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| How to write a cover letter that persuades top decision makers to see you |
| Free Cover Letter Sample For a Resume. Tips and advice on writing cover letters that work |
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Standard Cover Letter |
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Professionally Written Cover Letter |
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David Wright Dear Sir or Madam I was interested in the position of Sales Executive advertised in a recent issue of Computer Monthly and wish to be considered for the post. I have attached my resume and would be happy to attend an interview at a mutually convenient time. Yours sincerely
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David Wright Sales Executive advertised in Dear Mr Royce Joining Datacom's Sales Team I would like to join Datacom Office Equipment as your new Sales Executive and bring to your organization my 12 years of experience working on international corporate clients for Bestdata. My training at Bestdata helped me become Regional Sales Representative of the Month four times in two years. After my promotion to North-East Regional Sales Manager, we improved training for sales representatives, revamped our marketing strategy and moved into direct selling on the Internet. Sales increased by 30 per cent in the next year. Many of these ideas apply to Datacom's product range, especially the innovative portable telephones and fax machines you recently launched in the trade press. I'd be happy to discuss these ideas at an interview. Could we arrange an interview in early June when I am in New York ? Yours sincerely David Wright Enclosed : Resume |
The standard letter is easy to write but does nothing to get you an interview. The professionally drafted alternative is harder to write but well worth it. We'll use this letter in the following pages to explain the professional writing techniques you should use.
Before we go into the details, can I recommend that you test run a copy of StyleWriter — the plain English editing software? You can try it FREE for 30 days. I've been using StyleWriter for nearly ten years and I can honestly say that it transformed my writing style. When I discovered StyleWriter I was a Communications Manager for a multi-national insurance company. I fancied myself as a pretty good writer but when I saw the results of my StyleWriter assessment, I was shocked at the formal, stilted and convuluted style I had acquired. I was writing like a lawyer who'd spent too much time with insurance claims experts - it was not a pleasant experience!
But my StyleWriter revelation set me on the road to my current career as a copywriter and web marketer. So I'll be eternally grateful to Nick Wright of Editor Software for showing me the light.
Try StyleWriter — the plain English editing software FREE for 30 days amnd you'll see an immediate improvement in your writing - I guarantee it.
Writing Cover Letters Tip 1 :
Create a professional letterhead
Take the information on name and address, use another font and type size and you can instantly create a better looking and more professional letter. Simple, but effective. Then use quality paper for both your cover letter and your resume.
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Professionally Written Cover Letter |
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David Wright Sales Executive advertised in Dear Mr Royce Joining Datacom's Sales Team I would like to join Datacom Office Equipment as your new Sales Executive and bring to your organization my 12 years of experience working on international corporate clients for Bestdata. My training at Bestdata helped me become Regional Sales Representative of the Month four times in two years. After my promotion to North-East Regional Sales Manager, we improved training for sales representatives, revamped our marketing strategy and moved into direct selling on the Internet. Sales increased by 30 per cent in the next year. Many of these ideas apply to Datacom's product range, especially the innovative portable telephones and fax machines you recently launched in the trade press. I'd be happy to discuss these ideas at an interview. Could we arrange an interview in early June when I am in New York ? Yours sincerely David Wright Enclosed : Resume |
Writing Cover Letters Tip 2:
Keep the administrative information out of the first paragraph
Employers want to know what position you are applying for and where you saw the advertisement. So we usually list this information in the opening sentence of the first paragraph with such a standard sentence such as: I wish to apply for the position of Research Director advertised in the June issue of Employment News . Although this is clear and to the point, you need a more powerful opening paragraph — one that makes you stand out. Place the administrative information above the body of the letter or as a reference. This frees you up to write a more powerful opening paragraph.
Writing Cover Letters Tip 3:
Personalize your letter
Try to write to an individual person. If you don't know the name, telephone to find out.
Personalizing a letter goes much further than using the name of the reader. Look how the use of pronouns, the name of the firm and especially the information in the third paragraph shows this is a letter specifically written to this particular employer.
Writing Cover Letters Tip 4 :
Write a positive, action heading with a strong verb.
Use the journalistic technique of putting verbs in your headings. This lets you start your letter by suggesting an action. Here the verb joining as the first word of the heading shows confidence — so important in a candidate for a sales post.
Writing Cover Letters Tip 5 :
Use your opening paragraph to give the main reason for hiring you
What's the one qualification you have that makes you a candidate worth interviewing? By working this information into the first paragraph, your reader immediately gets your main qualification and unique selling message.
