Focus Question: How may a writer present a trustworthy, competent, motivated voice and persona in a cover letter?
Part 1
“Have you ever heard the motto: ‘Never Judge a Book by its Cover’? What does it mean?” (Don’t make judgments or stereotypes based on first experiences.) “However, this happens every day as part of our survival instinct—even in the business world. How does your ‘cover’ look? This lesson will help you evaluate how your cover looks on paper to potential employers.”
Continue: “The purpose of a cover letter is to introduce oneself and state the objective of offering a résumé for consideration for a specific position. Through a cover letter, a writer reveals something of his/her personality, demonstrates a level of concern for quality, and suggests a level of originality. To accomplish this effectively a writer makes decisions regarding:
- company needs
- content
- formatting.”
“Before drafting a cover letter, research the potential employer’s company.” As an example, consider group brainstorming about a well-known company like IBM® or Apple®. Lead students to answer these questions about the company:
- “What is its mission?”
- “What are its accomplishments?”
- “What is it best known for?”
- “What are its recent trends, products, activities?”
- “What are the company’s needs for employees (stated and implied)?”
“Positive answers can be briefly referred to in a congratulatory tone, and company needs may be mentioned if they are something the applicant has experience with or has ideas about. Details are not to be shared in the letter—save those for the interview.”
“Is it a new or long-running business? Would a traditional, conservative voice be best to present, or an upbeat, catchy, modern voice? Voice is created through language/vocabulary, syntax, and punctuation choices. Finally, which of your skills or experience should be emphasized by mentioning it in the cover letter and aligning it with the company’s needs?”
“As a class or in pairs, brainstorm and research a particular employer you might apply to for a job.” (Consider fast-food chains, farms, retail stores, tourism venues, and business offices nearby.) Draft answers to each of the business research questions listed previously.
Part 2
The next task is to draft the actual letter. Explain: “A cover letter is structured in a similar way to an expository essay: introduction, body, and conclusion.” Provide students with the Drafting a Cover Letter handout (L-C-6-2_Drafting a Cover Letter.doc).
Discuss the impact of addressing the letter to the specific person receiving the résumés versus a general “To Whom It May Concern.” (The first shows the dedication for researching details.)
“After addressing the letter, begin the introduction paragraph with a concise attention-getter. Quotations, facts, references to a common familiar occasion, and statistics work well. Be sure they relate to the company business or mission. Segue into the main point of desiring an interview with the company.”
“In general, the letter should be roughly two to three paragraphs. Remember the person sorting applications has little time and is looking for résumés that stand out quickly for positive reasons. The content should:
- show awareness of the company’s strengths and needs.
- highlight what makes you different and better than the other applicants.
- express an interest in the opportunity to talk in person about how you may assist the company.
- thank the reader for his/her time in considering the résumé. Consider a clincher.
- include a signature and your current position title (if you have one).
- include after the signature, ‘Enc:’ for enclosures and list the attached files (résumé, application, list of references, etc.).
- use an interested and respectful tone.
- sound professional, yet personable.
- be concise and smooth between ideas.
- be devoid of slang and devoid of ethnic, political, sexist, or religious bias.
- be entirely correct in spelling, apostrophe use, capitalization, and grammar.”
Finally, discuss how formatting may subtly affect the reader. Discuss:
- the difference between block and modified-block formatting (relaxed versus “all business”)
- the impact of weight of stationary and envelope quality (common versus wealth)
- the impact of single, one and a half, or double spacing of paragraphs (difficult to read, no white space, or too much white space that implies not enough to say)
- the general order of materials used to apply for a job: cover letter, résumé, and references.
With a partner, or as a large class, students should evaluate the Sample Cover Letters and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both pieces (L-C-6-2_Sample Cover Letters.doc).
Ask students to either pick one of the local businesses brainstormed or focus on a company to which they hope to apply. They should prewrite the letter in the Drafting a Cover Letter handout (L-C-6-2_Drafting a Cover Letter.doc). Circulate to answer questions and offer suggestions as needed. Peer evaluation is optional. You could also collect the letters to provide feedback before requiring a polished draft for the final assessment.
Using the think-pair-share strategy or full class discussion, ask students to brainstorm one of the following analogies:
- How is a cover letter similar to yet different from a persuasive essay?
- How is a cover letter similar to yet different from a Facebook® profile?
- How is a cover letter similar to yet different from a summary on the cover of a book?
Extension:
- Students could draft several attention-getters for the same letter to practice and consider the impact of each technique.
- Invite in local employers (or school administrators) to critique the letters and give feedback.
- Students could consider how other work-related letters may follow similar formatting and have similar drafting concerns based on audience needs (e.g., grievance, personnel evaluations, letter of resignation, thank-you letter for an interview, etc.).
