The almighty "Cover Letter..."

I say "almighty" because most college students are afraid of writing their first cover letter, I was! But, don't be. Trust me, I know a cover letter is one of the most important things in standing out among all the other job seekers in the professional world, but be confident.

A cover letter is like a little introduction to your resume; it shows employers what they can expect. Therefore, you want to dig deep and pull out those great writing skills you have...Impress them, but don't try to overdue it, I'm sure they can sense exaggeration and "fakeness." Also, let the employer know what your goals are, short and long term. And, most of all, demonstrate a level of professionalism.

Things to keep in mind...

• Revise, revise, revise! You might need to read over your cover letter 50x before you can finally stock it into those envelopes and send it off. You don't want any typos or misspellings, that shows employers you're lazy and unprofessional.
  

My little rant...
When the Investigators receive emails from viewers who are asking for help, for the Investigators to "investigate" their situation...I expect a certain level of professionalism in their written pleas. I realize that these emails are not cover letters or resumes, but if you are sending an important message asking for help, you have to establish an initial feeling of credibility. And, when it looks like it took you 5 seconds to type the email, I'm kind of turned off. I feel like I shouldn't have to try and figure out what you're trying to tell me, if our help was important to you, you would sit down and take time to get the message across.

• 2. Adress your cover letter to the specific person you are sending it to. Make sure the name and title are spelled correctly!
  
  
• 3. Don't make your cover letter long....Like I said, it is a little introduction to your resume. You don't need to repeat things you have listed in your resume. Focus your cover letter so that it shows the employer why you would be a good fit for the position.
  
  
• 4. Every cover letter you send should not be the same. For every position you apply, customize what you write and what you focus on to suit that position. For example, you might want to change some of the experiences that you have when applying for a position as floor manager from when you are applying for a position in promotion.
  
  

My cover letter...

Here is the cover letter I used when I applied for the position of Investigative Researcher.

(Home address goes here)
August 31, 2007

Melissa Moroney
NBC10
10 Monument Rd.
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Attention: Job # 620607

My strong social skills, along with diverse leadership experiences, make me a valuable candidate for the Investigative Researcher position. My leadership experience has prospered throughout my college years as I am currently Vice President of Recruitment for Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority as well as a leader in various chair positions. I worked as an Admissions Ambassador my junior year in which I conducted campus tours and completed various secretarial jobs in the Admissions office. I serve as a member on Rowan University’s Greek Judicial Board and hold an executive board position in Lambda Pi Eta communication’s honor society.

As a former intern at NBC10 in the investigative unit, I have had the opportunity to work under Emmy award winning investigative journalists and producers. Some of my responsibilities included identifying key stories for air, viewer correspondence, uploading video on the web, and working in the iNews program.

As a member of the Rowan Television Network, I have also gained experience in the many behind the scenes and technical aspects of television. I have had experience as Production Assistant, Floor Manager, Technical Director, Talent, Character Generator, and Director for a one time talk show.

My resume is enclosed for your evaluation. I hope you will consider me in high hopes of the Investigative Researcher position. Thank you for your time and feel free to contact me any time at (phone number) or (email address).

Sincerely,


(sign your name here after you pring your cover letter out)


Jaclyn R. Morlock


One last thing...

I'll try to find the different cover letters I wrote when applying to different places for an internship this past summer in order to show you how I tailored them to suit the internship I wanted.

Meanwhile...

Here is a link to JobStar Central where you can see examples of other people's cover letters as well as additional information on writing your cover letter.

Fisher, Holly. (April 2006). Strong cover letter, resume keys to getting noticed. Quill. 94, 45.