Cover letters

The purpose of a cover letter is to :

Make a formal introduction of the client
Capture the interest of the reader
Entice the reader to read the client’s resume
Allow clients to state their case
Highlight the attributes of interest to the employer
Inspire action on the part of the reader (phone call to them)

The cover letter should be written in a tone that is interesting, passionate, and demonstrative of your abilities. Recruiters look at hundreds of cover letters and your ability to present yourself as someone with excitement and enthusiasm will catch their eye.

Cover letter structure :

Heading	Name, address, phone number, e-mail address, etc
Date	Date/ month/year
Company details	Recipient’s name, title, company, and address
Salutation	Appropriate introduction
Paragraph 1 Introduction and purpose	Powerful sentence that grabs the reader’s interest and states the reason for sending the resume. The paragraph should be attention-getting, strong, and define how you stand out from the competition.
Paragraph 2 Summary of career brand	Key accomplishments are relayed from the resume. Specificity and use of examples that are relevant to the company and the job are key. Finish with summarization of professional qualifications, important accomplishments, and how they would benefit the employer.
Paragraph 3 Value proposition	Convey why the company should consider you. Demonstrate knowledge about the company, and expand on why you should be considered.
Paragraph 4 Request for action	Ask for a phone call, meeting or interview. Be confident, and indicate when you will be following up with the employer.
Closing	Thank them for their consideration

SAMPLE COVER LETTER

Dear Ms XY,

Perhaps I am the talented Program Manager you are seeking in your advertisement on Monster.com. I am a versatile project mamager with 7 years of experience leading projects at your fierce competitor. I am seeking the opportunity to apply what I have learnt to your dynamic company. I am confident that my experience and skills will contribute to the company’s future success.

In my current position, I manage 10+ projects at a time and supervise two individual contributors. I have had a 99% on-schedule product release for projects I have led for the past 3 years. Already being extremely familiar with your products, I would require very little ramp-up time and would begin making significant contributions quickly.

My passion for doing excellent work is contagious and I pride myself on my ability to motivate my employees and core team members to demonstrate on-time execution without compromising quality. My forward-thinking focus has enabled me to foresee roadblocks before they occur and delay our products. I have repeatedly been successful in navigating the intricacies of internal bureaucracy to deliver solutions that are a win for both the company and the customer.

I have admired TTM’s success for some time and have it on good authority that your culture is a productive one that stimulates creativity and innovation.

Thank you for considering my candidacy for the program manager position. I will call you one week from today to speak with you more about the opportunity. I look forward to talking to you.

Cordially,

J.p.