The Ultimate Guide to Cover Letters

Many job seekers don’t pay much attention to the cover letter. While it’s true that close to half of hiring managers routinely report they don’t read cover letters, there is another half that frequently do. And since you don’t know which half you are sending your resume to, it’s important to have a powerful cover letter.

Job searching is about building relationships and proving to a prospective employer that you are a good fit for the organization. Your cover letter is your first opportunity to establish rapport with an employer.

In addition, a good cover letter addresses the employer’s needs and showcases the candidate’s ability to figure out employers’ problems and offer proactive solutions. So next time you draft a cover letter, think of it as a key “touch point” with a hiring manager, rather than a required form letter.

Here’s a guide to writing more powerful cover letters.

1. Reference the position you are applying for.

Be sure to mention the job title and job number toward the beginning of your letter as well as in your e-mail subject line. Many hiring authorities request this information and your inability to follow their instructions could jeopardize your candidacy and lead them to believe that you have not paid attention to the details of their request.

2. Prove to the employer that you understand their pain.

Discuss relevant business issues and ask thought-provoking questions to show the reader that you recognize their needs. Offer strategic solutions that position you as a thought leader who can add immediate value to the organization.

The Internet has brought people together in an effort to connect, exchange ideas and offer products and services. With the advent of technology, everyone is using Web marketing. With so much noise in cyberspace, it is a challenge to position a product or service so the prospective buyer can be receptive to your marketing message.

3. Tell the hiring manager what your value proposition is.

Write a statement that aligns you with the organization, industry, or job function you are targeting. Discuss an industry problem or need and prove that you are part of the solution.

Building sophisticated databases to manage critical business information for organizations is my expertise. My strength lies in my ability to analyze important outcomes for data management and then create user friendly and intuitive systems that help users do their jobs smarter, faster and more efficiently.

4. Add a quote from a supervisor, vendor or client.

Incorporating quotes that are relevant to the topics in your letter is a great way to create a memorable letter that connects you to the reader. Quotes on efficiency, innovation, business development and leadership can add a unique spin to your letter, a compelling value proposition, or a good conversation starter during an interview.

“Joy’s attention to detail and her ability to do due diligence on HR matters is a strength of hers that truly makes her wonderful at her job. She has also been extremely successful at identifying problems and inefficiencies related to many of the processes in place and has gone ahead and proactively made adjustments to these procedures.”

Supervisor, XYZ Company

 

5. Sync your qualifications to the requirements of the job.

Create a cover letter that addresses each job requirement point by point. The stronger the match you can make between the two, the greater the likelihood of securing an interview. If the job description lists five core requirements and you are only proficient in two of them, the fit is not strong and it may not be an appropriate position for you to apply to. If the position description lists five requirements and you can speak to four or more of those requirements, the position is probably a good match.

Your Selection Criteria

Demonstrated high-level research, analytical, oral and written communication skills

My Value Added

Uncovered over $60M in fraudulent banking transactions and all related financial documentation in conjunction with investigative role for XYZ Company. Documented findings for reports on company infractions to company officials.

 

6. Don’t start every sentence with the word “I.”

Vary your sentences to keep the reader engaged and don’t begin every sentence with “I.” Keep the writing style fluid and develop a tone that is somewhat conversational and develops rapport with the reader.

Most recently as the Sales Manager for XYZ Company, I transformed the organization’s revenue model in 15 months when the target completion date was 3-4 years. I redefined the company’s corporate culture by bringing in talent that was better aligned with the corporate mission and rewarding high performers with more strategic incentive programs. Prior to my arrival, no formal systems existed for measurement, and accountability was minimal. By overhauling an underutilized CRM system, I created processes to systematize, streamline, and track key metrics and provided a crystallized snapshot of team and individual performance.

7. Ask for the interview.

Create a strong call to action in your letter by expressing your interest in the company and requesting an in-person interview. Reiterate your reasons for feeling confident that you are the right match for the position.

Excited by the prospect of an opportunity with your company and impressed by the strength of your brand, I would welcome the chance to meet with you to discuss my qualifications in more detail. I am confident that I can deliver strong sales results for your organization and look forward to a personal interview.

