Writing the Cover LetterWriting the Cover Letter

EL4092 Etika Rekayasa & Kapita SelektaByIr. Emir Mauludi Husni, M.Sc., Ph.D.School of Electrical Engineering & Informatics, Institut Teknologi Bandung

What is a cover letter?What is a cover letter?

A cover letter presents your resume to a prospective employer and is personalized to suit the organization. It is a professional statement that reflects your unique

style.Employers see a lot of cover letters. Therefore avoid the Employers see a lot of cover letters. Therefore avoid the generic formats and write your own; However do not hesitate to refer to other examples

INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION--The first The first paragraphparagraphThe first paragraph should answer the following questions:

Who are you?

From where and when are you graduating?

Where did you find out about this position? Where did you find out about this position?

What is your field or what are your career goals?

Example:

While searching through job postings on the WWW at the Online Career Center, I came across the posting from the Online Career Center, I came across the posting from xyz Consulting Services, looking for individuals with skills in Visual Basic and Microsoft Access. I will be graduating from The Ohio State University with a major in Computer and Information Science in June of 2000 and am currently exploring employment opportunities in my area of interest.

COMPANY INTEREST COMPANY INTEREST --The second The second paragraphparagraph

A great cover letter always demonstrates that you as the writer are well informed about the company.

Questions that are important are:Questions that are important are:

What do I value most about this company or position? Why do I wish to work for this company as opposed to

others? Do you have any personal anecdotes and reasons why you

would wish to work for this company?

To prepare for this part of the writing,

get on the company's WEB site and read about them

read company literature and mark why you enjoy this organizationorganization

talk to a friend who works for this company or a recruiter to get an insider's perspective on the company.

Example:

Looking at your WEB site I learned that you are looking for creative, responsible individuals who are eager to learn. I was also impressed by the customer focus of learn. I was also impressed by the customer focus of the organization and the results driven values that seemed to motivate the future of the company.

PERSONAL MATCH PERSONAL MATCH --The third The third paragraphparagraph

This part of the cover letter is about highlighting your particular skills and experiences that make you a match for the company. You can also state things about why you like the company and follow it up immediately by how you can uniquely match that culture.

Write about your skills and experiences, referring the employer to your resume.

Write this right after the paragraph about the company or blend it in with the same paragraph.

Don’t repeat your resume, just highlight pertinent information about yourself.

To prepare for this section,

read over your resume read over the job description and company

literature literature decide what aspects you want to highlight

specifically

Example:

Two attributes of the available position appealed to me. The first was your company's need for Visual Basic and access developers. I already have experience with Visual Basic 3.0 developers. I already have experience with Visual Basic 3.0 Standard and I hope to further my experience with the recent acquisition of the Visual Basic 4.0 professional edition. In addition, I have also worked extensively with Mac access versions 1.1 and 2.0 for nearly two years and expect to be working with them until my graduation in March.

Example: (contd.)

The second point of interest was that you are based in Columbus and serve the central and southern parts of Ohio. Growing up in the central Ohio area, I am Ohio. Growing up in the central Ohio area, I am interested in staying close to home and being part of one of the fastest growing cities in the Midwest. This community has given me a great deal of support and I hope to begin returning the favor

CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION--The The fourth fourth paragraphparagraph

When writing the conclusion, refer the reader to your resume.

Let them know when you will call and check on the status of your resume.

Request your desire for a meeting to discuss future Request your desire for a meeting to discuss future possibilities/ interview.

Give them your contact information.

Example:Example:

Enclosed you will find a copy of my resume for review. I will call in a week to ten days to confirm that you have received this and answer any questions you have regarding my qualifications. At that time, I would also like to make an appointment to speak with one of your representatives to discuss opportunities at XYZ company for someone with my experience and training. If XYZ company for someone with my experience and training. If you would like to speak with me sooner, please feel free to call me at 614-xxx-xxxx or send email to hjk.**@osu.edu. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Sincerely,Adam Kraznick

Dos and Don’ts when writing a cover Dos and Don’ts when writing a cover letterletter

Dos... Use a standard business format

Send your letter and resume to a person, not a title or an office

Let your tone be warm, personal and professional Let your tone be warm, personal and professional

Print your cover letter on the same paper as your resume to make it seem like an organized package

Keep the font of the resume and the cover letter consistent

Spell Check! Typos make you look disinterested and sloppy

Don’ts.. Send the same letter to different companies

Forget to include a return address and phone number/e- Forget to include a return address and phone number/e-mail address

Write a cover letter over a page

Include a photograph

Tell your life story in the letter