Introduction

A cover letter may be your first contact to an employer, or it could be a follow up from a previous meeting. If it is a follow up, remind the employer about your interaction to help him or her recall the original meeting.

Reason for Contact

A cover letter should explain your reason for contacting an employer. There are two types of cover letters: letters of inquiry and letters of application. A letter of inquiry is written when you want more information regarding potential job openings. A letter of application is written when you know specifically which position you would like to obtain and to inform an employer of your qualifications for employment. In both types of letters, you should include information that you already know about the employer and/or position and why you are interested in working for the company. This shows your interest and demonstrates that you have taken the time to research the company.

Sell Yourself

A cover letter should be used to sell yourself more effectively to a potential employer. In a resume, you have limited space to outline yourself and your experiences. In a cover letter, you have much more space to highlight your skills and what you can contribute to the company. You can use the letter to expand upon your best qualities or most important experiences or achievements. You can also emphasize information that directly relates to the position for which you are applying, furthering your chances for consideration. It also allows you to demonstrate your written communication skills.

Writing and Printing a Cover Letter

Cover letters should be personalized and should be prepared individually with each job application. They should be addressed to a specific person, not just a company or department. You can find employee addresses in directories on the company website or through a personal inquiry. CareerSearch®, is a web-based employer research system, and the VAULT  Online Career Library are two other ways to research companies and find contact information.

Cover letters should be no more than one page long and should be produced on the same paper as your resume and reference sheet. Also, be sure to double check grammar and spelling to avoid unprofessional errors, and use an organized and neat letter format.

Content

As you gain career experiences, you will need to update your resume. You may also want to tweak your resume for specific positions for which you are applying to include your knowledge and skills pertaining to that particular job. Though each copy of your resume that you hand out may differ slightly, most resumes need to have the same basic content.

Contact Information

A resume should contain your personal contact information so an employer can reach you for an interview. It should be displayed prominently toward the top of your resume and should include your name, address, phone number, a personal website (if you have one) and an e-mail address. Be sure that you use a professional e-mail address.

Objective

Including an objective on a resume is optional. If you decide not to include an objective, be sure to state this information in your cover letter. An objective should be clear, concise, and should state what you can do for an organization rather than what it can do for you. It should also be updated for each position or employer.

Education

In this section, list all academic information in reverse chronological order with the most recent listed first, including each school you have attended, graduation or expected graduation date, degree(s) earned and major(s), and your GPA (if it is over a 3.0).

Work Experiences

Work experience should also be listed in reverse chronological order and can include any volunteer positions, internships, co-ops, field or practicum experiences, and major class projects. For each listing, include the employer name and location, position title, dates of employment, and at least two points explaining your responsibilities.

Relevant Courses

You may list courses that apply directly to your career goals, but list the full course title rather than the abbreviation.

Activities/Associations

This section should include your extracurricular activities and interests. List any professional organizations, student organizations, athletic teams, or other clubs to which you belong. You may also include any honors or awards you have received or any professional workshops you have attended.

Traditional Interviews

In a traditional interview, applicants are asked about themselves and their experiences found on their resume. Possible questions include:

• “Please tell me a little about yourself.”
• “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
• “Why do you think you are the best candidate for this position?”

Behavioral Interviews

In a behavioral interview, the skills and characteristics desired for the chosen employee have already been decided, and the questions that will be asked will be based on those qualifications and will require interviewees to give specific examples of past experiences and how they have handled those situations. This helps the employer see how candidates are likely to perform in similar situations likely to occur in the new position. These questions may be interspersed in conversation or they may be in a set list of questions to be answered. An example question may be, “Describe a difficult problem that you tried to solve. How did you identify the problem and solve it?”

What Employees Look for During an Interview

Employers most commonly look for the following skill sets during an interview:

• Problem solving
• Leadership and teamwork
• Dealing with ambiguity and conflict
• Listening and communication skills
• Showing creativity, assertiveness, and decisiveness
• Demonstrating initiative, and determination

How to Prepare for an Interview

Before an interview, you can prepare by planning to answer possible questions that may be asked. Since no two interviews are alike, it is wise to prepare for both behavioral and traditional interview questions. By reading the position’s description, you can often get a sense of what types of questions will be asked and which of your skills you should be prepared to discuss. Also, be sure to review your resume before an interview to remind yourself of experiences you can talk about with the employer.

Answering Behavior-Based Questions

Employers who ask behavior-based questions want interviewees to describe specific projects, situations, or experiences that can apply to the open position. Before answering a behavior-based question, make sure you understand the question and do not be afraid to ask for clarification if something is vague or unclear. In each response, the interviewer is looking for three main things:

• Problem or situation — describe the context of the situation
• Action — explain what you did
• Result — show the outcome or solution

PAR Examples

By including a problem or situation description, your actions, and a solution in your answer, you can respond to interview questions on PAR. Your responses will help the interviewer understand how you behaved in a certain scenario and determine if you would be a good fit for the open position. Below are two examples of complete and well-structured responses to behavioral interviews questions:

“Please tell me about a time that you worked in a team where the work was not being shared among the members. How did you react to the situation?”

P: I was working on a team with four others on a project in my Management capstone course. Our roles in the assignment were delegated by our group leader, and one member of our team wasn’t doing her portion of the work. Our group leader even confronted her during a group meeting, but she just shrugged and said she was trying, but I could tell she was embarrassed to talk about it.

A: After our meeting, I suggested that she and I meet for coffee. I asked her how she felt about the project and how her section was coming along. She explained that she wasn’t confident about doing the research task she was given because she didn’t know how to use many of the resources that were required by our professor. She said she felt badly but was embarrassed to be singled out in front of the whole group. I told her that we could have a general discussion about the project tasks in the next group meeting so she wouldn’t be singled out. During that meeting, I suggested that everyone share their general strengths instead of weaknesses and encouraged everyone to participate. It turned out that her strength was editing and formatting, and the person formally responsible for that portion of the project had a knack for research, so they switched tasks.

R: Because they were both more comfortable with their new responsibilities, they were happier and more productive. I learned from that experience that laziness isn’t always the reason that people don’t participate, and it’s important to find out what motivates people in order to help create a productive and cohesive team.

“We don’t always agree with a professor’s evaluation of us. Tell me about a time when you disagreed with a particular professor’s evaluation. How did you handle the situation?”

P: It was my third year here at the university. I was taking a speech class that required us to give five minute speeches in front of the class every other week. For my first speech, we were asked to evaluate our favorite Super Bowl commercial and explain why we felt it marketed so well to its audience. I was nervous during my presentation, but felt I covered everything I needed and that it went well. Afterward the presentation, the professor gave me a C+. I set up a meeting to speak with her the next day during office hours.

A: She explained to me that I didn’t follow the necessary format for my presentation. She also mentioned that I could have made better eye contact and engaged my audience more. At this point, I felt since this was my first speech class that my approach and preparation for my speeches may not be working. I needed to make some adjustments to my presentation technique, and I started attending weekly help sessions with one of her teaching assistants. In addition to those sections, I asked my professor for some additional feedback prior to each presentation.

R: I received an A on the very next presentation and every presentation afterward. I learned from this class that you always have to be open to adjusting your learning style as you take different classes during your time at the university.