Writing a Effective Cover Letter: Samples and Guidelines for Various Fields, Essays (high school) of Decision Making

Download Writing a Effective Cover Letter: Samples and Guidelines for Various Fields and more Essays (high school) Decision Making in PDF only on Docsity! Professional communication is an important aspect in the job and internship search process. Most applications now require a cover letter or allow you to upload additional documents as an option. When possible, it is always a good idea to submit a cover letter with the rest of your application materials. It gives you a chance to highlight your most relevant skills and experiences while showcasing your writing abilities. Here are some basic tips for drafting a cover letter. BEFORE YOU BEGIN WRITING: 1. Be prepared to spend one to two hours creating your first cover letter. 2. Research the company or organization on the web. a. Read articles about the company b. Read the “about us” section of their website c. Find their mission, goals, and values as an organization d. Learn about their products and services e. Research the industry as a whole 3. Each cover letter should be tailored to the job or internship description (if you have a detailed one). In order to tailor your cover letter, make a chart. On one side, list the most important qualifications the employer is seeking in the job description. Re-read the job description and notice any key terms that are mentioned repeatedly. On the other side of your chart, write out how you meet each qualification. If you do not have a detailed job description you need to determine what the key qualifications are for entry-level opportunities in the field you are applying to. Whatever is in your chart should frame the content of your cover letter. Your chart may look something like this: Example Qualifications Possible Experiences that Match Analytical Skills -Relevant coursework -Relevant internships, research or in depth course projects Knowledge of Field -Relevant coursework -Internships -Student Organization -Alumni Networking/Career Exploration Events Fluency in another language -2 years of language courses -Study Abroad Ability to build relationships with others -Leadership role in a student organization -Relevant internship -Volunteer work Leadership Potential -Relevant student organization involvement -Group projects for relevant courses -Leadership role in an internship/job 4. Have your cover letter reviewed by a Peer Assistant or Career Counselor in the Career Center. COVER LETTERS Career Center www.jhu.edu/careers 410-516-8056 career@jhu.edu 3rd Floor Garland Hall 1 STRUCTURE OF A COVER LETTER: A cover letter should be 3-5 paragraphs in length, and be no longer than one page. Notice everything is left justified and you do not need to indent your paragraphs. Remember to proofread for grammatical and spelling errors. The framework for your format may look something like this. Your Address Your Phone Your Email Today’s Date Contact Name (if you have it) Organization Name Organization Address Organization Phone Organization Email Dear Full Name: (If you don’t have it, use the position title) Paragraph 1, Introduction: This paragraph serves as your introduction to the employer. You also need to state your objective in writing the letter. Make sure when writing your objective that you include the job title, number (if given), department, and location just in case the organization has multiple openings with the same job title in various departments and locations. This paragraph should be no longer than 1-3 sentences. After stating your objective it is okay to introduce yourself and give an overview of your background. Look at some of the opening paragraphs in the sample cover letters included in this handout for ideas. Body Paragraphs: The body of your letter should be 2-3 paragraphs consisting of 3-5 sentences each. In your body section, you should begin by highlighting your most relevant education, experiences and skills. Don’t just claim to match the job description, make sure that you are providing specific detailed examples about your skills and experience to show the employer how you meet the qualifications they are seeking. For example, don’t say “I have excellent communication skills.” Instead you could say, “I have proven communication skills. For example, as the Public Relations Officer for the Women’s Pre-Health Leadership Society, I am responsible for conveying our organization’s message to the campus community. This involves writing e-communications, updating our website, speaking at relevant campus engagements, and networking with university alumni to build relationships for our organization.” In the body of your cover letter, you also want to discuss why you are interested in the organization or that specific department within the organization. This is your chance to showcase all the research you have done about the employer. Try to show the employer how you will fit into the organization and ultimately benefit the work that they do. Review the examples to see how students have successfully incorporated information about the organization into their cover letters. www.jhu.edu/careers 410-516-8056 career@jhu.edu 3rd Floor Garland Hall 2 Cover Letter Sample: Health Policy Full-time Position 1234 Alumni Terrace Paris, France March 15, 2010 International Center for Research on Women 1120 20th St. N.W., Suite 500 North Washington, D.C. 20036 To Whom It May Concern: I’m writing in reference to your post on Idealist.org regarding an opening for a Program Assistant- Gender & HIV. I am currently working as a consultant for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in the Women, Children and Gender Service, and see this opening as an excellent next step that would allow me to build on prior experience and pursue my passion for international development and women’s issues. I am impressed by and interested in ICRW’s work, and excited to see that a number of your recent reports deal with the issues I have found most compelling during my time with WFP. My year with the WFP’s Women, Children and Gender Service has given me a background in the challenges of mainstreaming gender in international development policy. A major part of my responsibilities in recent months has been researching and reporting on WFP’s progress on gender mainstreaming over the past 15 years, analyzing sex-disaggregated data and policy evolution in preparation for the 15 year review of the Beijing Platform for Action. I am particularly interested in the impact of cultural taboos and prejudices on people’s willingness to seek testing and care, and the way in which gender is reflected in these situations. ICRW’s work combines many of the issues which I am most interested in researching, and I would welcome an opportunity to pursue them further as part of your team. In addition to experience researching and analyzing gender in development, my varied experience has provided