There are some fantastic resources on the web detailing how to write a cover letter; so many experts and non-experts explaining to students, potential employees and employers just what it takes to make it impressive. I tried to compile some of my favorite pieces of advice regarding the overall template of your letter into today's entry, some of it came from others and some of it is my own, but I have a feeling there will be plenty more cover letter advice to come...
First of all, look at the style of your cover letter. It should always follow a simple and "easy to read" format. No one having to read these letters wants to feel overwhelmed just at the look of it. You want your cover letter to portray a few things at first glance:
1. You are professional.
2. You pay attention to detail.
3. You are someone worth interviewing.
Choose a professional font, one that is, once again, easy to read. There are a few staple fonts that are typically used for resumes and cover letters. Times New Roman, Arial and Georgia are always safe choices. Personality should shine through in your writing, not in your selection of font.
Next, 12-point font size is ideal. I would suggest not deviating from this size font. First of all, attempting to jam more information into your cover letter and bringing the font size below 12 is just a bad idea. When an employer or recruiter has to strain their eyes to read it, I can guarantee you they will put it down. You have to remember, employers don’t have to force themselves to read every single line you write, so the harder you make it for them the less likely they will be to read it. As far as making the font larger to take up space...If you have written what you feel is the best cover letter you can and it only takes up three-fourths of a page, good for you. If you are happy with the content, most employers will be too, regardless of whether it takes up a full page or not. In fact, they may be grateful that it doesn't.
Another detail is to please select margins that aren't too close to the edge of the page (1 inch is always a good option).
Before you begin writing "the bulk" of the letter, make it a point to try to keep your cover letter to ONE PAGE. An employer doesn’t need your whole life story, nor does he or she want it. And besides, this letter should be able to convey your personality in about ten seconds, and it is within those ten seconds that your employer may decide to interview you...or not.
Since you only have one page, try to think of ways you can conserve some space to really get your message across. I have created my own letterhead, with my personal address, email, and phone number, and placed it in the header of my cover letter. This saves room for the rest of the letter so that I don't have to take up space either at the beginning of the letter or under the signature line to include my contact information. I have also seen people use the footer to include their contact information; either work.
Make sure you place the date you plan to send the cover letter on the first line. Sometimes it takes a few days to complete a well written and thoroughly thought out letter. Your potential employer doesn’t need to know it took you eight days from beginning to completion to get that letter and resume to his/her desk. Also, I suggest you write out the entire date (i.e., July 12, 2011), instead of using only the numeric form (i.e., 7/12/2011). I think there is a professional touch to writing it out.
The person you are sending it to and their address should follow the date on your letter. Some people elect to use a "regarding" line. In our profession (legal) I think this is helpful.
Do your best to find someone to address the letter to. If you have to write "To whom it may concern" because the firm/office didn't include an individual to send it to it won't be the end of the world. I have used "Dear (insert law firm) Hiring Committee as I think it had more of a personal effect and was actually addressing someone, or should I say something. And I’m not going to lie, “To whom it may concern” sounds a little stuffy to me. My advice, use it only as a last resort.
Next, make sure you have a great opening line; something that shows your personality. Whether you begin your cover letter with a famous quotation you've always enjoyed, a story you can relate to the specific job you are applying for, or a personal connection you have with the company, make it unique and clever. But as the video by Brad Karsh indicated in my last post, there is a fine line between clever and stupid, try not to dance on it.
Prior to sending my cover letter and resume out I always ask someone to just look at it. Is it a comfortable length? Is the font legible and big enough? Most importantly, does the first line intrigue you to read further? If the answer to any of these “first impression” questions is no, it’s back to the drawing board.
Here are a couple of links with more advice on cover letters. I also suggest the templates available to you on Microsoft Word to get you started. As you can see, there is a lot of thought that should go into the overall presentation of your cover letter. It's always important to keep this in mind; style isn't everything, but it is something.
Templates to Follow – http://www.career.vt.edu/JobSearchGuide/CoverLetterSamples.html
A Paragraph Dissection – http://www.careerealism.com/cover-letter-mechanics-how-to-write-a-good-one/
Great Do’s & Don’ts - http://milton.patch.com/articles/cover-letter-do-s-and-don-ts
Happy writing!
