Cover/Application Letters

In the era of social media, the idea of writing a cover letter to introduce your résumé may seem outdated. However, the cover letter (an application letter) still serves a few critical functions. If your résumé is characterized by breadth—giving a broad overview of your qualifications—the cover letter is characterized by depth—choosing a few of the most significant qualifications to cover in detail. Your cover letter is the first writing sample your employer will see from you, and it is written in paragraphs rather than bullet points. In paragraphs, it is easier to market your unique qualifications and how you will fit in with the company’s culture. An effective cover letter will create a picture of you as a potential employee and inspire a potential employer to learn more about you.

Keep the following tips in mind as you write your cover letter:

• Your cover letter argues why you should be granted an interview.
• Make sure to support the claim that you are qualified for the position with evidence. This evidence should come from the pre-writing exercises you did in the previous chapter.
• Demonstrate your authority by speaking in detail about your qualifications and showing the reader that you have the skills and abilities necessary to do the job. The more detail you offer and the more precise your language is, the more the reader can picture you doing the job. See the sample cover letter below for examples of “showing.”
• Use your audience analysis research to help you connect with the company and choose the appropriate tone, level of formality, and technicality.
• Follow the full block format for professional letters found in the Technical Communication chapter.
• Aim for one page for your letter and avoid spilling over into a second.
• Follow the Seven Cs to make sure you’ve edited your letter professionally.

Outline for Cover Letters

With some adjustments, the full block format will help you design your cover letter, but what about the actual content? The general outline for a cover letter has four parts, each with its own elements. They are:

1. Salutation
2. Opening Paragraph
3. Body Paragraph(s)
4. Closing Paragraph

Ensure your cover letter includes all the elements discussed below. Otherwise, your cover letter risks not being the persuasive document it needs to be to get you an interview.

Salutation

Make your best attempt to find a specific name (or at least the job title) of the person to whom you should address this letter.  Avoid using generic salutations like “Dear Hiring Manager,” as they do not add any relation to your letter. You can omit this portion if you do not know the specific audience to which to direct your letter.

Opening Paragraph

State why you are writing, explicitly naming the position you are applying for. Indicate how you learned about the position (networking if you can). In one sentence, create a pathos appeal by using your audience analysis research to establish a connection with the company. Finally, in one sentence, summarize your strongest qualification/s for the job to build up your credibility or ethos.

Body Paragraph(s) 

Your body paragraphs show how you are uniquely qualified for the position. Build each section around a single qualification or unique professional strength related to the job. Open the paragraph with a claim about this qualification/strength, and then provide a developed illustration of a time in your work or academic history when you used/excelled at this skill or used it to benefit others. For example, if the job requires excellent customer service skills, you might discuss when you used your customer service skills to defuse a conflict or increase your company’s profits. It can be effective to conclude your middle paragraphs with sentences that express how these past experiences will prepare you for the potential job. These concluding statements contribute to your ethos by demonstrating your good judgment and establishing a compelling logos appeal by drawing connections between your skills and experiences and the company’s needs.  Be sure to begin each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that unifies the information found in the section.

Closing Paragraph 

Thank the reader for their time and consideration. Gesture towards an interview. You may explicitly request an interview or wish to include such a phrase as “I look forward to discussing my qualifications with you in person soon.” If there is any information the reader should know about getting in touch with you, include it; if your phone number and email address do not appear elsewhere in the cover letter, include them here. You may refer the reader to your enclosed résumé.