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Please teach me how to cover letter
Themindtaker
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hi H/A,
These always start with a bit of background, so I did that. I spoiled it because I don't know how much relevance it has to the question at hand, but I'm welcome to more specific advice if people have it.
I feel the need to point out that while the move isn't guaranteed for the fall, I don't want my wife to feel trapped down here taking classes at an inferior university (really, the administration here has been terrible to all 5 people in my family attending right now) as opposed to getting to the only place in the midwest either of us can tolerate for the foreseeable future. So the point is to get there ASAP.
Unfortunately moving costs money, and we're stretched thin. I should have my teaching license by the end of the summer, but that doesn't guarantee a job, so I'm starting to apply for Engineering jobs again in earnest - after all, the talking heads keep saying the economy is re-inflating or something.
So, to finally reach the point: I figure I need to include a cover letter to explain my layoff, professional transition, and attempt at returning to the "real" world. Trouble is, the guides I'm seeing online are vague at best. I can't figure out how this is supposed to work. Some say go natural, some say formal. And how natural is acceptable? I mean, I wore Hawai'ian Shirts every day in high school because someone once told me to dress for the job you want, not the one you have. I don't know if that kind of relaxed, conversational tone is acceptable, or if they just mean I should write a memo but cut out the sirs and ma'ams.
TL;DR: I don't know what an acceptable cover letter reads like: how formal or informal is acceptable, how much of a nontraditional situation should be explained, whether I should just focus on the job for which I'm applying rather than my resume's oddities, etc. Help?
These always start with a bit of background, so I did that. I spoiled it because I don't know how much relevance it has to the question at hand, but I'm welcome to more specific advice if people have it.
I'm a 24 year old Chemical Engineer. I got a nice job right out of college back in 2008. The economy started to taper and, working at a consulting firm, we felt it pretty early. I was laid off in May 2009 (which is why I disappeared from the CF boards/the D&D games I was running) they couldn't justify keeping me on the salary despite receiving a raise in January and being Employee of the Month at the time of layoff.
My immediate supervisor got me an interview at his former employer, but I never heard back despite follow-up calls. I spent the next six months drawing unemployment and applying for local chemistry and engineering jobs, but being the height (depth?) of the depression, I never got so much as a rejection notice.
I started to substitute teach at this point. I had always wanted to go into teaching after I had moved, bought a house, maybe saved some retirement money, but I figured, heck with it. Instead of pouting at the doors that were closed, I figured I'd open a window. Plus the jobs were surprisingly consistent, so it payed the bills, and I continued to apply for engineering jobs at the time, though not with the frequency I had before (only things that I was actually qualified for, instead of everything I was remotely close to).
I then decided to go to grad school for education - I did well enough on my GRE for some grant money, I'm poor enough for some scholarships, and I got federal aid covering the balance - because word on the street is that Science and Math teachers have good job security/availability.
So here we are. I'm a few months from my license to teach, a little over a year from my M.Ed., and my wife just found out that the waiting list for her professional program (vet tech) has gone from the usual 1 year to approximately 3 down here in Cinci (taking her certification time from the previously forecasted 2 years maximum to at least 4). So we're looking to move to Columbus so she can get her degree and vet tech certification at the same time, as well as not have to relocate for DVM school (OSU is the only one in the state).My immediate supervisor got me an interview at his former employer, but I never heard back despite follow-up calls. I spent the next six months drawing unemployment and applying for local chemistry and engineering jobs, but being the height (depth?) of the depression, I never got so much as a rejection notice.
I started to substitute teach at this point. I had always wanted to go into teaching after I had moved, bought a house, maybe saved some retirement money, but I figured, heck with it. Instead of pouting at the doors that were closed, I figured I'd open a window. Plus the jobs were surprisingly consistent, so it payed the bills, and I continued to apply for engineering jobs at the time, though not with the frequency I had before (only things that I was actually qualified for, instead of everything I was remotely close to).
I then decided to go to grad school for education - I did well enough on my GRE for some grant money, I'm poor enough for some scholarships, and I got federal aid covering the balance - because word on the street is that Science and Math teachers have good job security/availability.
I feel the need to point out that while the move isn't guaranteed for the fall, I don't want my wife to feel trapped down here taking classes at an inferior university (really, the administration here has been terrible to all 5 people in my family attending right now) as opposed to getting to the only place in the midwest either of us can tolerate for the foreseeable future. So the point is to get there ASAP.
Unfortunately moving costs money, and we're stretched thin. I should have my teaching license by the end of the summer, but that doesn't guarantee a job, so I'm starting to apply for Engineering jobs again in earnest - after all, the talking heads keep saying the economy is re-inflating or something.
So, to finally reach the point: I figure I need to include a cover letter to explain my layoff, professional transition, and attempt at returning to the "real" world. Trouble is, the guides I'm seeing online are vague at best. I can't figure out how this is supposed to work. Some say go natural, some say formal. And how natural is acceptable? I mean, I wore Hawai'ian Shirts every day in high school because someone once told me to dress for the job you want, not the one you have. I don't know if that kind of relaxed, conversational tone is acceptable, or if they just mean I should write a memo but cut out the sirs and ma'ams.
TL;DR: I don't know what an acceptable cover letter reads like: how formal or informal is acceptable, how much of a nontraditional situation should be explained, whether I should just focus on the job for which I'm applying rather than my resume's oddities, etc. Help?
