Ag Employability Skills

Resumes

Cover Letters- Tips & Mistakes

What is a cover letter?

• An introduction, sales pitch, and a proposal for further action all in one

Why a cover letter?

• It can reveal many things about you. Such as….–How well you communicate

–Brief experience & qualifications

–Professionalism

–Clues to your personality

–Your attention to detail

Things to think about before writing a cover letter.

• 1) What does the employer need?• 2) What are your objectives?• 3) What are 3-5 qualities you offer?• 4) How does your experience match the

job?• 5) Why do you want to work for them?

Parts of a cover letter

• Opening–who you are

–why you are writing

–how you found out about the job

Parts of a cover letter

• Sales pitch–reasons why you would be a

good candidate

–brief overview of your qualifications

Parts of a cover letter

• Flattery–why you want to work for them

–needs to be specific to the particular employer

Parts of a cover letter

• Request for further action–open the door for further contact

–mention you will follow up with a phone call or e-mail

–be assertive, but courteous

Tips

• Target specific employer

• Focus on what you can offer

• Convey focused career goals

• Avoid any negative statements

• Don’t ramble

Tips

• Be able to back up what you say

• Stick to 1 page

• Absolutely no typos or errors

• Let others proofread the letter

• Keep copies & record when sent

Mistakes

• Not clear

• Unprofessional looking

• Overly aggressive

• Addressed to wrong person

• Poor typing / poor quality paper

Mistakes

• No follow up statement

• Handwritten

• Errors- spelling & grammar

• Too long