Why A Cover Letter is More Than Just A Dust Jacket
Do I really need a cover letter?" We are asked this question a few times every month. We get the impression that people are hoping we will say, "No! You do not need a cover letter. Your résumé's great. It can stand on its own." After putting so much time and effort into their résumé, it is easy to understand why people might think the cover letter is nothing more than a "dust jacket" for the real article, Just one more piece of wasted paper that delays getting to the good stuff. What do most cover letters say, after all, but, "You've got a job, I've got a resume. Hope to hear from you soon."
But the cover letter is more than a way to dress up your résumé. It has a beneficial purpose. If written well (focusing on how and why your particular skills, experience, achievements, and personality can benefit a specific position and company), your cover letter can encourage your reader to turn to your résumé with genuine interest.
What the Cover Letter Does that the Résumé Does not
While your cover letter acts as an introduction, it can also take your résumé's information one step further by showing your reader how your history and past achievements can be applied to meet the needs, concerns, missions, and goals of the company you are targeting. In this way, your cover letter not only confirms your qualifications for the position, but also indicates that you are the right person for this company.
In order to present your qualifications in a meaningful way to your specific reader, you need to do some homework on the company you are targeting. Learning all that you can about a company, knowing what they are trying to achieve, what their products or services are, who comprises their customers or clientele, what their strengths and weaknesses are, what their concerns are, who their competitors are, and how well they are achieving their goals, will not only help you identify ways in which your skills can be directly applied for the company's benefit, but can also help you determine if this is a company where you want to work.
In doing your company homework, you may discover an area where your skills or background can make a substantial, positive difference for the company you are targeting. Nothing will advance your opportunities faster than finding a couple of flaws or deficits in the way a company manages its operations and showing how your particular area of expertise can solve this problem in a cost-effective manner ~ just be careful how you present these flaws. No one wants to hear that they are not doing a terrific job, but everyone likes to hear, "I have some ideas that could really make this particular effort fly, and I would like to talk to you about them."
Knowing that you have something valuable to offer is a great incentive for a recruiter to want to meet you in person to learn more (the interview).
Getting information on companies of interest has never been easier. The Internet has opened the doors to information access, from the comfort of your own home (please, do not do this research on your current employer's computer). Since most companies have Web sites these days (and, by the way, many of these company sites also post job opportunities), the opportunity to learn what a company is doing, who their leadership is, who their clientele is, what their products or services are, and what they are hoping to achieve in the future is just a few mouse clicks away, And resource sites such as Hoover's (www.1st-impact.com/tools.htm) allow you to gain additional information, regardless of whether or not a company has its own web site.
Your local library is also a great resource. Tell the Librarian what you are trying to achieve, and you may be surprised by the number of resources available. A few resource guides worth mentioning are: "Corporate Jobs Outlook", "Corporate Technology Directory", "Directory of Corporate Affiliations", "Directory of Leading Private Companies", and "The Almanac of American Employers". Doing a search on the library computer may turn up additional articles, press releases, or annual reports, all great indicators of what a company is trying to achieve and how well they are doing.
Once you have a solid understanding of your target, you need to identify how your skills, experiences, education, achievements, and personal characteristics will meet the needs of the particular company. One easy way of determining this is by considering what it is about the company that (after having learned all you can about them) makes you want to work for them. What do you envision yourself doing for them, for their benefit? How do you see yourself making a difference?
When in my Cover Letter or Résumé Should I State What I am Hoping to Gain from Employment?
Never.
The simple truth is, at this stage of the game, your reader does not care about what you want or what you are hoping to gain from being employed at their company. Right now, your reader only cares about what you can do for them.
You want your reader to act (hopefully by calling you to discuss the position and establish an interview date ~ or at least to be willing to accept a call you have indicated you will be making). Later, during the interview phase, you will have an opportunity to address how the position fits your needs, but, at this point, every effort you make needs to be focused on the needs of the reader, the position, and the company in question.
The Two Types Of Cover Letters.
There are basically two types of cover letters. One is used in submission to an ad or known position opening, commonly known as the "standard" cover letter. This type of cover letter is easier to write for an obvious reason - some of the criteria of the position is being made known through advertisements or network contacts, thus aiding the writer in knowing what specific criteria and needs the reader wants addressed. This is also the type of cover letter used when someone is referring you to a company, "John Doe suggested I contact you regarding. . ." or "It is by John Doe's recommendation that. . ."
The second kind of cover letter is commonly called a "broadcast" cover letter. This type of cover letter is used when targeting companies of interest, but when no known position opening is being made public (or may not even, at the present time, exist). Although some companies frown on unsolicited résumé submissions, some position openings are often known long before the position is announced (someone has just turned in their resignation, a new position is being developed for an emerging need, someone is going to be retiring, someone is going to be or has just been fired). This is part of what is called the "hidden job market." Waiting for a position to be advertised simply assures that your résumé will be placed in competition with hundreds of other equally eager candidates.
Understanding your reader, the position you are targeting, and the company in question is important in all of your cover letter and résumé submissions, but it is particularly important in the broadcast cover letter. At least in the standard submission, when applying to an ad or known position opening, you have a sense of what the reader wants and that they are willing to receive your material. In the unsolicited submission, it is even more important to make your reader feel that what you have to say and what you have to offer is worthy of their time and attention.
