Quintessential Careers Press:
Surefire Resumes for New Graduates and Other Entry-Level Candidates
Chapter 2: Forget About the One-Size-All Resume and Cover Letter
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- Tailor cover letters to specific jobs. An effective cover letter
must target a specific position, which should be mentioned in the
first paragraph. Don't list several possible positions or say that
you're willing to consider any position. If you do, the employer will
see you as unfocused or even desperate.
You've heard the adage in real estate and retailing that success
centers on three things: location, location, location. With cover
letters, success is also tied to three things: specifics, specifics,
specifics.
In our roles as resume and cover letter writers, we often got requests from customers that go something like this: "Just give me a general cover letter that I can use for any kind of job." Sorry. No can do. Well, we can do it, but we certainly don't recommend it. A cover letter needs to be specific in every way. Otherwise, it's a fairly pointless document. Some experts say even a resume should be specifically tailored for each job. While we feel that a degree of resume tailoring is sometimes desirable, extensive tailoring is unnecessary if you're specific with your cover letter.
Among the many ways you should make each cover letter quite specific are:
Specific Recipient: A cover letter must be addressed to the specific name of the recipient. It's not always easy to find the name of the specific hiring manager, but try to do so if at all possible. Usually, you can just call the company and ask who the hiring manager is for a given position. The worst-case scenario is that your letter will begin "Dear Hiring Manager for [name of position]:" Your letter should not begin: "Dear Sir or Madam" or, worst of all, "To Whom It May Concern." That lazy approach shows the employer that you were not concerned enough to find out whom your letter does concern.
Specific Position: An effective cover letter must target a specific position, which should be mentioned in the first paragraph. If you're answering an ad, it's easy to target your letter to a specific job. But if you're making cold contacts to employers, you'll have to do some research to find out what positions that the company offers fit your qualifications. Don't list several possible positions or say that you're willing to consider any position. If you do, the employer will see you as unfocused or even desperate.
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