letters gives you the powerful, practical tools to write attention-grabbing cover letters that complement your resume and get you more interviews and job offers. In this companion to No-Nonsense Resumes authors and professional resume writers Wendy Enelow and Arnie Boldt share their insights from 35+ years of combined experience to help you prepare cover letters that will get you noticed. No-Nonsense Cover Letters begins with a thorough but easy-to-understand explanation of the key elements that are vital to creating attention-grabbing letters, including:

• Why writing a cover letter is all about selling yourself
• How to craft targeted cover letters
• When to use bullets or paragraphs
• Creating E-Letters for today's E-Search environment

• Subsequent chapters offer tips on creating winning letters for opportunities in virtually every profession: Administration & Clerical; Accounting, Banking & Finance; Government; Health Care & Social Services; Hospitality Management & Food Service; Human Resources & Training; Law Enforcement & Legal; Manufacturing & Operations; Sales, Marketing & Customer Service; Skilled Trades; and Technology, Science & Engineering. Each chapter includes sample letters contributed by leading resume writers and career consultants worldwide.
  
  

Chapter 1

▶ Simple Truths About

Cover Letters

There was a time when cover letters were merely letters of transmittal. They simply alerted the reader that the applicant was enclosing a resume and was available for an interview. Today, however, as the job market has become both more sophisticated and more competitive, the importance of cover letters has changed dramatically.

Covers letters have evolved into a vital part of the “package” a job seeker presents to a prospective employer. Well-constructed cover letters must simultaneously complement your resume, address an employer’s job requirements, and communicate your strengths to the hiring manager. In a word, your cover letters must sell you as the ideal candidate for the job. As with your resume, cover letters encompass a unique combination of creative language, careful planning and strategy, and effective execution.

As professional resume writers, we follow a very systematic, no-nonsense approach to cover letter writing that has helped tens of thousands of job seekers grab the attention of employers, secure interviews, and achieve their career goals. Now, we’re going to share that information with you in the first-ever, no-nonsense guide to cover letter writing that gives you insider secrets to writing polished, well-positioned, and powerful cover letters. If you follow the steps, activities, and strategies outlined in this book, you’ll be able to prepare cover letters that work hand-in-hand with your resume to offer employers sharp, distinctive, on-target presentations that will generate interviews and offers. For more information and advice on writing your resume, be sure to consult our companion book, No-Nonsense Resumes (Career Press, 2006).

The 6 Simple Truths About Cover Letter Writing

As you begin to write your cover letters, there are six key concepts that you must understand. Professional resume writers live by these truths and understand how critical they are in crafting cover letters that position applicants as attractive candidates for the right career opportunities.

Truth #1: Effective cover letters contain 10 key components.

Truth #2: Cover letter writing is sales.

Truth #3: Cover letter writing is all about strategy.

Truth #4: Targeted letters work best.

Truth #5: The cover letter must match the resume.

Truth #6: Each circumstance presents its own challenges.

If you can truly grasp what these concepts mean and how they apply to your particular job search situation, you will be able to write powerful letters that will attract an employer’s attention and lead to interviews. Let’s explore each of these simple truths in much greater detail.

Truth #1: Effective Cover Letters Contain 10 Key Components

If it’s been a while since you have been engaged in an active job search, you may well be asking yourself, “Exactly what goes into a cover letter? What should I say?” Following is a list of the key elements every letter should contain, followed by an example that effectively integrates all 10 components. Chapter 2 (design and formatting) and Chapter 3 (cover letter writing) deal with essential format and content issues in much greater detail, but for now, remember to include each of these items in your letters:

1. Your contact information: Name, phone number, and (personal) e-mail address should appear at the top.

2. Date: The preferred format: December 12, 2006.

3. Inside address: The name and address of the person who will receive the letter.

4. Reference line: This line is optional, but when used, should appear directly below the inside address. It states the title of the position for which you are applying and may include a reference code or job number if applicable.

5. Salutation: This is the familiar, “Dear Mr. Jones:” or “Dear Ms. Smith:”. If you don’t know the name of the recipient, it might say, “Dear Hiring Authority:” or “Dear Sir/Madam:”.

