Cover Letter

QW: What skills or qualities do you have that will benefit a company you are working for?

A cover letter is a professional letter that is often required for job applications. The cover letter gives you a chance to discuss your unique talents and explain why you are a good fit for the job. It complements your resume by giving more detail about your skills, experience, and qualifications and should be tailored to the specific job you are applying to.

The cover letter should not simply restate your resume - the potential employer has already seen that and doesn't need another paper saying exactly the same thing. The purpose of the cover letter is to focus attention on particular aspects of your experience that relate to the job and your ability to do it well. It should also explain how hiring you will benefit the business or organization.

For this assignment, you will write a cover letter to apply to the job you identified in last week's assignment. Use a professional letter format (you can find templates on Google Docs) and use the following format:

• 1st paragraph - introduce yourself and state the job you are applying for
• Middle paragraphs - in one or more paragraphs, sum up your qualifications and skills and why you are a good fit for this job. You shouldn't just restate your resume, but rather highlight the specific skills and experience that are relevant for the job you are applying to.
• Final paragraph - thank the reader for considering your application and state that you look forward to hearing from them.

This article on monster.com gives a little more information about what a cover letter is and how to write one.

An example of a cover letter can be found at the link below:
Example cover letter

And here is a template you can use for your cover letter, if you find it useful:

Cover letter template

Turn in your completed cover letter to your EF.