With a BS degree in Computer Programming, I have a full understanding of the full lifecycle of a software development project. I also have experience in learning and excelling at new technologies as needed. Updated November 19, 2016 My responsibilities included the development and management of the site's editorial voice and style, the editorial calendar, and the daily content programming and production of the website. How to Write a Job Application Letter The following is an example of a letter of application sent with a resume to apply for a job. Use this example as a guideline when writing your own job application cover letters. Also see below for an example a job application letter sent by email and tips for what to include and how to write a letter to apply for a job. I worked closely with healthcare professionals and medical editors to help them provide the best possible information to a consumer audience of patients. In addition, I helped physicians learn to utilize their medical content to write user-friendly, readily comprehensible text. John Donaldson Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you about this employment opportunity. Example: Thank the employer for their time. It is also a good opportunity to indicate that you’d like to meet with the employer for an interview. Here’s where you reiterate your interest in the role and why you would be the right fit for the company. Use practical examples to emphasise what you can do for the company. These might be performance-based, and could include examples from previous positions, your current job or even from your academic career. Example: Is it recommended that we attach our contact information in the last paragraph (just make it easier for the recruiter to call)? I don’t see this in the after-version. The hard part was buy in and implementation. In today’s world cover letter should be preferably short and to the point and not longer than in your ‘after version’. Hiring Managers are receiving so many a day that it be interesting enough to keep reading. Hi Alison, Thank you so much for shaing this. I have been stuck in a rut trying to figure out how to get my resume from the 95% to the 5% and this provided so much inspiration! I present it here with these caveats, borne of experience with previous samples: Isn’t this cover a little long winded? How many hiring agents are actually gonna take the time to read something this long? I agree. My personal trick is to write the letter in my speaking voice, including contractions and slang, and then take out anything inappropriate when I edit. When I’m done, I have a letter that sounds like me but isn’t too casual. Thanks so much for following up with this and sharing with us that you did not get an interview for the position. I’m not a lawyer but work with lawyers regularly and really liked this cover letter. More conservative field may expect more formal language in a cover letter but I think this one is really well written and excellent for the LW’s position applied for. This comment makes me laugh every time. Thanks. ) Wow, that really is quite a difference! Thanks for sharing. So everywhere I look I’ve been finding limited help on writing my cover letter because I’m a junior in high school with almost no prior job experience and I’m applying for an engineering internship that they haven’t even told what exactly we’ll be doing. We could be doing anything from manual labor to programming. So I’m not sure what exactly to focus my cover letter on except that I’ve taken three years of engineering classes and I really want to be an engineer… Can you help me? Thanks so much to the author for letting this be posted. My cover letters tend to be pretty long (still within a page, but barely) and very formal, and as much as I try I still do it again and again. This is a great example of how to make a cover letter informal while still conveying the ‘right’ information. Thanks so much for sharing! Oh my Game of Thrones name switches lol. Nice touch! Now that that is out of the way, thank you. I have had the hardest time trying to find a real life Cover Letter example. All I kept coming across were reiterations of resumes, lame “5 line only” instructions, and supremely confusing, unhelpful examples of people with mountains of schooling and experience (that I do not posses). This before and after is amazing, and easy to understand! I finally feel like this is something I can accomplish and even possibly do well. Thank you thank you thank you. The paragraph about being a Westeros fan is a great example of how to show you’re interested in a company. In closing, I am thrilled at the possibility of being involved in the new castle almost literally from the ground up, and would love the opportunity to meet with you and discuss the value that I can bring to the Targaryen organization and the Westeros Castle Project. I appreciate your consideration and look forward to hearing from you. Alison, you’ve said in the past that a cover letter should take about 20 minutes. How on earth do you write this kind of highly customized cover letter in 20 minutes? My process usually involves reading the job posting thoroughly and pulling out key words and phrases that really communicate what they’re looking for. Then I go through their web site, LinkedIn profile, and any other information (e.g. press releases, news articles, etc.) to get a feel for not only who they are, but who they believe they are. I choose a few key attributes of mine that I want to highlight, given my understanding of what they’re looking for (based on the previous steps) and finally add in either a paragraph or several sentences here and there about why I want to work for them in particular. Next, my husband (who’s also in my field) reviews the cover letter and gives me suggestions. I also comb my network to see if I know anyone at that employer. If I do, I also ask them to take a look at my resume (which has also been customized and search optimized for the position) and cover letter both for general feedback and for input on how it fits with what the employer is generally looking