COVER LETTER
Resumes are often accompanied by a cover letter or cover email. Written in business style, cover letters and cover emails should contain an expression of your interest in working for a company, an abbreviated introduction to your career and a short, compelling paragraph detailing why you would be a perfect fit for a current or future opening. Cover letters must follow the application directions that the employer stated in the job posting. Cover letters, like resumes, must be targeted for each position you seek or contact you make. They should enhance what is in the resume, but not repeat it. Cover letters and cover emails are employed in a variety of circumstances, ranging from applying for advertised jobs to serving as a letter of introduction to companies where you want to work. Another goal might be to request an informational interview via a cover letter. The targeted audience may be different, but the general approach remains the same. COVER LETTER AUDIENCES Cover letters serve different readers. Typically, cover letters are targeted at specific job openings in a company. These “application” letters match your qualifications to a position’s advertised requirements. Another variation, the “prospecting” letter, is used to contact employers who haven’t advertised or published job openings. You may have cold- called a company and gotten the name of someone you want to contact with a letter, resume and follow-up call. The purpose of these letters are to describe your skills and match them to the perceived needs of the employer based on your research.
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