| Guidelines for correspondence in your
job search |
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Written communication —
whether hard copy or e-mail — serves many purposes in a job search.
In a thorough job search, you will write many types of letters.
Cover letters, which accompany
and introduce your resume (so called because you place it on top of,
and thus cover, your resume), are the ones you may hear about most
(and NEVER send a resume without one), but are not the only letters
you will need. Letters also precede, follow-up and confirm verbal
conversations, so they serve as a record and reminder of interactions,
as well as evidence of your communication skills. |
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| Do I have to send
a cover letter with my resume? |
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Yes. |
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What's your goal in sending your resume?
Isn't it to get into the "yes" pile (rather than the "no"
or "maybe" piles) when the employer is sorting resumes to
decide whom to interview? A well-written cover letter is an important
tool for getting into the "yes" pile. |
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It's just good manners and
appropriate business etiquette to include a cover letter with your
resume. It's perceived as lazy and/or ill-informed not to (or to send
one that looks like it could have been "shot-gunned" to
anyone, or worse, addressed to the wrong person or office). |
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| For all business
correspondence, including e-mail: |
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Individualize:
There are similar elements to job seach letters, but each letter should
be individually tailored and targeted to the recipient. There is no
such thing as an effective "form letter" in a job search.
You know when you get a form letter in the mail; a prospective employer
knows too. A letter that looks like it could have been randomly sent
to any employer is a good candidate for the employer's "no"
pile. |
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Make your purpose clear:
Don't make an employer guess why you are writing or what you are writing
about. In choosing your words, think about the purpose of your letter
and details of your individual circumstances. For example, if you
make a telephone call to an employer prior to sending a cover letter,
it makes sense for your letter to refer to the telephone call. If
you must respond to an employer's letter to you, read the letter carefully
to draft an appropriate response. |
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Edit:
Grammar, spelling and punctuation should be error-free; wording should
be clear, concise and business-like; avoid gimmicky language and slang
terms. |
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Be yourself:
Be your formal, business-like self, but express yourself in a manner
that is natural to you. Avoid too much borrowing of language from
sample letters and friends' letters. Excessively flowery language
or using complicated words won't make you sound smarter; it will make
you sound silly. Use good examples as inspiration, but don't copy. |
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Record-keeping:
Retain a copy of every letter you send, including e-mail; mark your
calendar for any appropriate follow-up. |
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| For print (hard
copy) correspondence: |
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Paper:
Use 8 1/2 by 11 inch, good quality paper; preferably the same paper
as used for your resume. Particularly for your resume, make sure you
choose paper which produces clean photocopies. Some papers with flecks
make hazy copies. |
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Print:
Produce laser quality print; choose a proportionally spaced font,
rather than an evenly spaced font. You may choose either serif type
(like Times New Roman) or sans serif type (like Arial). |
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Folding vs. large envelopes:
A one-page cover letter and a one-page resume (appropriate for 98.6%
of undergraduates) can be folded, but it's a nice touch to use a larger
flat envelope so your letter and resume don't have to be folded. By
all means, if you're sending other things the employer requested (transcripts,
application forms, etc.) and/or you're a Ph.D. candidate with a four-page
C.V., don't try to cram it all into a small envelope. |
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| Also see: |
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Guidelines and business etiquette for e-mail in your job search |
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Cover
letter types and samples |
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Researching employers
— why and how |
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Thank you / follow up
letters |
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After
your interviews / follow up / thank-you letters |
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Acknowledging a job
offer, neither accepting nor declining |
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Declining a job offer |
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Requesting extension
of deadline to accept/decline offer |
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Accepting an offer and
withdrawing from the job search |
