Cover Letters?

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Anybody have experience writing cover letters for job application? Ideas on where to start? I'm pretty clueless and new at this. I think my resume is alright, but last time I didn't get any of the internships I wanted until I got special help from my school's career center... But I want to send a few applications out before I get back to school which means I don't really have access to that.

So, who's good at this?

I'm decent at it but its been a while since I wrote one.

Here's an article on them.
http://msn.careerbuilder.com/custom/msn ... _45_advice

I particularly agree with...write what you can do for the company not the other way around, be specific, tell them what position you are applying for, discuss only accomplishments that are related to this job, and be consise.

BeeBee

As a manager who reads resumes and cover letters, I'll tell you that the cover letter IS important. Resumes can be difficult to read, have TMI, and a well-written cover letter will have me calling the candidate immediately for an interview. So what do I consider well-written? The cover letter should refer to why you think you should be considered for the job. I mean say this in your letter very specifically. If it's a job working with kids and your resume is all over the place, you should have a paragraph or at least two sentences with detailed descriptions of your work with kids.

Don't ever do generic cover letters "Enclosed is my resume for consideration for the position posted in the Times blah blah blah" that could be sent to any employer. You want the employer to think you're only interested in their job.

To summarize: Resume has everything on it
Cover letter should be specific to that job.

Also, one other thing to think of is, when you saw the ad, what made you interested in the position? Put that in the letter.

Also, I recommmend using a template like BeeBee suggested.

Anyone want to volunteer to write an article on cover letters that we can put in the career section?

I don't know if I'm what you'd call good at it, but I manage to get call backs (even if I blow the interview). Give it a shot and, if its possible (as a mod, you would know better than I) PM your cover letter to me and I'll critique it. If PM'ing it won't work let me know and I'll give you my e-mail.

Edit: Here's an old one I found. It got a call back and they were interested, but decided I lived too far away.


Dear Ms. Ash,

Please accept my attached resume for consideration regarding your current need for a manufacturing technician.

My formal training is in Biomedical Equipment and I have Almost 15 years experience repairing and troubleshooting a wide variety of computer-controlled equipment. My most recent position has been repairing kidney dialysis machines and the related water purification systems. These machines use computer-controlled pumps and valves to mix 3 different chemicals and deliver that combination to the patient at a precise flow, temperature, and pressure. Feedback is typically provided by a variety of sensors including resistive pressure, infrared, ultrasonic and Hall effect.

These experiences, as well as my background in computer networking, welding and machining, enable me to troubleshoot and repair many different types of equipment in a wide variety of settings.

While my work in the medical field has been challenging and rewarding, I am now exploring other directions for my career and would welcome the chance to further discuss this opportunity.

Sincerely,

06xrs
ph: 815-555-5555
cell: 815-555-5555

Until one of us gets over our EFD, maybe you can just make this a sticky thread, Alex.

EFD?

Executive Functioning. I don't have all the concepts in my head, you'll have to google it, but one example is procrastination.

I have a PDF file on resumes, cover letters, and job interviews that I downloaded from my university's career center website. I can send it to you if you like.