Cover Letters
Purpose of Cover Letters
- To arouse the employer’s interest in you, to impress the employer, and to find out more about you.
- To persuade the employer to give you the opportunity of an interview or a meeting.
Job Specificity
- Each cover letter should be independently written to address the requirements of a specific job.
- Do not write generic cover letters — the same cover letter for different jobs that you apply for.
Preparing for Cover Letters
- Find out what kind or COMPETENCIES or SKILLS are being sought in a job.
- They are often referred to as Job Description, Responsibilities, or Job Duties in a job posting.
- Write them down as a list.
- Related to the above are Job Requirements. They usually refer to your academic and other job-related qualifications and language skills that are necessary for you to take up the position. They are usually more general and less ‘job-specific’ than Job Descriptions or Duties.
- Write them down as a list.
- Visualize how you can contribute to each of item on the list based on your
- Experience
- Training, or
- Characteristics of your personality.
- Write these down too as a list.
- Find out more about the employing company’s values and culture through company websites or people who work there.
- Plan you cover letter based on the above.
- It should not be longer than ONE page.
Employer Focus
- A good cover letter should be focused on the needs of the employer.
- Relate your achievements to the needs of the employer and descriptions of the job.
Unsolicited Cover Letters
- You can write cover letters to make job requests even though there are no job postings by companies.