Parents and students alike often ask me if they should include a cover letter when applying for jobs. Parents think it wouldn’t hurt and students feel like it’s just another hurdle to jump over and a big waste of time. I’ll give you my professional opinion on cover letters and how to easily build your own. The template below has helped close to 200 people get their resume noticed by recruiters and employers.
The History of the Cover Letter
There used to be a time where you would look for a job by going through the classified ads in the newspaper. Back then, instead of applying for jobs online, you would literally mail in your resume if you wanted to be considered for the job. Since a company’s HR department could potentially receive multiple resumes for various positions, a Cover Letter was included to let the reader know which job you were applying for. This “letter” would be in front of your resume (thereby “covering” it) and explain why you were applying for the job and qualifications. It had to be interesting enough to entice the recruiter to look at your resume. As you can see, having a cover letter was a much needed document when applying for jobs.
Do You Need a Cover Letter?
Most jobs you’ll apply for nowadays will be through an online portal like Career Connect, Handshake, or LinkedIn and the process will be an automated one where the recruiter will know exactly what job application goes with what job posting. So in a way, you don’t need a cover letter. However, some companies give you the option of including one in your application.
The reasoning behind it varies. Some companies like getting a cover letter because it allows them to get a quick overview of your resume. Others want it because they feel that someone who wrote a cover letter went the extra mile in preparing their application. Still others don’t care at all and won’t even read it if you do submit one.
My suggestion is to prepare a base cover letter that you can update with specific examples of your qualifications for each position you apply to. Below is an example of a cover letter you can use.
Sample Cover Letter
Contrary to popular belief, a cover letter doesn’t have to be long. Two to three paragraphs should be enough to convince someone to look at your resume. Below I’ve included an example you can use as a guide.
Hi ABC Company Recruiting Team!
My name is John and I’m a Computer Science major at RIT. I recently came across the computer science coop and I believe my knowledge of Java and Python make me a great candidate for this role.
As the position requires, I do have experience working with teams and analyzing data. During my previous co-op with ABC Corporation of America, I worked with researchers to perform tests on different types of code. This involved Python and bug testing to record and analyze the results. Because of my professionalism and attention to detail, I was able to perform all these tests on my own and was even able to manage multiple tests at the same time. My resume provides more details on my qualifications and work experience
The best way to reach me is by email at XYZ@aol.edu or by call at 555-555-5555. I look forward to speaking with you.
Sincerely,
John Smith
Below is a breakdown of each section:
Hi NAME OF PERSON/ NAME OF COMPANY Recruiting Team!
If you know the name of the person reading the cover letter you can include it. Otherwise put the name of the company + Recruiting Team. No need to bold anything.
My name is YOUR NAME and I’m a NAME OF YOUR MAJOR at NAME OF YOUR UNIVERSITY. I recently came across the NAME OF POSITION and I believe my knowledge of SKILLS ON THE JOB DESCRIPTION THAT YOU HAVE make me a great candidate for this role.
The first paragraph will be your name, major, university and the position you are applying for. You should also include skills you may have that fit the job description. You don’t have to include all of them; however the more you have, the better your odds. I would bold your major, name of position,and the skills.
As the position requires, I do have experience working with teams and analyzing data. During my previous co-op with ABC Corporation of America, I worked with researchers to perform tests on different types of metal solder. This involved shear testing, X-ray, and thermal cycling and I used Microsoft Excel to record and analyze the results. Because of my professionalism and attention to detail, I was able to perform all these tests on my own and was even able to manage multiple tests at the same time. My resume provides more details on my qualifications and work experience
In this second paragraph, you can write a short description of when you used one of the skills they’re looking for in the job description. You can write 4-5 sentences at the most since you want to keep it short and to the point. I would bold the keywords you find in the job description to make it easy for the reader to see them and match them up. Below is an example of this.
The best way to reach me is by email at XYZ@aol.edu or by call at 555-555-5555. I look forward to speaking with you.
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME
The last paragraph should provide your contact information so the reader can follow up.
Like I mentioned earlier, you don’t have to include a cover letter in each application; however putting one together shouldn’t be a daunting task if you follow the template above.
Be Bold!
Ramon