Chapter 9. The Cover Letter

The Human Side of Career Development

Your personality, your likes and dislikes, and your views and opinions will become apparent when you're working for a company. The makeup of a companyits culturerepresents an important factor in your ability to have an enjoyable time and an effective career experience.

Your cover letter should represent, to some extent, your personality. It allows both you and your perspective employer to have a clear understanding of each other.

The cover letter, more than your résumé, is a chance to convey the type of employee that you will be. It is one part information and one part marketing.

Whereas your résumé serves as an ambassador to potential employers, your cover letter serves as a vital introduction to both your résumé and you as a person. Your résumé is a summary of skills and talents, a list of facts that provides little insight as to your personality, attitude, or likes and dislikes. Your cover letter, on the other hand, should introduce you and your résumé in a way that conveys more about you, the person.

In this chapter, you'll discover the role of your cover letter. You'll learn how to create one that is both effective and exciting and discover the key elements to be conveyed.