The Forgotten Art of the Cover Letter

With so many job boards on the Internet, it's easy to believe that the best way to score an interview is flood the marketplace with your resume, with or without a cover letter. But I've never gotten anywhere with that scorched earth approach. I've found that prospective employers respond better if you're interest is a bit more sincere. And there's no better way to prove your sincerity than with a well written and informed cover letter.

Here are some tips I found on a job search blog that may give you the edge in scoring that elusive interview:

Pack your P.S. with punch.
Most people immediately jump to the P.S. portion of a letter and read it again after finishing the rest. With a P.S., you can close your letter on a particularly positive and powerful note. To do so, be sure the P.S. contains information valuable to the employer. You might mention how a skill or experience of yours relates to one of the employer’s current goals. You might also congratulate the reader on an achievement or media coverage.

Write to someone in particular.
Avoid sending a letter “To whom it may concern.” If you don’t know the name of the person who will receive your letter, try searching Google or LinkedIn to uncover the name of the appropriate hiring manager or a contact in the human resources department.

“Drop names” to make an impact.
One of the most compelling ways to begin the letter is to mention the name of a person who referred you. If don’t know someone connected to the employer, consider referencing an interview you might have seen or read about that featured quotes from someone employed at the organization.

Refer to your resume, but don’t repeat it word-for-word.
Your letter should expand on the results, skills and success stories that are in your resume. Be sure to add more details about these points or blend two or three accomplishments from your resume into one powerful story in your letter.

These are great. When I'm hiring for a position, I rarely, if ever, consider someone who just sent a resume with no cover. (And you'd be amazed at how many I get.) Cover letters are your opportunity to show recruiters that your interest goes beyond your need for a job. Companies hire based on their needs, not yours.

Comments

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1. BDB said the following at 4:04 PM on Mar 24:

Yes - good advice if you're applying to a company that allows cover letters. I've definitely gotten more interviews for the job postings where I knew enough about the job and/or organization to write a specific, one-page cover letter.

But I've also hired people who didn't write them. Typically, I'd ask HR to e-mail me all the applicants without screening any. Sometimes I forgot that our system allowed cover letters. Our system was text only, so I quickly got used to resumes with zero formatting.

The one thing I liked about a well-written cover letter was that it told me the person could probably write decent e-mails.

Since I tend to manage through e-mail, this is important. In fact, I would always extend the initial invitation to an interview via e-mail. Typically, candidates over 50 would call me back on the phone. My best hires would go back and forth on e-mail to set the meeting up. This was a good way to test their responsiveness, spelling, etc.

My best hire was a guy who I was going back and forth with on a Sunday afternoon, me with my blackberry at a baseball park. He was young but very responsive, asked good questions, and clearly grasped the opportunity.

The worst candidates asked about pay first...

2. Keith said the following at 4:41 PM on Mar 24:

That is actually quite shocking to me. I always thought that everyone does a cover letter, even if it's a base one they use for several applications.

For me, I have a base resume and cover letter, but I take the time to personalize it to every single place I apply. It only takes five minutes to look up a company on the internet, and then write a few lines on a cover letter praising the company's achievements and indicating your enthousiasm to work for such a company.

There is nothing wrong with applying to lots of different places, as long as you take a few moments to quickly research the company and indicate that in your cover letter and resume.

3. BDB said the following at 5:04 PM on Mar 24:

I'll be honest a little more - I never paid any attention to what looked like textbook cover letters or ones that praised the company. I DID invite people for interviews if they said they were a customer and liked product x, y or z, because our organization was focused on improving sales, and people who liked the product can sell it better. I did not look up applicants to see if they were a customer in our database - that wasn't a requirement, particularly if the didn't live in our service area.

4. Carol said the following at 6:16 PM on Mar 24:

I always write cover letters, and personalize them to the position. I don't know how much it helps, but it always seemed awkward to me to send a plain resume.

What irks me is when I have to fill out a standard application in addition to submitting a resume (which has pretty much the same information on it).

5. Caroline said the following at 4:52 AM on Mar 25:

Yes, I wrote a cover letter for an summer internship. Good tips here -- except for one thing. Am I the only one surprised to see "write a good P.S." on this list? I was under the impression that writing a P.S. was NOT part of a professional letter -- postscripts seem more like an off-hand addition to a casual letter. I have a hard time imagining writing a careful letter and then closing it: "P.S. I won an award for computer programming last year. So hire me please!"

6. Kate said the following at 5:42 AM on Mar 25:

That's funny, it never occurred to me to write a cover letter based on praising the company. I guess I've assumed it's a given that you like the company and want to work there if you're going to apply. So it seems like a waste of space on your page to expand upon "I want to work here soooooo bad" or "I love this company sooooo much."

I use it as my first opportunity to tell them why I think I'd be a good fit for the job. I expand on things in my resume that seem relevant to the position based on what the advertisement says and what else I can find about the company, and connect them to the published info. I may also include details that are not included in the resume. Of course I do mention that I am excited about the opportunity and may add a more personal touch like "I'd be delighted to work with such and such population/environment."

I have even included cover letters for jobs people normally do not, like minimum wage high turnover kind of jobs. They have been pleased to see it. And what's the worst anyway if they don't want a cover letter, they'll just throw it away and read the part of your application they are interested in.

BDB: That is interesting about emailing applicants. I haven't encountered any of that in my searching and even places that required application by email have always contacted me by phone, not email.

