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Ok, it is time to start really selling yourself with a cover letter that makes you stand out. There are two things to consider when making a cover letter and we will look at them both in some depth so that you can impress the company that you are working on landing a job with.
The two things to consider in a professionally written cover letter are contents and mechanics
Because mechanics is the easiest, we will look at that first.
Mechanics of a great cover letter.
Mechanics involves such things as punctuation, spelling and use of grammar. To be honest, I have someone proof read all of the cover letters that I have submitted and there is nothing wrong with doing that. It pays to have a teacher in the house and no, she isn't checking this website for errors, so when you find them blame me. I admit that I still goof up on colons and semi colons as well as overuse commas on occasion (and probably much more). That is why if it is as important as getting a job, I will refer to the experts. The content is all mine though as she has no clue of the requirements for good content for a cover letter in the fields that I am familiar with. More on that later... much more. Content is key on cover letters and I will show you why shortly.
In a nutshell, just make sure that you use indents where you need them, use good grammar and punctuation and have all of the spelling correct. Read your cover letter over three times when it is done to check for errors in wordage. For instance, I am famous for using "the" when it should be "they" and things like that. being a two finger typist, I seem to do that often so don't look at this site... it isn't a cover letter. :-) The spell checkers won't find those errors for you, that is all on you. By reading it three times you will probably find some of those mistakes if you made em. See, made em wasn't flagged by my spellchecker program and doesn't it look impressive? Not to a prospective employer. When you read your cover letter back, read it aloud at least once. Then hand it over to someone else to read. Four eyes are better than two and it is amazing how many times I will miss something that someone else will catch.
Of course, if you are applying for a non professional job where it is manual labor based, you might think that your cover letter doesn't have to be all that impressive. Not true, especially when the economy is bad and the labor pool is filled with "over qualified" people. I use over qualified because that is a goofy standard to me. There is no job beneath anyone when times are tight so who is "over qualified?" You may be competing with college graduates for a job that they wouldn't be applying for if the job market was tight. I know a lot of school teachers that are looking for jobs in any field right now. This is the competition in tough times. Don't let that get your down though, you still have a shot and that is why the cover letter is so important.
Learn to build a better cover letter
Content is king when making a great cover letter.
Ok, get a cup of coffee or a soda and get comfortable. We are going to get into the content of a good cover letter. Of all the steps in the applicant process, the cover letter is one of the most important. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I WOULD RANK THE COVER LETTER JUST BELOW THE INTERVIEW IN IMPORTANCE.
Here's why:
The cover letter is the first place where your personality has a chance to be observed. A good resume is based on experience, education, form etc. A cover letter is your first time to shine. You can show subject knowledge, desire, aptitude, drive and much more on a personal level. A cover letter talks about you and attempts to tell a prospective employer a little bit about who you really are.
What to put into a job winning cover letter.
I usually suggest that the cover letter consist of three or four separate but equal parts. The first one should start by BRIEFLY introducing yourself and to explain why you are qualified for and desire the job.
Keep it very brief.
Example:
Paragraph 1
I am pleased to present my resume to for for consideration as a (job that you are applying for) with your (company, police dept, school district etc).
I have (a degree, formal education, experience) and am eligible for (licensure if needed). If licensure isn't necessary, then leave that out. Having the desire to provide (an excellent education, for the safety of the community etc. Think of a selling point no matter the job. I don't care if it is emptying septic tanks, you can sell the fact that you want to provide excellent customer service and care) I am confident in MY ability to be a valuable TEAM member within your (company, police dept, school district etc.)
Make sure that you impress upon the perspective employer that you are caring and a team player. The last thing anyone wants to hear is that "I want this job because I need some money!" Believe it or not, I have received resumes and cover letters stating exactly that. I even received one years ago that stated "I am applying for this job because welfare told me I had to. I don't really want it." How far will you get if you are applying for a police job and state that you want the job because you want to write tickets and kick some A%@? It's called file 13, the round file or the black hole...at least in my day. Your application will get pitched and you will never see that job.!!
