The Arizona Republic
From January 5, 2003 Print Edition

Cover letters open doors

By D.J. Burrough
Special for The Republic
January 5, 2003

While a resume is the main document that can determine whether you get a shot at an interview, an accompanying cover letter is as important and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Job seekers should spend as much time writing cover letters as they do resumes, career experts say. The cover letter should engage the reader, should highlight your most relevant skills, make the hiring manager want to read your resume and, ultimately, induce the company to call you for an interview.

“A cover letter is critical,” said Jane Lance, managing principal in the Phoenix office of Right Management Consultants. “There should be some good thought that goes into it. People need to take time to craft a strong letter.”

As with a resume, a cover letter should be free of any spelling or grammatical errors and should be no longer than one page. Avoid too much industry jargon, unless you’re sure that the reader will understand its meaning.

A good cover letter should include these three elements:

• A paragraph about why you are applying for the position. The best is that someone in the company suggested that you apply, but it can be that you read about the company or respect its business plan.
• A paragraph that highlights your skills and experience. The strongest technique is to show how closely your skills align with those needed in the position.
• A paragraph talking about the next step. You should take the initiative by saying that you plan to call to follow to see if there is enough interest to warrant a face-to-face meeting.

“A cover letter gives you another opportunity to sell yourself,” said Yvonne Pommerville, managing director of the Phoenix office of Waldron & Co. “The key to the cover letter is to make it strongly targeted to what the company is looking for.”

Pommerville suggests clients use a two-column approach in their cover letter to highlight how well their skills match the ones needed for the position. In one column put what the position needs and in the other, put your skill that matches.

“You want tot make it easy for the person reading that letter,” Pommerville said. “With the columns, that’s a really effective way to show how well you fit.”

Tips for cover letters

• Personalize; don’t offer up a standard letter that could go to any company.
• Check for spelling and grammatical errors.
• If you can, mention the name of the person who suggested you apply for the position.
• Don’t use too much industry jargon.
• Be sure that your skills match up as closely as possible to those posted for the position.
• Don’t include every element of your background; the most important ones will be lost in the mix.
  

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