Cover Letters

An impressive cover letter is a good way for older workers to convince employers to interview them for the jobs they want. What is a cover letter? It is basically a marketing tool for you. Your resume contains factual information about your skills and accomplishments, while your cover letter is an opportunity to sell yourself to the employer.

It is a short letter (no more than one page) written to a specific person about a specific job that contains three parts:

First paragraph: Explain why you are writing and mention the job you want. Do not start with the sentence “I am writing about the position…” Learn something about the company that you can write about in this paragraph or if you have been referred to the company, mention the person’s name.

Second paragraph: Sell yourself and show off your writing skills. Write about all of the skills, knowledge and abilities you have that will benefit the company/organization. Do not write about what they can do for you. Focus on your accomplishments and performance that are related to the job you are applying for, not the number of years you have worked or a long history of your experience. This is an opportunity to use current industry jargon and to mention your up-to-date technical skills. Use key words from the posted job description. Don’t rewrite your resume, since it will accompany this letter, but you can refer to it.

Third paragraph:  Write that you are very interested in the job and would like to work for the company. Indicate what the next steps will be. Do not write, “You can contact me at…” rather, request an interview and let them know when you will contact them. Include your contact information.

Some Don’ts:

• Don’t include salary information. After you’ve been offered the job, negotiate for salary.
• Don’t copy a cover letter you find on the Internet, write it in your own words because it will more likely catch the employer’s attention.
• Don’t send the same cover letter for every job, write a new letter tailored to each job you really want.
• Don’t send a cover letter that has mistakes in it.
• Don’t forget to sign it—blue ink is best so the employer can tell that it is an original signature.
• Don’t address the letter “Dear Sir” or “Gentlemen” if you don’t know whom you are sending the letter to because these terms are outdated. Use “Dear Director of Human Resources” or something similar to make sure it gets to the right person.

Make sure someone you trust edits your cover letter for content, grammar, and tone before you send it. Your cover letter should communicate your energy and ability to meet the employer’s needs. Spelling, grammar and punctuation should be perfect. 

If you are emailing your cover letter, make sure that all three paragraphs fit on the screen so the employer doesn’t have to scroll.

A cover letter is a great way to sell yourself and an excellent cover letter can get you the interview.