6. Opening paragraph: Who you are and why you are writing. The more compelling this is, the better.

7. Content/main body of the letter: Your unique skills and why you are an ideal candidate for the job opening in question.

8. Closing paragraph/call to action: Ask for an interview or tell the recipient that you will follow up soon to schedule an interview.

9. Closing: “Sincerely,” “Respectfully,” or another similarly appropriate closing, followed by your signature.

10. Enclosures: Reference what other documents are enclosed in the “package” (for example, resume, reference list, job application, and/ or leadership profile). Do not include anything that was not requested. Note that this element—enclosures—is optional and does not necessarily have to be included to make your letter effective.

The example on the following page illustrates the 10 key components of every successful cover letter.

Truth #2: Cover Letter Writing Is Sales

Just as with resumes, cover letter writing is about sales, marketing, and brand positioning. Envision yourself as a unique and special commodity: just the right solution to a problem for employers who need the features and benefits you have to offer. Your resume should reflect the best plan for marketing yourself to those employers who have a demand for the skills and qualifications you offer. If developed properly, your resume should serve you well throughout your job search. In some instances, you may wish to “tweak” your resume to emphasize a particular skillset or highlight an accomplishment especially relevant to a particular job opening, but by and large, it will remain the same.

By contrast, when you write your cover letters, your goal should be to demonstrate to a particular employer just how your unique skills and qualifications relate to that firm’s specific needs. As such, each cover letter you write will be unique, depending on the recipient and the specifics of the situation (job description, your research on the company, or other information you’ve learned about challenges facing the employer).

Think of the cover letter/resume package that you present to a prospective employer as a piece of direct-mail advertising. Not unlike direct-mail pieces that arrive in our mailboxes, the goal of the cover letter and resume package is to grab the reader’s attention and prompt that person to act; namely, by reading the cover letter and resume, and then offering the candidate the opportunity for an interview.

The no-nonsense approach to the job search is a bit more subtle than that used by mass advertisers in direct-mail campaigns. However, the underlying strategy is the same: specifically, prompting the recipient to read and respond to the material in a favorable manner. Your cover letter must capture the reader’s interest and draw him or her into the resume, ultimately encouraging a decision-maker (HR director or hiring manager) to decide, “I want to speak to this candidate!”

Know Your Audience

The first step in writing your no-nonsense cover letter is to know your target audience and understand their needs and desires. Try to put yourself in the employer’s shoes and recognize how the unique skills and qualifications you offer will be able to address that employer’s specific needs. Your cover letter should focus on your capabilities as they directly relate to the target company’s particular requirements.

If you’re applying for a specific position, the job posting should give you a great deal of information about what skills, knowledge, competencies, and other qualities are essential. When you’re applying to a company in the absence of a specific job advertisement, you can learn a great deal about the organization, its needs, and its challenges by researching the company on the Internet. This will allow you to focus your letter on the skills and experiences you offer that will help the employer meet those challenges.

Position Yourself as “The” Solution

In our companion book, No-Nonsense Resumes, we stressed the importance of writing your resume in the first person. When you write your cover letters, you still want the focus to be on you, the candidate, and you may use the first person where appropriate. However, to be optimally effective, your cover letter should position you as the solution to one or more of the employer’s challenges. The prospective employer should feel that you are writing to him or her, that you know what his or her firm needs, and that you can deliver what you promise. For this reason, we recommend that you minimize the use of the personal pronoun, “I,” especially at the beginning of a sentence or paragraph. The goal is to highlight your qualifications for the job, while at the same time making the employer believe that you understand the firm’s specific needs and can fulfill them. Take a look at these two examples of opening paragraphs to better understand what we mean:

Example #1: Overuse of “I”

Dear Ms. Smith:

I am most interested in the position of Customer Service Representative you advertised in Sunday’s newspaper. I believe that I can perform this job very well, and I have enclosed my resume, which highlights my skills and qualifications.

Example #2: Same message, with focus on the employer

Dear Ms. Smith:

Your recent advertisement for a Customer Service Representative appears to be an excellent match for my existing capabilities. My account relations experience, organizational skills, and careful attention to detail are all consistent with your requirements for this position, as you’ll note on my enclosed resume.