for. Based on this feedback, I might do a few small edits, or I might do a total re-write (e.g. I recently applied for a position where my contacts said that all the employer wants to hear is about how much you want to work for them, not at all about your accomplishments). This draft might go through one more round of review and feedback from my husband and my contacts. Finally, after I’ve done all the substantive edits, I go through it at least three separate times for typos (and I mean really go through it — like reading it backward, reading it out loud, etc.). After all that, it’s finally done. There’s no way this is a 20 minute process. It’s not even an hour long process. I could only see getting a cover letter ready in 20 min if you used boilerplate and just were changing the addressee (and doing that would probably take me close to 20 min because I always triple check all of the details of spelling etc. of the addressee’s name and address, plus of course doing the research to figure out who the addressee should be, which is almost never posted). I particularly love that having brought in $1.5 million is added as a parenthetical. I see the same thing- very few cover letters at all, much less one that tells you anything useful. I think letter #1 is fine- it is just generic and you would expect to see pretty much the same letter from any of the other candidates sending one in. The second letter really sells the candidate without sounding like a used car salesman. If the resume is in order, I would definitely put this person at the top of the list for an interview. This cover letter is really great. I work in the gaming industry and the recruiters tend to ask – even go so far as to state it In their job postings – that they are looking for enthusiastic cover letters like ex 2. Because the industry isn’t the most stable, I have a cover letter of examples 1 and 2. It definitely depends on the company, and even the hiring department’s tone. I went through a layoff and have been on the hunt again. I will definitely be re-working both cover letters (at least so ex 1 can pick up more interest especially for work outside the industry). Thank you Alison! Oh good point +1 The entire letter is nicely imbued with enthusiasm and zest! I think this is probably very informal for some attorney positions but only a little informal for an attorney position at a relatively informal firm or organization like the kind I work at. Contractions don’t bother me in the slightest; something like “nice touch!” would probably ping as slightly off tone wise, but only slightly. But I do appreciate when candidates make an effort to fit the tone of our organization, which is more informal than a lot of other law firms. And it’s not just a shot in the dark; if you read our website, it’s written in such a way that you should get a pretty good idea that a tiny bit quirky and offbeat will appeal to us (just like when you read other law firms’ websites it’s often very clear that quirky and offbeat probably won’t appeal).
When you say “I accomplished X and Y”, if the hiring manager doesn’t have a clear understanding of what “X and Y” really means, then you’re not communicating anything meaningful. Especially when you’re shifting job types, it’s more and more likely that the hiring manager won’t have a clear understanding of what it means, and the hiring manager is unlikely to waste a bunch of time trying to figure it out. Application for position: Manager CRM Business Processes Oh, best of luck! Break your accomplishments down into the skills that made it possible for your to accomplish them. Then focus on those skills that are transferable, using the accomplishments themselves as support for your claims. Did you end up getting the position. ) Hmm, now I’m really confused… I use to submit really long cover letters like the After Version but after showing it to former colleagues (I use to work in an Employment & HR office) as well as my local Worksouce office, everyone told me that while my qualifications and enthusiasm were on the mark for the jobs I was applying to, a lot of hiring managers don’t want to read a really long cover letter. They said most of the time, it gets immediately disregarded. Personally, I put my contact info below my name/signature if I’m emailing the letter, or it’s in the header (to match my resume) if I’m sending it as an attachment/uploading it. I’ve noticed that since I have improved my cover letters, I’m starting to get phone interviews, but I think I’m blowing them, somehow. Recruiters seem to be trained to have as flat an affect as possible and not to give any feedback. The recruiter I spoke with last Friday didn’t even say “uh-huh,” or give any verbal punctuation to the conversation at all. It was conversational weightlessness—no gravity or reference point—very unsettling. We’ll see if I get a call for an in-person interview for that one! I doubt it. I’d love to see AAM post a cover letter example for an attorney or a cover letter that’s for a traditionally conservative field. As I mentioned to the Letter Writer, I think if I can see an example of what you mean by more formal, but not stuffy while writing a letter like above, that would help. I am not by trade good at marketing or sales so making it concrete really would help me to then translate it into something that I can apply. What’s up with all the game of throne references ? As you will see from the attached resume, I’ve built my career in a variety of roles and industries, mostly in small companies where I was not just the admin but also gatekeeper, technology whiz, bookkeeper and marketing guru. I’m not only used to wearing many hats, I sincerely enjoy it; I thrive in an environment where no two work days are exactly the same. I am not on the job market yet but have to ask: is it really feasible to write cover letters this tightly customized to positions? If you are applying to several dozen jobs a week it seems a bit unwieldy. When I applied to (This is good to do even if you’re moving within a job type, because you’ll interview better if you really understand your strengths and