Purpose of a Cover Letter

Class Location: The Internet.

Description: This course gives students an overview of the purpose for writing a cover letter.

Objective: Learn what a cover letter should be about.

A cover letter invites the hiring manager to read your resume and tells him or her why you are the best person for the job. If a cover letter does its job, it makes the hiring manager want to learn more about you by reading your resume and inviting you for an interview.

Always include a cover letter when you send a resume. A cover letter allows you to focus the hiring manager’s attention on those parts of your experience and background that apply directly to the job you’re applying for. It acts as a magnifying glass, focusing on the specific elements in your resume that you want to highlight for a job.

A cover letter should answer several questions for a hiring manager. First, do you have the right skills, abilities, and experience for the job? Second, are you interested in doing the tasks entailed in the job, and do you have the right attitude to work for the company? Finally, do your goals match the company’s goals? Your cover letter should show the hiring manager how your answers to each of these questions make you a good candidate for the position.

In addition to the specific information you include, the cover letter also tells the hiring manager a lot about your communication skills and attention to detail. A hiring manager will read between the lines of your cover letter to discover more than what you tell him explicitly. A cover letter indicates how well you express yourself and your ideas, how you structure written information, and how well you tailor your communication to the reader. It also indicates your grammar and spelling ability, your skills at formatting a document and how closely you pay attention to details such as typos.

For instance, if your cover letter includes misspellings, grammatical errors or typos, this tells the interviewer that you couldn’t bother to take the time to spell-check or proofread the letter. It tells him that you’re careless and haphazard. If your cover letter has errors, why will the work you do for the company be any different?

A cover letter also tells the hiring manager how analytical and thorough you are. It shows how well you have researched the company and position and how much of an effort you have made to address the company’s specific needs. If you can’t take the time to tell the hiring manager why you’re the right candidate for this position and how you will be valuable to the company and its needs, you’re indicating to the hiring manager that you don’t put 100 percent effort into your work.

You should write an original cover letter for each job you’re applying for. Hiring managers can spot a generic cover letter a mile away. The cover letter is a great tool for showing the hiring manager how the skills and experience outlined in your resume apply to the position. It personalizes your resume for each specific job and shows the hiring manager how you present yourself and your work.