Building a Winning Cover Letter Presentation

Presented by Bob Nealon, Career CoachNorth Campus Career Center

Building a Winning Cover Letter

Do companies read cover letters?

Only 50 percent of employers read

cover letters

Source: http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/10/25/cover-letter-no-nos-what-kills-the-chances-of-yours-getting-re/

So, if only half of the companies read a cover letter, why

should I write one?

The cover letter allows you:

• Make a connection with the prospective employer

• Indicate your interest in the position• Inform them how you can solve their

problem• Request an interview

So…write a cover letter unless you are told

otherwise by the employer

Initial Cover Letter Thoughts

• Most job seekers understand the value and importance of a well-organized resume but spend far less energy on crafting a strong cover letter. What they fail to realize is that their resume and cover letter go hand-in-hand.

• Submitting a thoughtful and well-written cover letter can help you outshine your competition and get you one step closer to an interview.

• Don’t let the energy you’ve spent on developing the perfect resume go to waste by failing to deliver an effective cover letter.

Purpose of Cover Letter

• To introduce yourself to an organization

• To demonstrate your interest in the company or a specific vacancy

• Draw attention to your resume

• Motivate the reader to interview you

• Note: Often this letter is the first contact you have with a prospective employer.

7 Cover Letter Keys to Success

• You are trying to motivate a specific action - an invitation for an interview.

• In addition to reinforcing the key skills and experience you reference in your resume, a cover letter provides you with the opportunity to:

• Demonstrate your desire to work for the employer• Identify specific ways your expertise can benefit the

organization• Differentiate yourself from other job seekers• Demonstrate your individual personality• Explain anomalies that may stand out in a resume such

as gaps in employment• Arouse interest that will help you get that interview.

Key #1 – Understand Your Goal


• Each cover letter should be customized for each individual employer and include a statement about why you are interested in the position and company.

• Learn as much as you can about the potential employer. The more you know about an organization, the better you can customize your cover letter to the company’s needs. Visit the company’s website so you are up to speed on recent news about the company.

• Let them know what you can do for them and how you can solve their problem, not what they can do for you.

Key #2 – Demonstrate Your Knowledge


• Don’t use generic salutations (To whom it may concern)

• Take the time to contact the company and find out the name of the decision maker. Address the letter directly to the decision maker.

Key #3 – Make a Personal Connection


• A good cover letter begins with a powerful, clearly written opening paragraph. Your goal is to briefly describe how you heard about the position and why you're interested in it.

• Your tone should be confident without being arrogant. Avoid attempts to be cute in your opening. Gimmicky attempts to gain attention can appear insincere. It is best to keep your letter polished and professional as well as interesting and visually appealing. Mention only positive things and be formal, yet friendly and open.

Key #4 – Demonstrate Confidence and Professionalism


• A cover letter should be brief and to the point. It should be no longer than one page - perhaps 3 or 4 paragraphs - and should include your signature.

• Make sure that the messaging in your letter is consistent with the information included in your resume.

• Highlight skills and experiences that are most relevant to the job opening and provide concrete examples of the skills, training, and/or experiences that are the basis for your confidence.

Key #5 – Highlight Most Relevant Details


• The smallest grammatical error on your part can call your professionalism and attention to detail into question thereby discouraging a hiring manager from contacting you for an interview.

• Example: Candidate claiming he/she has a strong attention to detail. His/her cover letter has errors. How attentive to details can he/she be?

Key #6 – Check Your Grammar/Spelling – Error-Free Document


• Be proactive by stating when you will contact him or her to follow up. And don't forget to include a phone number or e-mail address where you can be reached in case the firm wants to get in touch with you first.

• Be sure to follow up with the employer via phone or email in 2-3 weeks if you have not heard from them. In your follow-up email, reiterate your interest in the position, ask about the status of your application and ask if they need any further information from you.

Key #7 – Indicate You Will Follow Up


• Statistics have indicated job seekers who ASK for the interview in their cover letters are twice as likely to GET the interview.

Key #7 continued – Ask for Interview

Ask for the Interview

ENDING #1I’m excited about the Director of Sales position with XYZ Widgets and would love the opportunity to meet in person to further discuss my experience and the value I can offer you as your next Director of Sales. Please call me at 555.555.5555 to schedule an interview at your earliest convenience.

ENDING #2I would love a personal interview at your earliest convenience to further discuss my credentials with you. I can be reached at 555.555.5555 and will follow up as well to make sure you’ve received my information.

ENDING #3Thank you for your time reviewing my resume. I welcome the opportunity to discuss in a personal interview my qualifications and fit for the position. Feel free to reach me at 555.555.5555 at your earliest convenience.

ENDING #4Thank you for your time and consideration. I will follow up in one week to schedule a day and time we can meet to further discuss the position and my experience. You may also reach me at 555.555.5555 to schedule an interview.

Examples:

Putting Together the Cover Letter

#1Develop your own stationery with your name, address, phone number, e-mail address

#2Include the date at the top of the letter

#3Include the address block (Name of target – Title, First and Last Name, Job Title, Organization Name, Address, City, State, Zip Code)

#4Include a greeting (example: Dear Mr. Smith:)

#5Opening paragraph: state why you are writing, how you learned of position and/or organization and convince reader they should grant you an interview

Cover Letter layout:

Putting Together the Cover Letter

#6Middle paragraphs: Describe what you have to offer to the employer. Make a strong connection between your abilities and the employer’s needs. Mention the match between your skills and experience and their needs. Try to support it with evidence (accomplishments).

#7Final paragraph: Thank the employer for their consideration. Request an interview and indicate that you will follow up with the employer within a certain time frame

#8Closing (example: Sincerely,)

#9Personally sign the letter for a snail mailed letter

Cover Letter layout (continued):

Questions?

Reminder:

Broward College Resources• Your North Campus Career Center Staff

• Resume Writing, Interviewing, Job Search Strategy, and more

• Assessment Tools including Career Coach and FOCUS 2

• Internship EDGE

• Student job bank @ www.broward.edu/ccn

Contact me for an appointmentMy Contact Information:

Bob NealonCareer Coach Specialist

Broward College – North CampusBuilding 46, Room 238 (Career Center)

Phone: (954) 201-2270E-Mail: [email protected]

Connect with me through LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/in/BobNealon

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/BobNealon

Thank you for attending!

Documents

Building a Winning Cover Letter Presentation