how they translate into the work you’re able to do.) I am attempting to break into the event planning industry and recently came across a posting for a Group Sales Co-ordinator. While it is not directly events related, there are many aspects of the position that allow me to work in collaboration with the events team. The job is at a ski resort (which is open year round and has many summer events) and although I am not completely qualified I have decided to apply anyways. I was looking for a way to really stand out and as CL’s generally stump me I came across this post. As a frequent reader of AAM I had read it before but never gained much inspiration from it … until now! I am not certain what you mean by extrapolate. Can you give me an example of how that would work? I’d love to say my cover letters are as good as the OP’s, but they aren’t. I used to try to work from a previous one for a similar position, but I actually think it was harder, because no two positions are enough alike, nor are the companies. So I’d rework for hours, only to finally realize I was getting hung up on trying to use stuff that wasn’t even very good. Hi! I’ve read recently that it is actually a little tacky, and probably best, to not include “Dear such and such” in the beginning of the cover letter. Now, I’ve somehow made it until 25 never having to write one, and suddenly finding it necessary. I’m glad I stumbled upon this website! But, starting this cover letter has to be one of the hardest things, and I’m not sure if I should include the “Dear” or just jump right into it. Help? Well, one of the things that I am now trying to emphasize in my letter is that I entered my current position as the first and only in-house counsel. Management has decided to phase out the position for business reasons and will use outside counsel to take care of issues now that I have built basic legal programs for them. The CEO did state that I opened the company’s eyes to many policies that they didn’t even know they needed. Thanks for sharing this. As a seasoned executive who will soon pursue a major career change, I found this to be an excellent example for my own personal benefit of how to tailor a cover letter; well done. It’s obvious the writer would be a great fit for our office, and I’d be inclined to put this applicant on the top of the stack for an interview. As my deputy would say, it’s a no-brainer decision. Here’s the after version. It’s awesome. It tells us who the candidate is and why she’s great at what she does. And she’s genuinely enthusiastic. This isn’t a generic letter; it’s a letter about her . Your posting on LinkedIn for a Sales and Marketing Coordinator recently caught my eye, and I think you will find I am an exceptional candidate for this position. Also a lawyer and I also agree about the formality of this letter. I think it’s difficult to be both conversational and formal at the same time. I’m an attorney, and I’m hiring. I work in-house, but this sort of letter would work for me, and in fact I’d be more likely to interview based on something like it. Some of the wording is a little over the top (i.e. anything with an exclamation point would strike me as weird), but in general this would stand out in a good way. Alison, put a note in about not taking these because you had heard about hiring managers coming back! (Extremely well done) Alison, your cover letter advice (and your website) as been INCREDIBLY helpful and timely during my job searching. Thanks again for all you do! And many thanks to the author of this cover letter who really put her heart into it! Can someone recommend a reputable CV/Resume professional (let’s be bold and throw the cover letter in the mix as well)? I have been out of work for over two years. I needed a little help in closing my cover letter. Your example of the cover letter was extremely helpful. What I hope – what I think any cover letter writer’s goal should be – is that there are enough interesting, unique details that maybe the reviewer stops skimming an actually gets invested in what I have to say. In any case, my question is: How do you give a cover letter more personality when you are applying to a hiring committee that may have very set expectations for the format? Thank you for letting Alison share your example with us! You’re in high school, so they understand that you won’t have a ton to talk about yet! I’d focus on why you want to be an engineer and what you’ve been doing to prepare for that (your classes, etc.). Thank you for this. I’m graduating with my masters in a few months and have recently realized that a promotion will not happen as expected in my current role. This is exactly the inspiration I needed to take my cover letters to the next level! Stunning… just stunning to read. I’ve been tailoring my cover letters and resumes to high light the areas in my skill set an employer would look for AND to make sure I emphasize the skills they’re looking for in particular as per their job posting. Thanks. This is awesome comparison. Love it! That’s the litmus test. Do you remember anything about the candidate from the letter 20 minutes after you read it? Great way to put it. Yes, I agree. I’m a public interest attorney which means that the office culture can be very casual, but the legal field still has a certain level of formality. So one’s cover letter should reflect one’s field. I can usually only get out about two applications a day, because of the time it takes to research the company, deconstruct the posting (I like to mine the detail of what they are looking for so I can address it in my letter, but also because I have found some postings that, on closer inspection, don’t look like a good fit for me), write a targeted cover letter, and jump through the seventeen flaming hoops of whatever god-awful application database system the company uses. It worked! Happy to share, but yours is definitely better than mine are. ) Also I can totally relate to Beth’s struggles because they are mine as well! It’s taken me days to finish this cover letter I’m working on and reading other articles on writing amazing cover letters