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3.11 WRITE COVER LETTERS |
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What to Do |
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All effective cover letters have three main parts. |
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- They identify the specific job and how you learned about it.
- They match your skills, training, and experience with those required for the job, using your specific knowledge of the company.
- The last line should emphasize your interest in the job and indicate your plan for follow-up.
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Cover Letter Guidelines: |
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- The cover letter should not repeat your resume.
- Use standard business letter format.
- Type the letter on bond paper that matches your resume.
- Proofread carefully. Make sure that there are no typographical errors (typos) and that the proper grammar was used.
- Sell yourself! Make the reader want to speak with you. Be formal, polite, honest, and assertive.
- Keep the letter to a page or less.
- Sign and send the original. Keep a copy.
- Address the letter to the hiring authority and include their title. If you are answering an ad that does not give a person’s name, call the company and find out to whom it should be addressed. If you cannot get a specific name, start the letter with “Dear ________________(manager of department/title of position).”
- Do your homework on the company. (Refer to the section 3.4, Research Companies).
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NOTE: As you work on your own cover letters, use the sample letters on the following pages as a guide. |
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