8. Use an attention-grabbing subject line.

When e-mailing a resume, you are more likely to grab the hiring authority’s attention and elicit a call to action if your e-mail includes a memorable subject line, such as President’s Club Sales Manager, Award-Winning Customer Service Representative or Six Sigma Project Manager.

 

9. Keep it short and sweet.

Keep your cover letters short and use short paragraphs and bulleted lists to keep the reader’s attention and make it easy for them to determine the match between your qualifications and their open job.

 

10. Address the hiring authority by name.

The likelihood of building rapport with the reader and validating your interest in the job is increased when the inside cover address refers to the specific person rather than “Dear Sir.” Whenever possible, sleuth around for additional information on the hiring manager so you can personalize your letter. Try surfing the company website to find the appropriate name or call the company directly to make an inquiry.

What I Did with My Degree: Mechanical Engineering

In 1970, I was a naive young college student who thought that upon graduation I would be getting a job as a mechanical engineer at an aircraft manufacturer, doing research and development on landing gear. I had a few student loans and I had been working for $2.25 an hour, so the salary of my first engineering job of $11,000 seemed huge. Though I had a letter in May telling me I was hired, when I later received my Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME), I learned the job was no longer available. Corporate restructuring, they said. That was my welcome to corporate America!

Rule 1: Engineers can lose a job like everyone else.

I then found another job working for the Federal Aviation Administration.They were also in aviation and that was my passion. They put me in an intern/training position for a more modest $8,500 per year. Their training program taught me electrical, air conditioning, civil and project management stuff I never dreamed about in college. I became a resident engineer on the largest and most complex construction projects.

Rule 2: Be flexible and expect to learn a lot after graduation.

I stayed with the FAA for eight years and by then my career had hit a plateau. I was a GS-14 at 30 years old and unlikely to advance much more with the government.

Rule 3: You may have to change employers to keep your career moving.

While in the FAA I had worked in construction, planning, budgeting and basic engineering. I had a good background that let me learn about how to advance. Private engineering jobs in consulting paid more, but I needed professional registration to qualify for them. I had to take a state exam after I had documented having the mandated experience of five years working under other professional engineers. Getting a seal or professional registration in a state allowed me to do work on my own on a professional basis, much like a doctor or lawyer. Under American laws, just having a degree does not make you an engineer and you have to have state registration to practice engineering. To make passing the exam easier, I took a refresher course at a community college that was tailored to people like me taking the exam.

Rule 4: Engineers never quit learning and they should expect to make education a part of their entire life.

After becoming registered, I was a successful engineer in a medium-sized consulting firm. I advanced to the point I became management. My education and experience provided a springboard to a higher-paying job in management. It is important that as we grow older we have a means of passing the knowledge we gain to the younger generation. One effective method for this is moving experienced engineers into management positions. I was now mentoring and training engineers that were just like me when I left college. If you see yourself going into management, it helps to learn about business and management along with pure technical engineering. I eventually became a business owner, wrote a book for a major publisher and obtained several patents. My career was a success, but it did not always go the way I had originally planned. Today, I would say I am a very happy person to have got that BSME when I did. It was smart to be flexible and to make a few strategic job changes. Registration played a big role in my career as did building a resume of accomplishments.

As I am now near retirement age, I would advise anyone that has the aptitude and desire to pursue a mechanical engineering degree. You may not be the richest person in the world by the time your career is finished, but you will make a good salary and have many opportunities to advance. There is a difference between a job and a career, and engineering becomes who you are as a professional.

Engineers are badly needed today, as our technical world depends on a supply of seasoned engineers. If you rank professions, engineers make more than teachers and less than doctors. Most engineers can work regular hours and they have reasonable job security. Mechanical engineers have a very broad field that can serve small to large businesses as well as government. Mechanical engineers enjoy many opportunities to accomplish amazing tasks today. The next heart valve may save lives because of the skills of the mechanical engineer who designed it. You could be that person!

Jobs Before They Were President

Everybody has to start somewhere. That includes all of the celebrities, billionaires, executives and CEOs of the world — even U.S. presidents.

So where did they begin their careers? Read on to find out what 11 U.S. presidents did before landing in office.