has put me at a loss as I am second guessing myself and am still having the hardest time conveying my personality and professionalism in a way that is short and succinct. Thoughts? I love this! Came across this link via the muse.com and I’m definitely adding this website to my list! I know I will get a job amusing the advice on this website. Honestly, looking at this cover letter alone I’ve already learned a few things! This was inspirational and is making me re-write my own cover letter. Thanks for posting. Last but certainly not least, I want you to know that I’m a passionate Westeros fan and a longtime supporter of the new castle. I’ve been following the new castle movement since the earliest days of the original “Save the Tombs” campaign, and I am so excited to see this vision becoming a reality. I’ve already checked out the new castle website, and the renderings of the new throne and great hall are stunning, to say the least – I particularly love the vintage murals and art featured throughout the building. Nice touch! For the past 3 years I have tried going at it myself asking a few of my highly educated professional friends to help proofreading and editing. Unfortunately, I have had no luck in landing interviews (London). I started writing my letters with a lot of passion and professionalism and only to jobs that I knew I had at least 85% of the experience they required. So much time has passed that the passion has died. I write or copy paste cover letters for the sake of attaching one when required knowing well I will not get a call. This is not me being pessimistic, it is simply me being drained of not having a single door open in the past three years. Looking at them side by side, I honestly cannot believe how stilted and dry my “before” letter now looks. I used to think it was so good! Managers in search of a receptionist usually look for two qualities above all else: Error-free efficiency and a friendly, professional attitude. When clients and customers contact the office, they should be met with a warm welcome and a quick, accurate response to their question or request. If you have what it takes to excel in this role, use your cover letter to send your message home. This receptionist cover letter example can serve as a guide. Start by stating the position you’d like to pursue and explaining why you’re a perfect fit. Use your second paragraph to provide evidence of your claims and list your specific skill sets and competencies one by one; use bullet points if you like. Close your letter by discussing your personal passion for sales and your interest in this specific role. Employers in search of an administrative assistant usually seek specific software competencies, scheduling experience, and an understanding of basic document management. Managers also tend to look for promising personality traits like a positive attitude and a creative approach to problem solving. Showcase these contributions in your job application! Use this administrative assistant cover letter example as a guide. Start with a short introduction that states the position you’re seeking and summarizes your key contributions. Then list a few of your concrete competencies, like software proficiencies. Finally, describe your personal passion for this type of work and explain how your passion helps you find success. Your employers will want to know what motivates you and what kinds of challenges you’re looking for. Attract attention with professional cover letter designs Get Started As you search for a new position as a registered nurse, you’ll need to create a cover letter that highlights your most valuable skills and most impressive accomplishments. Employers will want an understanding of your clinical experience and a sense of your competence and confidence. Use this registered nurse cover letter example as a guide while you create and edit your own document. Download and Print For one, you’ll want to make sure you have an engaging opening that hooks your reader and quickly and concisely communicates how you can add value to a particular school. Then you’ll want to drive home important teacher qualities, like communication skills and resourcefulness, before you close by re-emphasizing your unique value proposition. Close your letter by drawing a clear line between the needs of the job and your own personal passions, accounting career goals, and special talents. Managers in the IT field typically look for specific technical skill sets and accomplishments that prove you can apply your expertise in a way that adds value to the business. Needless to say your job application, including your resume and cover letter, needs to hone in on these achievements. Open your message with a clever hook or simple statement that sets you apart. Then quickly get to the point: you know exactly what your reader needs, and you’re the candidate who can meet those needs. You understand the business and you can offer everything your employers are looking for…and more. Use your second and third paragraphs to provide evidence that backs up your claim, then share your contact information and sign off politely. Notice that an effective sales cover letter accomplishes one key task: it sells! Use your letter to demonstrate your skills instead of just listing them. Open with a clear, memorable hook and use your first paragraph to show off the kind of attitude you’ll bring to the job. Use this healthcare cover letter example to find your footing as you draft and edit your own document. Notice that in this example, the writer opens with a short, clear introduction that states the position in question and summarizes their key skill sets. The second and subsequent paragraphs outline additional skills and personal passions that indicate readiness for this role. As you search for a customer service position that can advance your career, you’ll need a strong resume and a concise, memorable cover letter that highlights your most important skill sets. Rely on this customer service cover letter example as you draft and format your own message.
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