me with experience in diverse administrative, event planning and knowledge sharing tasks which would be useful as a Project Assistant at ICRW. • As a consultant at WFP, I managed the Gender Service’s transition to a new website and knowledge sharing system, identifying relevant materials, making updates as needed, and liaising with technical staff and the policy department representative. • At WFP, I have helped organize events in Rome and Cairo, taking into account the logistical needs of attendees from across the globe and coordinating three UN agencies. • As a campaign manager and as a consultant for American Group of Companies, I have organized and provided logistical support to conferences in the US and in Europe. While I have had a wonderful experience with the World Food Programme (WFP), I am looking for an opportunity to take on more project management experience, and expand my skill set in the field. I look forward to further discussing this opportunity at your convenience. Sincerely, Ima Alumni www.jhu.edu/careers 410-516-8056 career@jhu.edu 3rd Floor Garland Hall 5 Cover Letter Sample: Biomedical Engineering Research Position IMA BME STUDENT 1234 Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218 111-111-1111 imabme@gmail.com March 17, 2010 Ima Recruiter Stryker 123 Engineering Way Kalamazoo, MI 49002 Dear Ms. Recruiter: It is with great interest that I am forwarding my resume to you for the full-time research position at Stryker Endoscopy in California, especially after speaking with you on Wednesday at the Johns Hopkins University Career Fair. As I complete my B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, I hope to contribute my skills and experience to Stryker. This is an opportunity where I can fully apply my education, professional experiences, and personal interests. My varied coursework has expanded my knowledge of mechanical and biological systems and enriched my skill sets in analyzing data and communicating that information. The most significant of these was the Biomedical Engineering Design Team course. Through this course, I have gained invaluable product development experience, from conception and designing to prototyping and testing. My design team and I developed a vestibular ocular reflex diagnostic device that can quantify degeneration in the vestibular ocular reflex that can lead to vertigo and sudden dizziness. For the design, I contributed to the safety analysis of the the device by proving that the degree to which the patient’s head was being rotated was significantly below thresholds for injury and pain. In addition, I lead my team in doing market research and developing a business plan that would bring the device to market. We attended conferences and workshops across the nation to learn more about medical device development and even competed in several business competitions. By the end of my sophomore year, the prototype of the diagnostic device was sold to a company in Japan, with hopes of becoming the new golden standard for dizziness and vertigo testing. In addition to my academic work, my professional experiences have significantly influenced my desire to work in the medical device industry, specifically at Stryker. During my time as an intern at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, I used numerous medical devices and saw the immense impact they had on patients. My interest in medicine and engineering led to doctors and nurses explaining how the various devices worked and were utilized in different situations. I am confident I will be a valuable asset to Stryker Endoscopy, bringing a unique combination of skills, professional and personal experiences, and passionate dedication. I look forward to hearing from you and having the opportunity to further discuss my qualifications. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Ima Student www.jhu.edu/careers 410-516-8056 career@jhu.edu 3rd Floor Garland Hall 6 Cover Letter Sample: Graduate Level Candidate, Consultant Position Graduate Hopkins Student 123 Campus Way Baltimore, MD 21218 (111)111-1111 gradstudent@gmail.com November 10, 2010 Summer Insight Program McKinsey & Company 1200 19th St. NW Washington, District of Columbia Dear Summer Insight Program Selection Committee: I am applying to the Summer Insight Program for PhD candidates at McKinsey & Company, which was posted on the APD website. I am a graduate student in the Department of Biology at Johns Hopkins University. My education and experience have prepared me for the Summer Insight program offered by McKinsey. As a graduate student in a neuroscience laboratory, I have been trained to quickly learn new fields, think through problems in an analytical manner and maintain flexibility within a demanding schedule. My research involved recording sleep in mice, a method that I pioneered at Johns Hopkins. Once the technique was established within the lab, I was responsible for training other area scientists, both academic and industrial, in the technique and analysis. This skill set also allowed me to participate in collaborations with laboratories at Johns Hopkins and other institutions exploring topics such as Schizophrenia. I have written three primary manuscripts, three review articles and have been given the opportunity to present my work to both scientific and community audiences. These experiences have helped me to develop technical writing skills and the ability to present details of my research to various audiences, therefore preparing me for communication in a business environment. In addition to developing my research and analytical skills as a graduate student, I have also had the opportunity to develop my organizational management skills. I established an animal research facility within the lab starting my second year of graduate school. I expanded the laboratory capabilities from the simultaneous analysis of 24 animals to nearly 200 animals and added many new behavioral paradigms to our labs protocols, such as sleep recording and cognitive assays in mice. Furthermore, I manage two student technicians who care for the animals within the facility. While in graduate school, I learned of the consulting profession from John Richards, a Biology Department alumnus who now works at McKinsey. I am attracted to the constant problem solving that consulting offers and am enthusiastic about the idea of problem solving in teams to allow rapid development of ideas. Furthermore, I would love to start my career in business consulting in such a reputable firm. I would bring McKinsey both expertise in the fields of Neuroscience and Sleep biology, and the ability to think through larger problems in a group atmosphere and learn new information quickly. Thank you for your time and consideration. If you have any further questions, contact me at anytime via cell phone (443- 845-3761). Sincerely, Ima Graduate Student www.jhu.edu/careers 410-516-8056 career@jhu.edu 3rd Floor Garland Hall 7