A cover letter is a one-page document you submit along with your résumé when applying to an internship or entry-level job.
You might be wondering:
“What do I need to include in my cover letter?”
Or the opposite:
“What should I avoid putting in my cover letter?”
Since a cover letter basically tells a company, “Hey, I really, really, really want this internship/entry-level job” (in a more professional way, of course), it’s a very important document.
A cover letter is a one-page document you submit along with your résumé when applying to an internship or entry-level job. It provides additional information about why you’re the best candidate for a specific position with a unique organization.
After the employer reads your cover letter, you want them to read your résumé, visit your LinkedIn profile, check out your online portfolio, or better yet, do all three.
Think about it this way:
Your cover letter provides a first impression of who you are as a professional. It’s your chance to grab a recruiter’s attention. But you don’t want to grab their attention in the wrong way.
If you submit a cover letter with the wrong company name (*gasp*), you may be quickly eliminated from the pool of applicants. Here are five more things to avoid putting in your cover letter:
Avoid using “To Whom It May Concern,” or “Dear Sir/Madam.” Do your homework and figure out the person “to whom” you’re actually writing. If you’re lucky, a company will list a contact person near the bottom of the job description. Use this contact name in your cover letter. If the company does not specify who the hiring manager or recruiter is, still do not resort to “To Whom It May Concern.” Call the company, indicate your interest in the position, and ask whom the letter should be addressed.
If you search for cover letter templates online, you will find many letters that begin with, “Please accept this cover letter in application to [job] with [company].” Just because a lot of templates use this line doesn’t mean it’s the best approach. It actually makes it the worst. Hiring managers read that cliché opening line over and over and over. If you want to stand out from the crowd, don’t submit a cookie-cutter cover letter.
Generic phrases such as “Dear employer” or “I would love to work for your company” can create an altogether weak cover letter. Tailor your cover letter to the specific position and company. Spell the company name correctly and triple check that the correct name is listed throughout your cover letter before you hit “Submit.”
A cover letter is not a résumé. It serves an entirely different purpose. Don’t waste cover letter space by duplicating the contents of your résumé. Instead, tell a story, integrate your personality, and discuss your passion.
Always ensure your cover letter is free of typos. Review the letter yourself, read it out loud, and have a friend check it over. You will kill your chances of being interviewed if you make too many mistakes. Multiple typos not only reflect an inability to type, but a poor attention to detail, or a lack of care.
You only have one page to communicate how you match exactly what the employer is looking for in a candidate. Use this four-step process to accomplish the task:
Step 1: Highlight the job description.
Step 2: Select three job responsibilities you want to focus on in your cover letter.
Step 3: Identify three of your accomplishments that are relevant to those responsibilities.
Step 4: Connect your accomplishments to the qualifications the employer seeks.
At the end of the day, you write a cover letter to put together the pieces of the puzzle. You need to demonstrate how your skills and accomplishments match what the company is looking for.
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