Paragraph 2
As my resume will demonstrate (you worked hard and have a resume geared for the job that you are applying for. Refer to it) my (educational training, experience, ) has been geared towards (cultivating, serving, leading, selling etc. Use those keywords!) others to better themselves by being an example as well as an educator. (This is just one example, work with it with the job that you are applying for in mind) Throughout my (training, education, experience or years of experience) I have been given ample opportunity to (interact with, teach, lead..use what applies) others and (expand if you can.)
As a result, I feel genuinely prepared to (go into some detail of what you can do or offer the employer. The genuinely is always a nice touch.)
Paragraph 3
Here is where you can lay out your greatest strengths. Keep them very brief and tell what they mean.
My greatest strength includes motivating and inspiring others. Actively engaging them to assist them to achieve more for themselves by working on sales techniques and motivators in a one on one forum if needed. This is of the upmost importance to me. (Of course, you may have to change this around depending on the position that you are applying for.)
Paragraph 4
This is where you close. It is the final sell of the cover letter. Here you would tell the employer that you are confident in your abilities to do the job that you are being considered for as well as show how you are WILLING TO DISCUSS THEIR GOALS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM ACHIEVE THEM!
This is usually just a two or three liner.
Close with:
Sincerely,
4 spaces where you sign
Your name
As you can see, your cover letter and resume will take some time and as I stated before, you should cater them to the job. Even if you are applying for two similar jobs like a local police job where you will be handling all types of incidents or a job as a state trooper where you will mostly be dealing with traffic crashes, traffic stops and impaired drivers, you can still cater a resume and cover letter towards each one. For instance, for the local officer position, you may want to stress your experience and desire when it comes to community oriented policing. While for the trooper position, you may want to focus more on your ability and desire to help lower the fatality rates as well as your ability to calm people in stressful situations. I know that local officers do have stressful situations to deal with too and you can hit upon that, but right now community oriented policing is a big deal for local PD's.
Think about the job that you are applying for. Get input from friends and relatives as well as someone that is already doing the type of job that you want to do. These can all be very valuable informational sources that can up your chance of success landing that job.
The design of a job winning cover letter
Now you have a nice draft of what you want your cover letter to say. The next question is what should it look like? The simple answer is that it should like just like your resume! The same information, style, color and font size should be on both documents. Of course, there are rules for the resume and the cover letter as well as the application!
1. No stickers, stamps, sayings or slogans of any kind on the resume or cover letter!
While you might think that a Ms. Piggy sticker with the saying "have a great day" on it is cute, an employer
may think that you are not a professional. I once received a resume for a potential employee that had a US army emblem on the top and the words "kill em all and let God sort em out" on it. He was applying for a police officer position. Do you think for one minute that I want him in my department when I am intimately responsible for his actions or lack thereof? I am as strong of a supporter of our military as anyone, but this was not a professional cover letter and resume. Keep your beliefs and personality to yourself when applying for any position unless they are relevant to the job. For example, applying as a teacher in a religious school where your faith is important and desirable.
2. Do not stink the paper up!!!
I am trying to be a bit light here, but this is serious. I know of employers that have actually thrown out applications, resumes and cover letters due to the smell on them. Spraying them with perfume or handling them while having a bunch of cologne on can cost you. Sending a resume and a cover letter to a potential employer, when the paper smells like a farm on a hot July day will not get you far either. Paper has its own smell, leave it that way!
Make your cover letter stand out
One way that you might make your cover letter stand out above the rest is to add a catchy heading after the salutation and before the body. Something like this:
Desiring the opportunity to interview in person for a police officer position, I thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
So it looks like this:
Name
______________________________________
Address
City, State, Zip code
Home number Cell number
Email address
__________________________________________________________
Date
Contact person
Address
City, State, Zip code
To whom it may concern or contact persons name:
Desiring the opportunity to interview in person for a police officer
position, (or whatever job your are applying for) I thank you in
advance for your time and consideration.
Then go into your cover letter
You might even want to give some color to it but at the very least make it bold.
Make a great cover letter. Learn how to build a cover letter step by step.
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