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Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 Functions 1.2 Dangers 1.2.1 Ethics 2 Objectives 2.1 How to Start 2.2 Drafting Your Cover Letter 2.3 P.A.R. Statements 2.4 Revision 3 Researching a Company 3.1 Business Reference Library 3.1.1 Hoovers 3.1.2 Million Dollar Database 3.1.3 Reference USA 3.2 Which company is right for me? 3.2.1 Open Secrets 3.2.2 MAPLight.org 3.3 How can I obtain this information?

[edit] Introduction

Cover letters are meant to be cohesive and thought out. A resume serves as a first impression, and a cover letter reiterates how your skills and abilities will accentuate the company’s beliefs and mission. Your cover letter introduces yourself to potential employers on a more personal level than the résumé’s outline of accomplishments.

[edit] Functions

A cover letter is meant to be an addition to a resume, because it introduces you to potential employers and explains more of who you are. Cover letters are not meant to replace resumes, but to associate yourself with a specific company and let them know how interested you are in a position. By identifying yourself with specific aspects of a company, your employers will get a better idea of how to relate to you. It is meant to point out how you would fit in with the company’s structure and how hiring you in the stated position would benefit both you and the employer.

[edit] Dangers

Even though a good cover letter will advertise your accomplishments well and explain how well you fit in with a company, cover letters are not boasting tools for your ego. If you exaggerate and lie, you will be held accountable for your actions and your letter will have the opposite effect of what you intended.

Unlike resumes, cover letters must be specific to each individual job. They must be thoroughly researched to show that you know the mission and objectives of the company and how you fit that profile. Cover letters can not be generic. Sending the same letter, without any regard to the specifics, would risk sounding too bland and broad.

[edit] Ethics

Team Efforts: Although it may be more impressive if you take sole credit for a major project, it is unethical to do so if you worked with a team. Many companies respond well to suggestions of teamwork, because it shows that candidates work well with others and can switch back and forth between leading and following. If you have worked in teams in the past, try to subtly reference it instead of writing, "I work well in groups." It sounds more impressive to work your teamwork into a PAR Statement: "When my team and I encountered a budget problem, we were able to save the company money by reducing the need for unnecessary resources." This is less blunt, but gets the point across that you can work with others on teams.

Exaggeration: Some applicants believe that although lying in a cover letter is frowned upon, exaggeration is fine. Instead of fabricating the truth, they stretch it a little. Exaggeration is the same as lying. Employers react to it the same way, and although it seems more difficult to trace an exaggeration back to an applicant, it isn't. Some people may try to avoid exaggeration, but opt to use a lot of flowery, excessive language in their cover letters to either impress potential employers or provide filler to cover up a lack of experience or accomplishment.

References: Make sure your references know you intend to include them before you submit your cover letter. That way, if an employer contacts any of your references, they are prepared to give you a good review instead of being caught off guard and flubbing something (or worse, letting the employer know that they weren't aware of their involvement in your job search). It is a good idea to give a copy of the letter (and resume) sent to each employer to your references so they are prepared for possible questions about your job skills and what you intend to bring to the company.

[edit] Objectives

Creating and personalizing a cover letter is a step-by-step process. You want to advertise yourself to your employer by showing him/her what you can do for his/her company. There are three things that you should imagine employers asking you before they read your cover letter:

1. Why have you chosen us over another company?
2. How are you going to help us be successful?
3. Would you be a good fit with our other employees and clients?

[edit] How to Start

Thoroughly research every company you apply for. It might seem like a lot of work at first, but employers are impressed if you know something about their companies. On the other hand, if your cover letter is full of company benefits and features, employers will come to the conclusion that you only want to work for them because of what they'll give you. The company's website is a great place to start researching, but you can also contact company employees, visit the library, or use your own knowledge. (The last one isn't usually recommended--unless you've worked for the company before, how are you supposed to know what they prefer?) Employers want to know that you really know the position you are applying for and how it impacts their bottom line. Knowing yourself is the first criteria, since that will enable you to fit yourself into the company plan.

[edit] Drafting Your Cover Letter

Like most papers, cover letters have three main parts: An Introduction, a Body, and a Conclusion. How you utilize these three parts is up to you and your creativity, but tries to focus on answering these questions:

1. What job do I want?
2. What do I know about this company?
3. Why have I applied for this job over another?
4. What are my qualifications and how will they help my employer?
5. What will I do with my employer after I submit this?

Having a friend, family member, co-worker, classmate, teacher or anyone willing to help, read through the first draft of your cover letter is important. While you may think your letter makes sense and sounds alright, others may think differently. A set of "fresh eyes" can often find hidden mistakes, unintentional exaggerations, or awkward phrasing that the author might not see at first glance.

It is very important to go through several drafts before sending out your final cover letter to the employers. Revision is an often overlooked part of the writing process.

[edit] P.A.R. Statements

PAR statements are an extremely important element of the cover letter.

Problem: Define a problem that existed in your previous work environment. This should be something related to the position to which you are applying, something that will appeal the reader of your cover letter as something you might deal with if you were hired, or something that shows an above and beyond initiative. For example, "company was wasting paper that could easily be recycled".