7. Amelia said the following at 6:26 AM on Mar 25:

A P.S.? Really? As in:

"Dear Sir,

Your company is great and I want to work for it. I am the perfect employee.

Sincerely,

Me.

P.S. I'm awesome"

What would be included in a P.S. that couldn't be integrated into the main text? I'm intrigued. This is a completely foreign concept to me - it just doesn't seem business-like.

8. P&P said the following at 7:45 AM on Mar 25:

I've developed a "stock" cover letter that I tailor to each position. It's pretty straightforward; I outline why I'm qualified, direct them to read more on my resume and give my contact information at the top and bottom of the page.

As long as I stick to the formula I created I generally get a phone call if not not an in-person interview.

Might I also make the case for the thank you note? It's a great re-sell device and shows real class. You can either mail it or email it, but make sure you send one. I was once told it was the tie-breaker between myself and another candidate.

9. obewan said the following at 8:06 AM on Mar 25:

My experience has shown me that a company either has an opening or they do not. I am either qualified or I am not. I have not made a lot of progress with custom cover letters. I have scored well by responding to advertisements for openings on the web. I have a generic cover letter that I sometimes customize with a couple of tailored sentences. But since I deal mostly with headhunters, my cover letter does not open the initial door anyway. Then too, if you don't have an inside contact and are not responding to a known opening, even custom tailored letters usually fall into the spam category.

10. Mike Theemling said the following at 9:26 AM on Mar 25:

Cover letters are very important and should be used to when applying to a job specifically.

I agree with the recommendations list. Most importantly though, a cover letter needs to highlight your strengths clearly and quickly. Most HR people state that most cover letters are only read for a minute or less, and that they are looking for certain keywords. Things that should be highlighted are those that would be most compatible with the job. Qualifications, past experience, etc.

Also, resist the temptation to be gimmicky. You might hear of that letter enclosed with gift certificates or a singing telegram in the Weird News section and how it led to employment, but that's the (rare) exception rather the rule. Almost all HR folks say it's best to go with what's professional. That also means when you leave contact info (either on the cover letter or resume) not to give a lame e-mail address. One person left an e-mail addressed 2wild4u(@domain).com. To the HR person, he infered it as "too wild for the company to hire".

11. Angie said the following at 9:56 AM on Mar 25:

The first comment makes me feel a little sad-- the idea of a baseball game, a park, a lazy Sunday afternoon... and work.

I already feel addicted to email/internet, and have clung to the personal rule of not obtaining a phone with internet access. My laptop already gets me in trouble. Since I don't camp out by that, I wonder if my lack of instant response will count against me in the future.

Someday I will probably succumb to a Blackberry or iphone or some other form of soul crushing connectivity. *sigh*

With that said, I don't ask about salary-- I wait for the information to be offered. I am usually focused on whether the job is something I want to spend a great deal of my life on rather than the pay. Maybe this is why I'm still poor =P!

12. Tamara (from Canada) said the following at 3:07 PM on Mar 25:

Cover letters are definitely important and a much neglected part of applying for a job today. Although, I have also seen that attire when applying for a job or coming in for an interview is neglected as well. You should be dressing in neat, clean clothes, even of the work environment is more causual on a day-to-day basis.

Even at a fast food place, a cover letter makes a very good impression when you apply. And if you are looking for a more "professional" type o fjob, then a cover letter, that is at least somewhat tailored to the job, is essential. It's your first impression and can make or break your chance at the job.

You can create a stock covletter that you just modify a bit depending on the specific job you are applying for. It doesn't take long to do that. I've done it before and it is important.

13. ToilingAnt said the following at 4:04 PM on Mar 25:

I'm a professional recruiter and handle (and write!) résumés and cover letters all day, every day. ALWAYS send a cover letter- it makes a huge difference. But please- I would never, ever, ever advise anyone to use a postscript, on any business letter, and definitely not on a cover letter!

livingtothehilt.blogspot.com

14. BDB said the following at 4:30 PM on Mar 25:

Let me 2nd P&P #8 on the thank-you note. I'm old enough that I do handwritten thank-you notes after any interview. I always get positive comments - usually followed by, "No one remembers to do that any more."

15. BDB said the following at 4:40 PM on Mar 25:

Angie (#11) wrote:

>>The first comment makes me feel a little sad-- the idea of a baseball game, a park, a lazy Sunday afternoon... and work. <<

Well, I only had to do that once in 15 years, and it only took about 15 minutes. I was actually early for a concert, so I got a good seat, but was WAY early.

When you are recruiting someone who is working full time, you will almost certainly need to talk to them outside of normal working hours. During working hours, they're at work, and their current boss will be unhappy if you bother them.

This is true for interviewing, too. I would always accomodate someone for an evening after-hours interview. In fact, the guy I was e-mailing came in for a 7pm interview as I recall. This allowed him to interview without disrupting his work schedule or asking for a day off. It also moved the process along MUCH faster - especially with a candidate that needs 2 weeks notice to take a day off, PLUS 2 weeks notice when they are leaving their employer. Do you want to wait a month to fill the position - especially given that there's always a risk that a counter-offer will cause the candidate to back out? I always preferred to get all my interviews done in a week so I could make my decision. I let all the candidates know I would make my decision by a certain day, never more than 2 weeks out, so they wouldn't pu their lives on hold waiting to get a call.