Cover Letters That Cover Everything expands on the article written by Tanya White-Earnest for the St. Louis American Newspaper outlining effective tips for composing a cover letter that is comprehensive, concise, and compelling. The webinar offers insight into why recruiters often don't read cover letters, the four essential elements of a great cover letter, and the formula for increasing your odds of getting the interview.

1. Cover Letters
That Cover Everything

2. Career Advising &
Development Center
Staff
Tanya White-Earnest
Manager
Trident University International Career Advising and Development

3. trident4careers@trident.edu
714-816-0366 X1943
Daniel.Sloan@trident.edu
Tanya.WhiteEarnest@trident.edu
Contact
Information

4. Cover Letters That Cover Everything
Getting Companies To Respond
Presented by Tanya White-Earnest

5. Agenda
• Answers to your questions about cover letters
• The various types of cover letters
• The four essential elements of a great cover
letter
• The formula for increasing your odds of
getting the interview
In today’s webinar we will discuss:

6. Types of Letters
• Letter of Application: applying for specific
opening
– Following personal meeting
– For advertised positon
• Letter of Inquiry: expressing interest in an
organization when there may not be an
opening
– Employment possibilities
– Internship opportunities

7. Types of Letters
• Information-Seeking
• Follow-up

8. POLL QUESTION
A cover letter is absolutely required
to apply for most jobs:
True/False

9. Your Questions
• “Do I really need a cover letter?”
• “Is it important to address the letter to
someone?”
• “Will anyone read my cover letter?”
• “Doesn’t my cover letter just tell them what is
in my resume?”
• “Do I need more than one cover letter?”

10. Tips
• Know why you are sending the letter:
– Introduce yourself (beyond skills and
qualifications)
– Get them to review your resume
– Create a call to action
• Keep it short, simple, and sweet
– Generally one page
– Don’t make excuses

11. Tips
• Grab their attention right away
– Choose language that paints a vivid picture
– Don’t try to tell them everything
• Talk about what you can do for them
– This isn’t about you, it’s your contribution
– Use concrete examples
– Be focused

12. Tips
• Tailor your letter to the industry, company,
reader
– Use what you learned in your research
• Review, Review, Review, then Review Again!
– Put it aside and come back to it
– Have someone else review it
– Read backwards
– Does it represent you in the best light?

13. POLL QUESTION
What percentage of Recruiters/HR
Managers/Hiring Managers actually
read a cover letter?
1% 14% 27% 50%

14. “Why don’t
recruiters read
cover letters?”
• To often cover letters are:
– Poorly written/Difficult to read
– A regurgitation of the resume
– Unfocused
– Lacking additional value
– TMII
– Self-promoting
– A waste of time for the reader

15. The 4-Paragraph
Letter
• For the cover letter, there are four main
paragraphs to use:
– First, why are you writing – which job are you applying
for, be specific
– Second, what you bring to the table, BRIEFLY describe
your qualifications
– Third, (almost most important) why do you want to
work for THEM specifically. What draws you to the
company?
– Call to action: how can they contact you, when are
your available, etc. Tell them you expect to speak
with them

16. Engaging
Example
Make your cover letter both unique and
memorable.
• Dry Entry: My name is ______, and I am a
sophomore at _____ College/University who is
interested in working in the sport’s industry.
• Engaging Entry: My childhood days were spent
playing baseball late into the summer nights and
football upon a fresh blanket of snow.
Engagement in sports is an integral part of my
identity, and this core belief creates a desire to
work in the sports industry.
Example provided by Timothy James Curley
of Babson College Career Services

17. Formula
R + A + CE + C + C = Employer Interest
Relevant
Accomplishments
Concrete Examples
Contribution
Connection

18. Questions
What questions do
you have about
Cover Letters?

19. Next Week
Join us next week for:
Who Are You in 30 Seconds
or Less?
• Can you intrigue and entice someone to want to know more about
you in 30 seconds or less? When you are on the job hunt, you
sometimes have very little time to convey what you can do for a
company. So you need a complete, concise, composed, compelling
“elevator speech” ready to go at moment’s notice. Join us to learn
how to compose one that helps you stand out from the crowd.

20. Thank You!
We appreciate you joining us today for:
Cover Letters That Cover Everything
We hope you enjoyed and learned something new from the session
Watch for the email containing the link to the recording and the
Slideshare for today’s webinar
Please be sure to leave your comments and suggestions as you log
out
See you next time!