INTRO TO COVER LETTERS INTRO TO COVER LETTERS What is a cover letter Why do we write cover letters How is a cover letter different from a resume Is the cover letter dying QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER Are cover letters relevant How many hiring managers look at cover letters Do I have to write a cover letter https www monster c om career advice artic le do you still need a cover letter Tl dr Too long didn t read According to this article social media is replacing the cover letter BE CAREFUL WITH WHAT YOU POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA Link Link https www thebalan cecareers com shoul d you include a cover letter if it s not requi red 2060291 Tl dr When in doubt yes include a cover letter WHEN IN DOUBT Unless the job posting specifically states DO NOT include a cover letter then you should always include a cover letter Every position will require an attached resume and some positions may require an attached cover letter OR the position will give you the opportunity to attach additional documents If you have 2 candidates with identical backgrounds but one has a cover letter and the other does not BOTTOM LINE Optimist The cover letter is an opportunity to showcase your personality and share details that may not be included in your resume Pessimist If you DO NOT write a cover letter the next candidate in line will To better understand how to write the cover letter we need to read the mind of the hiring manager HARD SKILLS VS SOFT SKILLS Hard skills are measurable defined and specific e g bookkeeping software actionable experience Soft skills tend to be intangible e g creative collaborative flexible But we can show our soft skills based on our experience WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE I think managers should only care about hard skills The only question they need to ask is can the employee do the job I think managers should only care about soft skills The only question they need to ask is can I work with this person 40 hours a week Everything else can come with training KEY INFORMATION 600 employees in 8 offices Assist Design evaluate investigate Commitment to learning Teamwork Productive Self starter Problem solver WHAT DOES THIS MEAN Which office are you applying to How many employees are in that office Overall Keywords Self starter Curious Teamwork WHAT DO THE KEYWORDS MEAN Self starter Have you started a project on your own Have you created something that no one told you to create Curious Have you taught yourself a skill because you were personally interested in it Teamwork What are some examples in which you worked on a team How did you contribute to that team Were you a leader or an assistant Both leading and assisting look great in a cover letter and resume COMPANY SIZE MATTERS Ernst and Young has 270 000 employees Countrywide Financial had 34 000 employees William G Robinson Accountancy Corporation had 5 CPAs Do you have experience working with a national group club Do you have experience working with a local group club How could the size of the company impact your cover letter Company website EXERCISE VISIT YOUR FUTURE EMPLOYER S WEBSITE How old is the company What keywords are used on the company website mission statement to help establish its character and culture Are there any recent news articles about the company You may need Some companies list the employees profiles what kind of backgrounds to Google this do these people WHETHER YOU RE APPLYING FOR A JOB OR APPLYING FOR GRAD SCHOOL You should plan on adjusting your resume and cover letter for every position This will result in likely having 3 5 slightly different resumes and cover letters It should take at least 2 hours to apply for a single position graduate school Remember you are not applying to graduate school You re applying to this specific graduate program at this specific university But how do I write a cover letter We ll discuss the cover letter format and writing techniques on Thursday