Cover Letter Writing Tips
The Career Management Center has compiled writing tips and sample cover letters to assist you in preparing for the upcoming resume drops. To help you get started, here are some rules of thumb for writing cover letters: Your cover letter is an advertisement that helps recruiters understand why you are contacting them and how you can contribute to their organizations. In the first paragraph of the letter, you should cover the basics of who you are (“Currently I am a first-year MBA student at Goizueta Business School . . .”) and why you are writing. The second and third paragraphs should explain the logic behind why you are writing to request an interview. Answer the questions “why me?” and “why you (the company)?” with well-reasoned examples of the fit between you and the organization. Always conclude with what you want: if you want to be included in the interview schedule, if you want to talk about structuring an internship, etc. Follow up – if you say you will call in three weeks, then call in three weeks. Do your research. Know the industry news, recent mergers, regulatory events, etc. Address this if it is relevant. Talk to second-years who interned at each company and find out what qualities the company values. Try to use that information in your cover letter. Be brief. Your cover letter should be one page. If you find yourself shrinking the font size to 10 points in order to get everything on one page, then you have probably written too much. Avoid generalizations. Your cover letters should reflect your unique understanding of the organization you are contacting. Experienced recruiters can usually tell when you cut corners by running a mail merge. Do not use clichés in your cover letter. Unsubstantiated claims, such as “XYZ is the best firm in the ABC industry . . .” will always work against you. If you are a sector-switcher, or if your story is not obvious, spell it out by showing how you have done the types of work necessary in the available position (transferable skills). Provide stepping stones so that the reader can clearly understand the logic behind why you are interested in working for their organization. Double check the name and address of the recipient. With eRecruiting, you will not need to sign your letters. However, please don’t forget to sign any letter that you will be printing and sending separately by mail. Spell check. Grammar check. Proofread. Please. If English is not your native language, please have another student who is a native speaker check for errors and grammar. Ask your friends to proofread your letters, but don’t “carpet bomb” them. The best practice is to have one person review your letter and incorporate their recommended changes before asking another person to review the letter. Sending multiple copies of the same letter for proofreading increases the work for your reviewers.
PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DAY BEFORE THE DEADLINE TO START YOUR COVER LETTER!!