Writing Cover Letters Tip 6:
Use the second paragraph to expand on your unique qualification
This is vital. What you write here decides if you get the interview or you end up in the reject pile. Use the second paragraph to expand, with specific information, on the main qualification or unique selling point you mentioned in the first paragraph. The better you match these specifics with the employer's needs, the more likely you are to get the all-important interview.
Look carefully at the advertisement. If they want a self-motivated, experienced sales executive to lead a small team of representatives, the drafted first paragraph is excellent. But if the advertisement calls for a sales executive to head the company's Internet strategy, the emphasis is wrong. A better response would be:
At Bestdata we moved into direct selling on the Internet. I worked through the research and design stages, developed a direct marketing strategy and handled the public relations side of the launch. Within 18 months, 15 percent of our sales came from the Internet and the forecast is 12 percent annual growth. Our Internet sales led to an extra $14 million in turnover and a 16 percent growth in profit in 1999.
In other words, match your qualifications to the employer's needs.
Writing Cover Letters Tip 7:
List your key achievement
Use your last sentence in your second paragraph to show what you achieved. If this is a sales job, it's how you increased sales. If it's for an auditing job, it's what you saved the company. If it's a public relations position, it's the result of the publicity campaign you organized. By putting this information at the end of the paragraph, it's the one piece of information the reader will remember. Once the employer has been through 30 applications, you want him or her to remember you, in this example, as the person who improved sales by 30 per cent.
Writing Cover Letters Tip 8 :
Use the third paragraph to compliment the reader and personalize the letter
You must flatter and compliment your prospective employer, not by gushing adjectives, but simply by talking about the employer's organization. It shows you're knowledgeable and interested. It shows you can match your skills to their needs. It shows this letter is to them and to no one else.
Writing Cover Letters Tip 9:
Close strongly suggesting the next action
You need to take control of the next action. Don't write: ‘I look forward to hearing from you' or ‘I am available for interview.' Suggest a date for the interview or say you will ring in ten days to arrange an interview. Such techniques show your confidence in getting the interview and put you in control of the next step.
Writing Cover Letters Tip 10:
List enclosed information at the end
You usually only include your resume with your cover letter. Don't include examples of work, references or other attachments — it's too early in the selection process. Use the business writing convention of Enclosed : to show you have attached your resume. This stops you writing such a weak and obvious sentence as ‘I have attached my resume for your consideration.'
Writing Cover Letters Tip 11:
Use the plain English style
This is the hardest tip to follow. Nine out of ten business letters suffer from poor style, with longwinded sentences, passive verbs, wordy phrases and unnecessary jargon. Writing clearly and concisely in plain English means saying everything you need to include in the fewest possible words. Imagine you're talking to the reader and your tone will be fine.
The easiest way to ensure your letter is written well is to use a plain English software editor with your word processor. StyleWriter — the plain English editor by Editor Software is the world's most powerful editor, checking for 35,000 ways to improve your writing style and picks up English usage errors missed by spelling and grammar checkers. You can download a fully-functioning, free trial copy from the Editor Software website and run it over your resume cover letter.
The StyleWriter — plain English editing software — rates this letter as Excellent, with no style faults or passive verbs and an average sentence length of 19 words.
The next page uses examples to show the difference between the typical business style and the plain English style.
Typical business style vs plain English style
Here's a typical example of the difference between the typical business style and the plain English style.
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Poor Style |
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Typical Example |
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I have been enrolled as a design student in the department of environmental design at the University of Missouri in Columbia for two years and wish to be considered for any vacant positions in your company. Although I do not anticipate graduation until June 1999, I feel that because of my current creative and technical skills, as well as an interest in behavioral-interface design, I would be qualified to do the type of design work you require. |
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Plain English |
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Typical Example |
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I am studying fashion design at the University of Missouri, graduating in June 1999. My creative and technical skills include computer-aided design and web-page design specializing in simple design techniques to help people grasp difficult technical ideas. |
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Poor Style |
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Typical Example |
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I have been enrolled as a design student in the department of environmental design at the University of Missouri in Columbia for two years and wish to be considered for any vacant positions in your company. Although I do not anticipate graduation until June 1999, I feel that because of my current creative and technical skills, as well as an interest in behavioral-interface design, I would be qualified to do the type of design work you require. |
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Plain English |
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Typical Example |
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I am studying fashion design at the University of Missouri, graduating in June 1999. My creative and technical skills include computer-aided design and web-page design specializing in simple design techniques to help people grasp difficult technical ideas. |
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Poor Style |
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Typical Example |
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I have been enrolled as a design student in the department of environmental design at the University of Missouri in Columbia for two years and wish to be considered for any vacant positions in your company. Although I do not anticipate graduation until June 1999, I feel that because of my current creative and technical skills, as well as an interest in behavioral-interface design, I would be qualified to do the type of design work you require. Sentences : 36 , 41 Average = 38 words
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Plain English |
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Typical Example |
