Cover%20Letters%20that%20Work

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Cover Letters that Work

• Writing for the Professions
• Matt Barton

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What can you do in a cover letter that you cant
do in a resume?
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Start a Conversation
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Make Impressions
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1. State Purpose for Writing.
2. State Key Asset/s.
3. Request Interview.

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Less is More
The quality of having less text in a document is,
in my personal and very sincere opinion, in many
ways better than having a great deal of text that
doesnt actually do anything important the
truthfulness of this is made evident in this
sentence in order to demonstrate the veracity of
this statement.
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Avoid Happy/Fluff Talk

• I know I would make an excellent fit for this
  job because Im an outstanding communicator.
• I know this would be a good job for me because
  Im a big fan of medicine.
• I want to work for IBM because you guys are one
  of my favorite companies.

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Showing Assets

• I worked for two years as an intern at NPR, where
  I learned
• I noticed that your tech support site provides
  great text, but no videos. In 2007, I produced a
  set of seven Flash videos for XYZ, and calls to
  the tech support hotline decreased by 200...

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Connections

• Do you know anyone who works for the company
  already?
• Do you know anyone who the hiring manager knows
  and respects?
• Is there anything special about this job or
  company that makes you a good fit?

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Dear Mr. SmithPlease consider my application
for the pharmacists job at your company. I am
ideal for this position because I know how to
make amazing LSD. Haha, just kidding! No, but
seriously, I want to work for you.
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Dear Mr. Smith

• I am writing to apply for the pharmacists
  position advertised in last Sundays edition of
  the St. Cloud Times.
• In college, I minored in in marketing to prepare
  me for building good relationships with
  customers
• Please take a moment to review my résumé
  (enclosed). I will be happy to answer any
  questions and look forward to hearing from you. I
  can be reached atI will follow up soon

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Inquiry Letters
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References
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Writing Prompt

1. Identify the problems and revise the following
   sentences from a cover letter
2. I am application for the chemical engineering job
   advertised in the Saint Cloud Times.
3. If you actually look at my resume, youll see I
   am the best employee as you can see from my
   resume.
4. If I dont hear from you soon, I may be forced to
   accept an offer by a better company for even more
   money.