Action: Describe the actions or methods you took to resolve or prevent the problem. This should be an opportunity to show the employer your desire to improve the company or your creativity in problem solving. "implemented numerous recycling bins throughout the company"

Resolution: This is an opportunity to portray the benefits you brought to the company. You can point out the benefits of your actions, and the results of your initiative and leadership. "Recycling bins reduced unnecessary waste by 80%."

[edit] Revision

After the initial cover letter is written, it is very important to look over your work to make sure everything is grammatically correct and free of any possible error. A good idea is to get the help of a friend, classmate, family member, or colleague to read your work and make suggestions for improvement. A set of "fresh eyes" typically can find errors and confusing sentences that your own judgment can no longer see. More than one opinion is always helpful. An effective cover letter is one that is well written and free of error. Many employers will discard letters and resumes of those that have blatant errors. A simple proofreading by yourself and others can make your chances of obtaining an interview greater. Re-thinking and re-wording certain sentences can alleviate possible confusion and hardship in explaining yourself to the hiring authority.

[edit] Researching a Company

In order to best portray yourself as an ideal candidate for a job at a company, you must know something about the company's interests, values, and history. By showing your knowledge of the way they run their business, you prove to the company that you are willing to work hard for their overall success. If your values do not match those of the job you're applying for, the position may not work out. Knowing ahead of time what the company is looking for in employees helps both the applicant and the hiring authority to best find who is best for the position. At the same time, however, a person must be careful to not appear to be too eager when "selling" oneself to a company.

[edit] Business Reference Library

The University of Minnesota's Business Reference Library is an excellent resource for students. The library has many resources for researching companies through many different databases. The Business Reference Library is also a great way to find companies in a specific industry in which to apply.

[edit] Hoovers

Hoovers is a company database with information on 43,000 companies in 600 industries. Each listing has information on company officers, locations, financials, and primary competitors. Hoovers is a convenient resource that gathers a huge amount of public information about many different companies.

[edit] Million Dollar Database

The Million Dollar Database lists companies in the United States with at least $1 million in sales or at least 20 employees. The Million Dollar Database currently lists over 1.6 million companies. The listings include company executives, business descriptions, subsidiaries, industries in which the company operates, and competitors. The Million Dollar Database holds information on smaller private companies that is not otherwise easily found.

[edit] Reference USA

Reference USA is a database of over 14 million U.S. and 1.5 million Canadian companies. Information is updated monthly and includes company executives, industries, competitors, and sales and expenditure information. Reference USA does not offer the breadth of information that is offered in databases such as Hoover's, but it lists information on a huge amount of companies, searchable by industry, location, and other parameters.

[edit] Which company is right for me?

The first thing you must do is determine what core values and morals are most important to you as a person. Once you know where you stand on certain issues, finding companies that have similar ideals is much easier. One area that will show how a company stands on major issues is political contributions. There are several websites available to view political contributions, which give a clear idea of where the company lies in terms of issues.

[edit] Open Secrets

Open Secrets is a website that enables one to find specific contributions by companies and special interests in political campaigns. At this particular website, under the "Influence and Lobbying" tab, clicking on "Industries" will bring you to a page where you can search specific industries relating to the type of company you are interested in applying for. From here you can determine how much money is donated and which party is the major recipient of employee and company dollars. By learning which major political party the company donates their money to; you are able to associate yourself with companies that match your own affiliations. (Or lack of affiliations as the case may be.)

[edit] MAPLight.org

MAPLight.org is another website similar to Open Secrets where one can find information about political money and interest groups. The full title of the site is, "Money and Politics: Illuminating the Connection." In election years, like 2008, websites like these are helpful in learning about where money comes from and how politicians are funded. It is another useful tool in matching your own values with those of a specific industry.

[edit] How can I obtain this information?

An effective research method is to directly contact those individuals already employed or affiliated with the company or organization you are striving toward. It helps to network and make contacts with successful individuals who can give you advice on how to break into a certain industry. Inside knowledge on how an organization works will give your cover letter an edge over other potential applicants. Knowing what current employees know shows your willingness to go further in future endeavors. Calling the company or organization directly can help you in obtaining the basic information given out to the public about their mission statements or what exactly the company is selling.

Chances are if you are hoping to work in a specific field for a specific organization or company, you already know something about the desired employer. Drawing on what you already know about the company will diminish the possibility of fake enthusiasm for an employer you recently discovered. If you are an expert in your chosen field from years of experience learning about it, the hiring authority will be able to detect these from the applicants with little fervor for the job.

Libraries are often overlooked when it comes to research, due in part to the emphasis on the internet. However, a library usually has an extensive amount of journals, magazines, and books not found in a simple search on the web. By citing specific articles about a company or organization adds to your appearance to the potential interviewers.

Researching is only as difficult as you make it. There are plenty of resources available to discover great companies and organizations that match your interests and values. The time spent to further your knowledge of industries is well worth the effort for an effective cover letter. By catering to a specific company's values in each cover letter written, your work will speak for itself.