Ten Rules to Writing a Good Cover Letter

I am prompted to write this article by a cover letter we recently received.   It read, in its entirety: “I am qualified for any open position, please hire me—Thanks a lot.”

I might have thought this to be a joke or really bazaar if we did not receive thousands of cover letters each week.  The truth is, we do see thousands of cover letters each week, and the only thing that sets this one apart from many is its brevity.  Some writers just use a lot more words to create equally insulting, ineffective, cover letters.

The cover letter is your introduction; it is your opportunity to get the readers attention, you can express personality, enthusiasm, and interest that cannot be seen in your resume. 

Use the following 10 rules as a guide to construct your own effective cover letter.

1. Have a heading which includes your name, address, phone and email
2. Ideally a cover letter should not be longer than one page with 3 to 4 short paragraphs.
3. A straight forward letter format with 11 or 12 point font is best.  Eleven point Times Roman gives you some sense of style with good readability and clarity.
4. Use only simple paper with no photo, catchy phrases, or cute graphics.  It should be the same font style and grade and color of paper as your resume.
5. Address a specific person if possible or a position in accordance with the posting to which you are responding.  If there is a job number, reference that number.
6. Use the first line in the first paragraph to identify the specific position you are addressing and how you came to know about it, i.e. career builder.com or the local newspaper classifieds.
7. In the second paragraph express your interest in the company and enthusiasm for the position and why.
8. Include terms and phrases that are meaningful to the employer; you can achieve this by repeating some of the same language used in the job posting.
9. In paragraph four include a call to action regarding the purpose of the letter.  The action called for can be yours or the reader’s.  In other words you can say “I will phone in three days to confirm that you have received these documents” or it can be your request for a meeting or an interview, with the reader of the document.
10. Close with sincerity and your signature – make sure your signature is completely legible, have your name in print under your handwritten signature.

The most common cover letter error is the “one size fits all”.  These are the cover letters from job seekers who are too lazy to modify them for each submission and just send whatever they used last.  It is interesting that even the most qualified, highest level job seeker will make this mistake.  It’s like sending the same birthday card to everyone you know.  Who would do that? 

The remedy is so simple; you should have, and can have, an easily modifiable general format. But don’t get sloppy or in a hurry and send your cover letter for an engineers position to a company that does not have engineers.  Modify it for each position, make it specific, to do otherwise is an insult.

A good cover letter can serve many positives for a job seeker.  A good cover letter will allow you to slightly expand on your resume; it allows you to present yourself directly to the person who may be making a decision about you as a personality, before he or she ever meets you.

Many hiring decision makers will tell you that they are as likely to interview a candidate from the presentation of a well written cover letter as they are from a resume.

The cover letter, its style, format, appearance, accuracy, and the information it contains, can give the decision maker a heads up to your level of interest and professionalism.  As an employer I like to know the person contacting me has done their home work, is genuinely interested in my company, and qualified for the position I have available.  I am one who thinks the cover letter is the real story – resumes just support the facts.