Cover letters, Thank you letters, Offer acceptance/decline letters
Creating a Winning Cover Letter
A cover letter is a vital tool in marketing yourself to prospective employers for several reasons:
An effective cover letter will draw attention to your qualifications and experiences that are most relevant to the position for which you are applying.
Employers often use letters to assess the written communication skills that you will need for any position.
A letter provides you the opportunity to convey to a potential employer your interest, enthusiasm, and other personal attributes that are not easily expressed in a resume alone.
Cover letters can play an important role in helping you gain interviews through on-Grounds interviewing and your own off-Grounds search. For these reasons, it is important that you prepare your written job search correspondence with as much care as you used when constructing your resume.
When should I send a cover letter?
Pay attention to times when you need to send a cover letter to a potential employer or contact. If you are conducting an onGrounds job search a cover letter may not always be required. It is important to note that unless requested, cover letters cannot be submitted through the CAVLink system. If you are conducting an off-Grounds job search, sending a cover letter will provide the employer with helpful information to complement the resume. A cover letter can convey your interest and indicate that you are a “match” for the position.
What should my cover letter say?
Why you are writing and how you learned about the organization or opportunity
Why you are interested
Why you are qualified and would be a good “match” for the position
How you plan to follow up with the employer
Do not restate what is on your resume
Emphasize personal attributes/strengths related to qualifications for the position
How do I begin to compose