Examples 1 and 2 convey the same information, but notice how Example 2 flows much more smoothly and engages the reader more fully by the strategic use of second-person pronouns (you, your, and so on).

Here are two more examples, from the middle paragraphs of a cover letter, that also demonstrate the concept of focusing your letter on the employer’s needs:

Example #3: Poorly placed first-person pronouns

I expedited customer orders at Medco, where I also resolved billing discrepancies and tracked shipments. I also advised customers about new products that were potentially beneficial to their business. I note that these skills are similar to those mentioned in your job posting.

Example #4: Better sentence structure and use of pronouns

Among my duties at Medco, I expedited orders, resolved billing discrepancies, and tracked shipments, as well as promoting new products to existing accounts. All of these functions directly relate to the duties outlined in your posting.

The goal is to make the reader feel like the focus is on him or her, even though your objective is to tout your own skills and qualifications.

Taking this concept one step further, your ultimate goal is to sell yourself to potential employers. Draw the reader into the resume by referencing one or more of your accomplishments that are clearly relevant to the employer’s specific hiring needs. Demonstrate how you can be a solution to a challenge facing the business. Both of these concepts are demonstrated in this example:

Example #5: Selling yourself into your next job

You’ll notice on my enclosed resume that while at Automotive Electric, Inc., I was instrumental in reducing scrap and reworks on the armature winding line by 83%, leading to annualized savings approaching $500K. I understand that your firm is aggressively pursuing Lean Manufacturing initiatives driven by cost-reduction programs. My demonstrated success in achieving tangible results in this area will be an asset to your manufacturing operations as you seek to advance these goals.

Also inherent in the previous example is the “Sell It; Don’t Tell It” concept, which is a compelling way to communicate your value and the benefits you can bring to a new employer. Rather than simply telling your reader what you have done, you want to sell what you’ve accomplished and contributed. Here are some more examples:

Example #6: Sell It; Don’t Tell It

▶ Telling It:

I performed customer service and inside sales duties for a firm selling hydraulic valves.

▶ Selling It:

As an Account Manager for Valiant Valves, I maintained a 93% customer satisfaction rating (second highest in the department) and was the leader among a 10-member team in selling additional products and services to my existing account base.

▶ Telling It:

I handled general ledger, accounts payable, and payroll functions for a large company.

▶ Selling It:

In my capacity as a Senior Staff Accountant, I managed general ledger and accounts payable for a $26 million manufacturing operation, plus administering payroll for 120 hourly and 14 salaried employees.

Notice how each of the “Sell It” examples sells the candidate’s capabilities by offering quantitative information about the scope of that individual’s responsibilities and measurable results. As you read the later chapters of this book, you will see numerous additional examples of how this sales principle can be powerfully applied to virtually any career field.

Truth #3: Cover Letter Writing Is All About Strategy

When we talk about cover letter strategy, it’s really all about understanding who your audience is and what approach will be most appealing to a particular audience. The tone, content, and format of your cover letters will necessarily change based on what you know about the reader. Is ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 - ▶ Simple Truths About
• Chapter 2 - ▶ Simple Truths About
• Chapter 3 - Simple Truths About
• Chapter 4 - ▶ Simple Truths About
• Chapter 5 - ▶ Cover Letters for
• Chapter 6 - ▶ Cover Letters for
• Chapter 7 - Cover Letters for
• Chapter 8 - ▶ Cover Letters for
• Chapter 9 - Cover Letters for
• Chapter 10 - Cover Letters for
• Chapter 11 - ▶ Cover Letters for
• Chapter 12 - ▶ Cover Letters for
• Chapter 13 - ▶ Cover Letters for
• Chapter 14 - ▶ Cover Letters for
• Chapter 15 - ▶ Cover Letters for
• Chapter 16 - ▶ Cover Letters for
• Appendix A - ▶ Cover Letter Writing Worksheet
• Appendix B - ▶ Professional Keyword List
• Appendix C - List of Contributors
• About the Authors