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Creative Cover Letters
In an intensely competitive environment, it
is vital to differentiate yourself, and a great cover
letter will do just that.
Diane M. Barowsky, FACHE
You’ve heard about
a good opportunity. Your resume is well done and up-to-date.
Before you respond, take a good look at your cover letter.
If it’s a form letter, don’t send it. If you
do, you may be making a big mistake.
Consider the response any
job opening generates, think about how many resumes will
be received (especially if you are responding to an ad).
You can differentiate your candidacy through a well-written,
pertinent, concise cover letter. Your cover letter is
an opportunity to attract the attention of the recipient
and get your resume read.
Consider these basic rules for writing a good cover letter:
Address The Letter To The Appropriate Individual.
Call the receptionist
to get the person’s name (correct spelling, please)
and title. If you cannot obtain that information, address
it to “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Human
Resources Manager,” etc. Try not to use “Dear
Sir or Madam.” This makes you appear out of date
and suggests your letter may be one of many, not one crafted
for the job you want.
Keep It Brief — Limit The Letter To One Page. The first paragraph
should state the position you are interested in. The second
paragraph should describe your specific skills and expertise
and how they match the recipient’s needs. You need
to do some homework here. The third paragraph can be used
to explain anything unusual in your resume (gaps in your
career, excessive number of moves in a short time period,
etc.) or anything else that isn’t readily apparent
from your resume (unique experience or background, e.g.,
you grew up in the city where the job is located, etc.).
Include Both Your Work And Home Phone Numbers.
If you are concerned about
phone calls at work, it is fine to add a statement such
as “please feel free to contact me discreetly at
work at 312/782-3113.” Don’t expect the hiring
manager to call you at home in the evening. If you prefer
messages be left on your home answering machine, state
that in your letter. Then make sure you have a professional
greeting on your answering machine and plan to check for
messages frequently.
As you prepare your cover
letter, put yourself in the position of the recipient.
Does it attract your attention without being cute or gimmicky?
Remember, it is a professional letter meant to demonstrate
your personal style — it should not be to informal
or casual.
Ask a colleague to read
your cover letter. Is it clear, direct, with good sentence
structure and grammar? Mistakes or misspellings will give
a negative impressions and probably eliminate you from
consideration. Does the letter encourage the reader to
peruse your resume? That is its role, after all. Since
resumes tend to look alike, a well-written cover letter
can be the determining factor in getting you that interview.
It is your chance to confirm how much you know about the
organization and its challenges (beyond what the ad states).
Once you have done your research, you can then describe
how your particular skills are a match for the organization’s
needs.
It is okay to fax a resume
and cover letter if time is of the essence. However, always
follow-up with an original in the mail. Don’t get
lazy and let the fax sheet substitute for a good cover
letter. The amount of time and attention your information
receives will probably be proportional to the amount of
time and attention that you expend.
If you are not applying
for a specific job but are interested in available opportunities,
use your cover letter as an introduction. You may choose
not to include a resume, but make a case for why the recipient
should want to meet with you. Be cautious — don’t
include cliche statements like “healthcare is undergoing
significant change,” etc. Research your intended
audience and include a “hook” that will get
you noticed — and an introductory meeting.
If you have been referred by someone the recipient knows, begin your letter with
that. The key is to attract the reader’s attention.
Remember that your cover letter may be one of dozens —
or even hundreds if you are responding to an ad. You need
to make a positive impression quickly.
Your cover letter should
be upbeat and enthusiastic without being arrogant —
save the glowing adjectives. Don’t emphasize any
shortcomings but do accentuate your strengths. Don’t
complain about your current position (or situation, if
you are unemployed). Do be positive about why you are
seeking a new challenge.
Don’t offer salary
history or requirements. There is disagreement on this
issue — if salary is requested in an ad, it might
be best to state the compensation is only one determinant
and you will be comfortable with a competitive salary
for the position in question. There are always ways to
structure a compensation package — don’t eliminate
yourself because your salary is too high or too low.
As you reread your cover
letter, count the number of “I”s and keep them
to a minimum. Rather than focusing entirely on yourself,
focus on the recipient and what you have to offer. The
reader is more interested in what you can do for him or
her than what he or she can do for you.
Your cover letter should
look good. A poorly typed, hard to read, small-print cover
letter will not convey the professional image you want.
There should be enough white space so the letter does
not look crowded. Using bullets or bold print (sparingly)
will add interest to your letter. Use the same paper that
your resume is printed on.
A savvy job seeker will
keep track of every cover letter and resume that is mailed
with the date, recipient, and follow-up. Always sign your
cover letter — it is surprising how many people don’t.
Nothing makes your cover letter look more like a form
letter than the absence of a signature.
So you are probably asking,
“why all the fuss about something as mundane as a
cover letter?” Most professionals have learned how
to write good resumes. In an intensely competitive environment,
however, it is vital to differentiate yourself and a great
cover letter will do that. It is your sales pitch —
the opportunity to be more creative than you can be with
your resume and to display your personality.
Diane M. Barowsky, FACHE,
is president of Barowsky Search Partners in Olympia Fields,
Ill.
This article is reprinted from Healthcare Executive.
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