Themindtaker on
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I'm actually currently looking for a new job myself, due to family relocation, and while I'm currently employed I am basically in a "can start with 2-3 weeks notice" position. I have a background in technical communication so I'm well-versed in the art of writing professional documents, such as resumes and cover letters, but since I'm doing it currently for myself I can hopefully help out with some of the general things you should keep in mind.
One, you're young, and short gaps like 6 months are nothing. You should have an explanation for what you did during those 6 months for the interview stage, but you don't need to worry about a 6 month gap at the application stage. Hiring managers understand that layoffs have occurred, and focusing on what was going really well at your previous job is the right approach.
Two, you never point out oddities or non-traditional situations with the point being to highlight how it was unique. No one is going to hire you because of that. In addition, most hiring managers will expect a certain amount of "white lies" on a resume. In your case, that would be using years instead of years & months. So you were laid off in 2009, not May 2009. This isn't an attempt to fool them, mind, but rather leveling the playing field -- other applicants are using similar tactics and hiring managers expect it. Similarly, your cover letter should be crafted for the job you're applying for. You have a background in engineering, you took a break during the economic downturn to develop professionally as a teacher, and now that you're finished with school you're returning to engineering with fresh perspectives based on your recent experiences.
Your experience may preclude you from winning certain jobs, but it may also help you stand out.
Anyway, the key point is that you should not consider your current career path in any way non-traditional -- you should present it with a focus on how your career path makes you uniquely suited to the position you're applying for. This means that each cover letter should be somewhat unique (although obviously similar positions within an industry will allow you to use the same chunks). Your challenge in applying for engineering positions is to show how your teaching degree experience makes you a better engineer. Perhaps your communication skills have improved? Perhaps you can use it from a training perspective? And if you're applying for jobs in a new city, conclude your cover letter with a very brief mention that you're already planning to relocate, something like "With my imminent relocation to [city], I look forward to working with you in the future."
Electronic composer for hire.
1st paragraph:
I hear about position XYZ from QQQ (newspaper, person, watever) and I'm writing this letter to apply.
2nd paragraph:
My experience fits the needs of this position exactly. I have (insert skill or experience desired in job posting) gained from (stuff). In addition, (repeat)
3rd paragraph:
Thank you for the opportunity to apply for this position. I have attached my resume to this letter for your review. I will follow up with you on <this date>.
Sincereley,
Name
<optional> PS. (insert personal reason why you would LOVE this job).
Next step is to FOLLOW UP ON THE DAY YOU SPECIFIED. Not earlier, not later.
While this is a great template, it doesn't quite work for engineers all that much.
Many jobs, if not all jobs, require us to apply online to 'no-one' due to the need for a database if that company has any government contracts. Most of our resumes are run through parsers that hunt for keywords or other requirements. This means that the time before someone actually reads your resume ends up being pretty high. I will admit that big firms like Northrop Grumman, Lockheed, CHM2HILL, and others generally make sure that every resume submitted gets read at some point by a real person. Of course the timeline on that is up in the air. Not only that, but very few companies have anything more careers@companynamehere.com so figuring out who to call up is not too easy when the site only gives general numbers for customers.
I find that EggyToast pretty much said all the good stuff. The true horror is that most jobs are found via networking rather than resume spam. Contact any of your old work buddies or friends in your major from college. They might not know of jobs at their firms/business, but they might now of competitors who are hiring at the moment.
Good luck.
Good advice. I'll chime in with a few additions:
The cover letter is a place for stuff that doesn't belong or fit in an application/resume. For example, if you're applying at Nike and love their shoes, say that in the cover letter. Do not just restate things from the resume, such as repeating your degree or bragging about an award unless you can add something which is short and relevant.
I'd disagree with the P.S. suggestion, because that essentially means your pretending to have forgotten something that belonged in the letter, but that's a personal opinion.
Be extremely careful to avoid looking dumb. Anything that looks dumb gives someone an excuss to dismiss your application without further review. I know I'd never bother to read a resume where the cover letter had a typo, except to look for more typos to mock. Avoid anything that might look dumb, even if you feel like you could strongly defend it. As an example, I suggested that someone avoid the phrase "very unique" because it could be read as redundent depending on the reader. You'd never get the chance to defend that choice, because someone that got a C in English might laugh and toss the letter in the bin.
Use white bond paper. Do not use anything other than a very ordinary font. Do not use paper that smells like anything but paper. Use a laser printer.
Ha, yes, PS is from the days of the typewriter, when forgetting something might mean retyping the whole letter. Including it in a computer-written letter is cutesy and fake, since everyone knows you could have just moved your cursor up a few lines and added it.
I'm opting to not discuss my absence from the profession unless asked about it during interviews, at which point I will just play it down as an income supplement with a flexible schedule that allowed me to be more selective in my job selection process.
Anyway, thanks everyone, I feel like my question has been answered better and more completely than I had imagined it would - this thread can probably be locked.
That's an OK way to say it, but a stronger way to say it is that you took the opportunity to expand your skillset to make yourself more adaptable. Teaching is a profession in itself but it also includes valuable skills that apply to most every professional position, including effective communication, presentation skills, creating professional documents, as well as standard business skills such as working with budgets and managing small groups.
I'd rather hire someone who said "Teaching is much more than just giving kids tests -- it includes all these other skills that I will be using as your employee" rather than "I wanted to make some money in my free time while I looked for a job."