1. George Washington
Before he became the first president of the United States, George Washington was a surveyor. Surveyors measure land, air space and water, explain what it looks like or how much is there, and then put those facts into legal documents. Washington was the official surveyor for his county in 1749, which allowed him to purchase his first piece of land in western Virginia. (source: ‘Washington: A Life,’ by Ron Chernow.)

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2. John Adams

John Adams, the second U.S. president, was expected to become a minister, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to take that career path. After teaching for a few years, Adams decided to become a lawyer and was admitted to the bar in 1758. (‘John Adams: A Life,’ by John E. Ferling.)

 

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3. Thomas Jefferson

Before taking office as the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson was somewhat of a jack of all trades. Growing up, he studied history, science, math, metaphysics and philosophy, in addition to several languages. As a result, he was recognized as a horticulturist, political leader, architect, archaeologist, paleontologist, musician and inventor. He also founded the University of Virginia. (‘Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation: A Biography,’ by Merrill D. Peterson.)

 

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4. Abraham Lincoln

After a brief stint as owner of a general store in 1832, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was the postmaster for the area in which he lived. After that, he taught himself to become the county surveyor. Then he became a lawyer, another self-taught profession. He was admitted to the bar in 1837. (‘Lincoln,’ by David Herbert Donald.)

 

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5. Andrew Johnson

Before his career in politics, Andrew Johnson worked as an apprentice tailor for his mother while in his adolescent years. He eventually left his apprenticeship and found work as a tailor in South Carolina and Tennessee. He became the 17th president of the United States in 1865. (Encyclopedia Britannica and ‘Labor of Innocents: Forced Apprenticeship in North Carolina, 1715 – 1919,’ by Karin Zipf.)

 

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6. James Garfield

James Garfield, the 20th president of the United States, dabbled in education before entering the second-shortest presidential term in 1881. He was a preacher for about a year at a Christian church when he decided to try his hand as principal of a high school in New York. When another applicant got the job, he became an instructor at the Eclectic Institute, where he taught classical languages and then was made principal. (‘Garfield,’ by Allan Peskin.)

 

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7. William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft was in the legal field before his presidency in 1908. After passing the bar, Taft was the assistant prosecutor for his county in Ohio. In 1882, he was selected as local collector of internal revenue (IRS, anyone?).

A few years later, he was appointed a judge on the Ohio Superior Court and then in 1890, President Benjamin Harrison appointed him solicitor general of the United States, otherwise known as the person who represents the government before the Supreme Court. (‘William Howard Taft’ by the National Park Service and ‘William Howard Taft’ by Walter Hertz, Unitarian Universalist Historical Society.)

 

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8. Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson also got his start in education. After receiving his doctorate, he was a visiting lecturer at Cornell University in 1886, but wasn’t offered a full-time gig. He landed teaching jobs at Bryn Mawr College (1885-’88) and Wesleyan University (1888-’90), where he coached the football team. Wilson was also the president of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910 and was elected president in 1912. (‘Wilson, Woodrow,’ by Arthur S. Link.)

 

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9. Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover graduated in 1895 with a degree in geology. He served as a geologist and mining engineer while searching the Western Australian gold fields in 1897. After being appointed mine manager at 23, he mined the Sons of Gwalia gold mine, and also the Big Bell, Cue, Leonora, Menzies and Coolgardie mines. He continued his mining and engineering career until 1908, when he became an independent mining consultant. He was elected to office in 1928. (Gwalia Historic Site and ‘Hoover’s Gold,’ from Australian Broadcasting Corp.)

 

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10. Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan was an actor before taking office as the 40th U.S. president in 1981. He starred in more than 50 movies, was president of the Screen Actors Guild, and was a spokesman for General Electric, which is when he got his start in politics.

Before that, Reagan was a sports broadcaster at the University of Iowa, where he was paid $10 per game. He became a radio announcer before working as an announcer for the Chicago Cubs. He received his contract with Warner Brothers in 1937. (‘Actor, Governor, President, Icon,’ by Lou Cannon, The Washington Post).

 

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11. Barack Obama

Current U.S. President Barack Obama had several jobs before being elected as the first African-American president in 2008. Obama worked for three years as director of the Developing Communities Project, a church-based community organization in Chicago. He also worked as a consultant and instructor for the Gamaliel Foundation, a community-organizing institute in Chicago. (‘Who’s Who in America, 2008,’ Karen Chassie.)