Cover Letters

Always include a cover letter with your resume unless you have been instructed otherwise. A cover letter speaks to an employer while a resume is a historical record of your skills, experience, and accomplishments. The cover letter allows you to show your personality - to become a real person, to show off your most prized qualifications, and to communicate exactly what you want and how you can contribute.

Cover letters should be reader friendly. Many people spend too much time on cover letters and never really create an effective one. Using a short letter often makes a stronger impression on an employer than pages that meander and never get to the point. If you must struggle to come up with something to say, don't say it.

You should sell yourself in each section of the cover letter. If you don't have information within a section that sets yourself apart from others, then keep that section short and get the reader quickly to the section where you do stand out.

The following cover letter format is recommended in most situations:

Your Address

Date

Contact Name
Title
Department
Company
Address

Dear First Name Last Name:

Section/Paragraph #1

Grab the reader's attention by starting with the name of the person who referred you to the position. If you do not have a referral, then get right to the point by telling the reader what you want (the position you are applying for). If you know something about the company that is unique (you were associated with the company in some way or you can personally relate to some aspect of the company) you might want to mention this.

Example:

Bill Smith suggested I contact you regarding the Restoration and Habitat Conservation position with ABC Environmental Solutions, Inc. I have enclosed my resume as an indication of my strong interest in the position. After reviewing the job announcement and discussing the job with Bill, I believe I am an excellent candidate.

Section/Paragraph #2

It is important to get the reader to this section quickly. This is where you list your most prized qualifications for the position. Even though the cover letter should show some personality, this section is where you want to cut out the fluff and verbiage and make it easy and quick for a recruiter to see your qualifications. Most recruiters will not take the time to dig through paragraphs of information to figure out your qualifications. Therefore, it is recommended that you use a bullet format (approximately 5 bullets) when listing your credentials and accomplishments. If you have related accomplishments that are significant, you might consider one section for credentials (approximately 4 bullets) and another for accomplishments (approximately 3-4 bullets).

Example:

My credentials include:

• Master of Environmental Science and Management degree from UC Santa Barbara with a specialization in Restoration Ecology.
• Undergraduate degree in Resource Management from UC Berkeley.
• Five years experience in wetland and creek restoration.
• Extensive experience with wetland policies and regulations, EPA Rapid Bio Assessment Protocol, AutoCAD and ArcInfo, and GIS techniques.

My recent accomplishments include:

• Published Habitat Conservation Thesis in three national wetland and restoration publications.
• Developed and implemented comprehensive restoration management plan for the South Coast Preserve.
• Spoke at the 1998 Ecological Society of America Conference on Ecological Restoration.

Section/Paragraph #3

In this section, you need to let the employer know what action you will take or what action you are asking them to take. When you are not working within a very structured job search process, it is recommended that you take the initiative and tell the employer that you will be calling them within a week to see if you can arrange a convenient time to meet. However, if the employer or job announcement has specified a very clear process for applying, you should follow their instructions.

Example:

If you agree that I am a strong candidate for the Restoration and Habitat Conservation position, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and discuss the contributions I could make to ABC Environmental Solutions, Inc.

I will call you within the next week to see if we can arrange a convenient time to meet.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Bob Smith

Enclosure

Note: Do not use italics as the main text in your cover letter. For a more professional look, it is recommended you use 11 point font size on your cover letter and resume.

For more information please talk to the Director of Career Development, David Parker and/or attend the Advanced Resume/Cover Letter Workshop.