A cover letter is an application document that provides space for you to connect your experiences, skills, abilities, and knowledge to a job. It also acts as an introduction to all of your other applications documents including your resume. It should not be more than a page long (3-4 paragraphs is best) and provide specific examples of how you can do the job and your qualifications for it.
Cover letters:
Similar to an essay, cover letters have sections including:
Adapted from Indeed Cover Letters, Indeed Career Guide, Penn Career Services, UT Austin Career Services, Texas State Career Services.
Most cover letters include the most relevant examples of your skills, experience, and knowledge related to the job you are applying for. You will also use the language from the job ad in your cover letter, for example, if they call customer service "customer support", use their term in your cover letter. Here is an example paragraph and opening from a cover letter:
Dear Morgan Smith,
I am a senior at ABC College studying History and Literature. I am writing to apply for the Marketing and Communications position at Jumpstart posted in ABC College's database. I'm very excited about the field of education, and would welcome the opportunity to bring my strong communication skills, creativity, and marketing experience to your growing team. Jumpstart's commitment to early education for every child is of particular interest to me because of my passion for youth development. This past summer, I worked as a senior counselor in the Summer Urban Program, which is dedicated to preventing summer learning loss for children in Los Angeles. I designed and taught fun, interactive classes to a group of 10 fifth graders, and planned and led local field trips and workshops daily with a junior counselor. Throughout the summer, I consistently strived to create math, science, and reading lessons and activities that were engaging and tailored to my students' needs.
Glendale Community College | 1500 North Verdugo Road, Glendale, California 91208 | Tel: 818.240.1000
GCC Home © 2024 - Glendale Community College. All Rights Reserved.