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Cover Letters and Thank You Notes - Creative Job Search Article

Anytime a resume is sent by mail it must be accompanied by a cover letter. The resume is an impersonal description of your qualifications, much like a product brochure. The cover letter is your opportunity to personalize your resume and target your skills to that specific employer.

The effective job seeker will not send the same resume for each new job opportunity. Resumes need to be tailored for each position. Likewise, the same cover letter cannot be used in every situation. It also must be customized for each opportunity. There are a variety of cover letter formats, some of which are described below. Whatever format you use, be sure the letter conforms to acceptable standards for business letters.

COVER LETTER FORMATS

Invited

Use the invited format whenever an employer has asked for a resume. This is often in response to a classified ad or publicized job listing. This style focuses on matching your qualifications to the advertised requirements of the position.

Uninvited or Cold-Contact

Use the uninvited format to contact employers who haven't advertised or published job openings. The focus is on matching your qualifications to the perceived needs of the employer based on labor market research. This strategy requires that a phone or personal contact with the employer either precede or follow the sending of the resume and cover letter.

Referral

Use the referral format to contact employers to whom you've been referred. The effective job seeker will receive referrals to many job opportunities through networking and informational interviews. The referral may be to a specific job opening (advertised or unadvertised) or to an employer who may not be hiring. In a referral letter the individual who provided the referral is mentioned in the letter.

Job Match or "T"

It's always important to match your qualifications to the job and/or employer in the cover letter. This is generally done as part of the body of the letter. In the "T" letter format this is done as bullet points targeting the specific requirements and your corresponding qualifications. Some sources for information to help you match your qualifications include: employment advertisements, company websites, position descriptions, phone conversations with the employer and informational interviews.

Cover Letter Points to Consider

• Whenever possible, address the cover letter to a specific person by name and title. This requires a minimum of research that will ultimately pay off in more interviews. The only time this may not be possible is when responding to a "blind ad" where there is no way to know the name of the company to research. In this case, send the letter to the title of the appropriate hiring manager, e.g., "Production Manager," "Maintenance Supervisor," "Office Manager," etc. Never use the phrase "To Whom It May Concern."
• Consider signing the letter in blue ink. It implies the letter is original. The only other ink color to use is black. Never use any other color on the cover letter.
• Structure the cover letter to reflect your individuality, but avoid appearing too familiar, overbearing, humorous or cute. Keep sentences short and to the point.
• Keep the cover letter brief, usually no more than three to five paragraphs on one page.
• The paper and style of your cover letter should compliment your resume. You might consider using the same paper stock for both your cover letter and resume.

THANK YOU LETTERS AND NOTES

"Thank you" is a powerful statement that is seldom heard. Every thank you is an opportunity to sell your qualifications and to leave a fresh impression in the mind of the reader. Send a thank you letter or note to employers and employment contacts whenever they have extended themselves in any way on behalf of your job search. At the minimum, a written thank you should be sent after all interviews.

Thank you letters and notes should be standard tools in your job search. The thank you letter should follow a standard business letter format while the note may be a simple handwritten note or card. Which to send depends upon the situation and your personal style.

Thank You Letter Points to Consider

• Be brief and to the point.
• When thanking a potential employer, restate your interest in the position and/or the company.
• Always plan your follow-up. Make it a point to tell the person when and how they can expect to hear from you in the future.
• If there are multiple people involved, such as with a panel interview, be sure to thank each person. Send one letter to each person or send a single letter to a key person for distribution. When sending more than one thank you letter, it is very effective to vary each one.
• Always send a written thank you to a person by name.
• The thank you is an opportunity to restate your qualifications. Include any pertinent information you failed to mention earlier. Be sure to reemphasize your skills and abilities.

Basic Parts of a Thank You

• Statement of appreciation for the interview.
• Expression of interest in employment.
• Brief restatement of qualifications.
• Final "Thank You."
• Date and time you'll follow-up.

Sample Thank You Note

DEED-03794

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