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I am studying fashion design at the University of Missouri, graduating in June 1999. My creative and technical skills include computer-aided design and web-page design specializing in simple design techniques to help people grasp difficult technical ideas. Sentences : 14 , 23 Average = 18 words |
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Poor Style |
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Typical Example |
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I have been enrolled as a design student in the department of environmental design at the University of Missouri in Columbia for two years and wish to be considered for any vacant positions in your company. Although I do not anticipate graduation until June 1999, I feel that because of my current creative and technical skills, as well as an interest in behavioral-interface design, I would be qualified to do the type of design work you require. |
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Plain English |
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Typical Example |
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I am studying fashion design at the University of Missouri, graduating in June 1999. My creative and technical skills include computer-aided design and web-page design specializing in simple design techniques to help people grasp difficult technical ideas. |
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Poor Style |
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Typical Example |
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I have been enrolled as a design student in the department of environmental design at the University of Missouri in Columbia for two years and wish to be considered for any vacant positions in your company. Although I do not anticipate graduation until June 1999, I feel that because of my current creative and technical skills, as well as an interest in behavioral-interface design, I would be qualified to do the type of design work you require. Total 77 words |
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Plain English |
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Typical Example |
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I am studying fashion design at the University of Missouri, graduating in June 1999. My creative and technical skills include computer-aided design and web-page design specializing in simple design techniques to help people grasp difficult technical ideas. Total 37 words |
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Poor Style |
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Typical Example |
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I have been enrolled as a design student in the department of environmental design at the University of Missouri in Columbia for two years and wish to be considered for any vacant positions in your company. Although I do not anticipate graduation until June 1999, I feel that because of my current creative and technical skills, as well as an interest in behavioral-interface design, I would be qualified to do the type of design work you require. |
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Plain English |
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Typical Example |
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I am studying fashion design at the University of Missouri, graduating in June 1999. My creative and technical skills include computer-aided design and web-page design specializing in simple design techniques to help people grasp difficult technical ideas. |
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Poor Style |
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Typical Example |
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I have been enrolled as a design student in the department of environmental design at the University of Missouri in Columbia for two years and wish to be considered for any vacant positions in your company. Although I do not anticipate graduation until June 1999, I feel that because of my current creative and technical skills, as well as an interest in behavioral-interface design, I would be qualified to do the type of design work you require. |
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Plain English |
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Typical Example |
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I am studying fashion design at the University of Missouri, graduating in June 1999. My creative and technical skills include computer-aided design and web-page design specializing in simple design techniques to help people grasp difficult technical ideas. |
Writing Cover Letters Tip 12:
Proofread your draft
You can't afford one mistake or slip. Use your spelling checker and check all names carefully. Read the draft several times and make sure you've included all the necessary information. Check your punctuation, grammar and consistency of capital letters and names. Ask a friend to check it over.
Can you spot the main problem with this draft letter?
Answer: There's no contact telephone address and there's no date on the letter.
The Follow-up
Tip 1: Follow up your application.
Follow up your application by calling the employer if you have not had a reply in a reasonable time. Tell them you are keen to know the outcome of your application and that you'd like an interview. This shows interest and confidence. Keep at it, your persistence will pay off.
Tip 2: Write thank-you letters after an interview.
A well-worded, pleasant thank-you letter is essential after an interview. It should show your continued interest, expand on your key qualifications and show your enthusiasm for joining the organization. If you're down to the last two candidates for the job, writing the thank-you letter may be the difference between rejection and success.
Example:
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Professionally Written Cover Letter |
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David Wright Sales Executive advertised in June 22 , 2000 Dear Mr Royce Thank you for the interesting 45-minute interview last week to discuss how I could help as your new Sales Executive increased Datacom's photocopier market share. You have gathered a young and talented team of professional sales staff. To get the best out of the team, you'll need a seasoned professional with the confidence and leadership to bring in more business. I'm sure my ideas and experience could guarantee your company greater turnover and profits. It's an exciting prospect for everyone. Thank you, once again, for the interview. Yours sincerely David Wright |
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Cover Letters Summary
1 Tailor your letter to the needs of the employer, the job and the organization.
2 Write about what you offer the employer; not what the employer offers you.
3 Positively show you're the ideal candidate by pointing out your key qualities.
4 Back up the key qualities you offer with specific examples.
5 Show the benefit you brought to your current or previous employer.
6 Write in clear, concise, plain English — perfectly typed and presented. The StyleWriter — plain English editing software will help you achieve this. Try it FREE for 30 days.
7 Carefully proofread your final letter — don't let a simple error slip through.