Ask the Experts: Writing a Letter of Interest / Cover Letter

Question:

I need advice on how to type a “letter of interest” to go with my job
application. This is one of the requirements and I don’t even know how to
start it. Any suggestions?

First Answer:

“Letter of interest” is a fancy term for “cover letter.” Here are some
excerpts from the book I wrote on the subject: “Guaranteed Cover Letters.”

In a nutshell, your cover letter should say, “I’m the right person for the
job. I have unique skills and experience that will help your company right
away. I hope you’re as excited about this as I am.” The accompanying résumé
should then prove your case.

Put another way, the cover letter is the advertisement for your résumé.

To get your résumé read, and to get that job interview, your cover letter
must do the following six things.

1. Focus on the needs of employers and how you would solve their problems. Employers have problems. That’s why they’re hiring! Your cover letter
   should say (although not in so many words): “I’m the answer to your problems.”
2. Display knowledge of the company. With the glut of information available on the Internet and most public libraries, you should be able to drop one
   or two facts/names into your cover letter to show you’ve done your homework
   on the company and its products, needs, challenges, etc. If you offer
   well-researched suggestions that will work right away for a company, they
   WILL call you.
3. Briefly state your best qualifications AND achievements. Don’t spend a lot of time rehashing your résumé. But do include enough tidbits to
   generate interest in the mind of the reader.
4. Show your enthusiasm about the job. Avoid sounding like 90% of applicants, who say (not in so many words): “Give me a job where I can
   advance and make more money.” Instead, convey this: “I’m excited about the
   possibility of bringing my skills to work for you.”
5. State that you will follow up to schedule an interview. If you politely inform the reader that you’ll be calling within a few days to answer any
   questions and schedule an in-person interview, you set yourself apart from
   the crowd with your determination and confidence.
6. Keep your letter short and focused. Most letters ramble on in excruciating detail for one or even two full pages. Show respect for the
   limited time your reader has and limit yourself to four, five or six
   paragraphs at most.

— Kevin Donlin, Guaranteed Resumes

Second Answer:

If you are responding to an advertisement for a specific job, and are asked to send a résumé and a letter of interest, this means a “cover” letter that bridges the gap between your résumé and the requirements of this specific job. You need to:

1. Research the employer (look for its web site on the Internet, look it up in Hoover’s or the Dun & Bradstreet guides or Thomas’ Register or the appropriate directory in your local library), demonstrate you know something about the company, products, industry, competitive environment, current issues. Say why you are interested in this organization, and why you think you are a good fit for this job.

2. Tailor the letter to the requirements described in the ad. You want to write something that says “you require this skill set; here is how I meet that requirement” with specific examples of experience and accomplishments.

3. It is important to include information not on your résumé such as additional accomplishments germane to this job.

For good examples, see Richard H. Beatty’s book, 175 High-Impact Cover Letters, 2nd edition, 1996. Chapter 4, “Advertising Response Cover Letters,” gives examples of letters next to the ad they are responding to, so you can see how to do this. Start with his “Ben Franklin Balance Sheet exercise on page 88.

If you literally mean you are being asked to provide a letter of interest with an employment application, and don’t have a job description or list of qualifications, you can’t be so specific. You’ll have to write a letter which still demonstrates your research into the organization and the reason you are interested in it, and summarizes the experience you think would be important to that firm.

— Carol Anderson, Career Development and Placement Office, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University in New York City

Originally posted by alwin