Cover Letters

Accompany your resume and any other materials you wish to submit to a potential employer (portfolio, articles, etc) A cover letter is your very first impression—make it a good one. Be polite Be businesslike Use formal language Check for grammatical or mechanical mistakes

234 First Avenue Freemont, New Hampshire May 15, 2000 Ms. Andrea Weiss, Managing Editor The Free Press 17 Main Street Freemont, New Hampshire Dear Ms. Weiss, As soon as I heard about the summer internship position at The Free Press, I thought, “That’s the ideal job for me!” Hopeful that you’ll agree, I’m writing to request an interview. As you will see from my resume, I have considerable experience writing and editing copy for The Spectator, the Freemont High School Newspaper. In fact, I have learned the conventions of every kind of newspaper writing from news and sports articles to features and editorials, as my enclosed clippings demonstrate. In addition, I am able to use several word-processing programs and can obtain information from the Internet quickly. Furthermore, as my teachers will verify, I am an industrious worker. I would love to experience working at a city newspaper. I hope you will give me that chance. I look forward to hearing from you to schedule a time when we can meet. Sincerely, Amelia Delgado enc.: resume, clippings 234 First Avenue Freemont, New Hampshire May 15, 2000 Ms. Andrea Weiss, Managing Editor The Free Press 17 Main Street Freemont, New Hampshire Dear Ms. Weiss, As soon as I heard about the summer internship position at The Free Press, I thought, “That’s the ideal job for me!” Hopeful that you’ll agree, I’m writing to request an interview. As you will see from my resume, I have considerable experience writing and editing copy for The Spectator, the Freemont High School Newspaper. In fact, I have learned the conventions of every kind of newspaper writing from news and sports articles to features and editorials, as my enclosed clippings demonstrate. In addition, I am able to use several word-processing programs and can obtain information from the Internet quickly. Furthermore, as my teachers will verify, I am an industrious worker. I would love to experience working at a city newspaper. I hope you will give me that chance. I look forward to hearing from you to schedule a time when we can meet. Sincerely, Amelia Delgado enc.: resume, clippings Single-space each paragraph—leave two spaces between paragraphs Include your address Include the entire address of the sendee If at all possible, address your letter to an actual person Make your first line engaging State your purpose in the first paragraph Note your best qualifications for the job Briefly tell why you want the job Type and sign your name. List any enclosures you’ve included