Cover Letter Examples
In your cover letter’s opening paragraph, be specific about
the position you’re applying for. I doubt if hiring managers have the time or patience to figure this out. Here’s another helpful tip: if you happened to find out about the
position from someone already working for the company, be sure to, with that
person’s full knowledge and permission, mention their name in your opening
paragraph.
That’s a great way of showing that someone already employed by the
company, had enough faith in you to suggest that you apply for the position. Great
way to stand out from the other applicants, don’t you think?
Here’s the opening from a cover letter sent with a resume for a teacher’s position:
Dear Ms. Emma Smith,
Laura Ford, who’s spoken highly of you and your school many times, suggested that I contact you about a teaching position that you’re interviewing for.
In the body of your cover letter, just whet the hiring manager’s appetite—give about 2-3 of your best skills, qualifications and achievements. Briefly highlight these things, being careful not to repeat exact lines that are in your resume. In the following example, the applicant mentions a couple of important skills needed for a teaching job—the ability to communicate well and develop a great curriculum. Which happens to be two of the qualifications that the employer is specifically looking for (something the applicant learned while researching the position):
I understand that you’re looking for preschool teachers who can warmly communicate with children, while creating an exciting and comfortable learning environment. Not only am I capable of this, but I share your belief that our teaching should always foster a child’s enthusiasm for learning. I love when my students ask questions, and I’ve always done my best to give them answers that are of course accurate, detailed, and yet easy to
understand.
Let’s go back to research for a moment. Like I mentioned before, show that you’ve done some homework on the hiring company. You can briefly mention a special product they’ve developed, a certain challenge they’re facing, a recent purchase they’ve made. Offering solutions to problems and ideas for new or current products shows your genuine desire to improve their efficiency and profitability. That can only show that you truly do want to work for their company. Here’s an example:
I was excited to find out that you may be starting a school newsletter. As my resume says, I have over 3 years experience writing and editing a school newsletter. In fact, I have a few ideas for your own newsletter that I’d love to discuss with you.
You can close your letter by asking for an interview, or in an even more assertive form, state when you’ll be calling them to ask for the interview:
I’ll give you a call next Tuesday morning to see when we can possibly schedule an interview. I’m looking forward to meeting you. Thank you in advance for looking over my resume.
P.S.: One great cover letter tip is to place a postscript section on it. This is the perfect place to put some information that you really want to stand out. It could be
another great skill or achievement, or you could ask for an interview in this section. Either way, a P.S. is always seen, it stands out, so use it wisely. Here’s the P.S. in the teacher’s cover letter:
P.S. If you’d like to talk about the ideas I have for your newsletter sooner than next Tuesday, I’m definitely available for an earlier meeting. You can reach me directly at (323) 728-xxxx.