1. COVER LETTERS 201 You are what you’ve written…

2. Importance  A cover letter is the second step to the interview. If the potential employer thought your resume was good enough not to throw out, then he/she will read your cover letter before thinking about an interview.  The most popular ways to lose out an interview with a poor cover letter? -Spelling-Grammar-Structure-Length-Fonts

3. One GREAT Way…  Use our tried and true cover letters… -They’re simple in structure -They’re easy to create -They’re easy to read -They COMMUNICATE!

4. Cover Letter Guidelines  YOUR NAME / ADDRESS  Use the same format from your resume, but leave it Left Justified.  DATE  Use the date that you will be handing this cover letter and resume to the employer.

5. Cover Letter Guidelines  THEIR NAME / ADDRESS  Spell EVERYTHING properly. (Check 3 times!)  Left Justified.  PARAGRAPH #1  Dear Ms. or Dear Mr.  Then follow the structure:  “I am very interested in doing my Cooperative Education placement…” and “I am confident you will find…”

6. Cover Letter Guidelines  PARAGRAPH #2  Use the structure.  School information + Your interest in field.  PARAGRAPH #3  Closing. Be confident. Again, follow the structure.  THE FINISH!  Go with ‘Sincerely’ for closing signature word.  Practice signing your name like a regular person. You are not a movie star or a hockey player.

7. Cover Letter Checklist  One page maximum  No contractions – use full words  Use consistent font, bold, italics (no larger than 12, no WingDings font!)  Check for proper alignment and spacing  Should be attractive, professional, clean, no graphics  No underlining  No spelling/grammatical mistakes  Must have positive tone  Concise – information not repeated  Be accurate, but not overstated – no lying!!  Top and bottom margins are approximately same size

8. Cover Letters 201  Your cover letter speaks for you, so make sure it speaks clearly.  After the resume, this is your strongest means to get an interview. If your cover letter speaks poorly, it’s a reflection of your interest in the job.  Give it some effort!