Chapter 15

Getting Attention with Your Cover Letter

Your cover letter is (probably) the first thing the hiring manager will see about you, so you want to make a good first impression.

A great deal of rumor, myth, and legend exists about what makes a good resume and how to construct one to maximize your success in getting a networking job. For some reason, the cover letter is often ignored in this process. Effective cover letters present the link between the job's requirements and your background and aspirations. Although a resume states what you have done, the cover letter cuts to the chase and addresses why you are the right person for the job.

The cover letter has the following logic: “Here is what you said you want. Here is what I have done. Here is how it relates. Here's my number, so call me, maybe.” (Apologies to Carly Rae Jepsen.)

The goal is to get the cover letter and resume into the hands of the hiring manager. In a perfect world, your resume would tell the screener in HR, be it an internal or external recruiter or the applicant-tracking system, how good a fit you are. In the real world, the cover letter is your opportunity to spell it out for them.

Cover Letter Scenarios

At the highest conceptual level, your resume is fixed and you use the cover letter to express your interest and to explain why you should be considered. In reality, with digital resumes, you can customize, or at least tune, your resume for each job opportunity. However, it is generally more expedient and effective to use the cover letter to answer the questions of how and why you are a fit.

You would write a cover letter in response to the following four scenarios:

The cover letter differs for each scenario. In general, you'll spend most of your time writing cover letters in response to job postings. However, follow-up letters of introduction are more effective. Figure 15-1 shows the source of new jobs of all types, not specifically networking jobs.

Figure 15-1: The sources of new jobs.

This figure implies that you should focus on personal networking to get a job in computer networking. However, responses to job postings are something you can work on while you wait to hear back from your contacts. The next sections explore ways to make your responses to job postings as effective as possible.

For more about creating and improving your brand, see Chapter 15. Find out how to create a winning resume in Chapter 14.

Essential Elements of the Cover Letter

Regardless of the scenario described in the preceding section, all cover letters have the following common elements:

The traditional cover letter

Readers of a certain age will recall a formal process associated with sending prospective employers a cover letter and resume. You'd take the draft of your resume to a printer, who would print your order of 250 to 500 copies (without typos, you hoped).

Next, you'd write your cover letter to respond to a particular job or one of the other scenarios described previously. If you were cool, your resume, cover letter, and envelope would use the same high rag content paper, preferably ecru. Off they would go in the mailbox to the intended recipient. A sample cover letter of this type is shown in Figure 15-2.

Figure 15-2: A formal cover letter.

Sending a traditional cover letter by post is now as outmoded as rotary phones and CRT monitors. Their use says that the user is stuck in the old ways.

Cover letters with applicant-tracking systems

These days, the vast majority of job posting ads are on the Internet. Applying to them involves creating an identity on the applicant-tracking system of the hiring company (or the recruiter). After you create a user name (often your email address) and establish a password, the system will typically import your resume to populate what it can.

It would be convenient if applicant-tracking system could perfectly populate all routine data fields from a resume. But often, it does not. You as the job seeker get to spend your time both uploading your resume and then copying much of the same information into the fields. Although there are some efforts to improve this process, it is still painfully tedious.

Errors in cover letters are unacceptable.

Many companies enable you to upload or copy-and-paste a cover letter. The image in Figure 15-3 is a typical example.

Figure 15-3: A cover letter form in a typical applicant-tracking system.

The following sections offer helpful guidelines when writing a cover letter.

Greeting

A formal greeting is “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To whom it may concern.” Some may find this type of greeting formal or stilted. With all due affection, get over it, unless you know that the company you're applying to would be put off with formality. A more casual option is “Greetings” or “Hello.” You might be able to get away with “Hey there” if you're applying to a company stuck in 1960s counterculture. Otherwise, err on the side of formality.

Reason for the cover letter

The first sentences of the body of the cover letter give the reader some context as to why you're contacting them. Do not assume that the reason is readily apparent. Be helpful and tell the hiring manager which job you are seeking.

A formal start might look like this: “I have read your posting about the position of Network Analyst at Hughes Aircraft Company. Based on your job description for this role, I have the skills and experience that you are seeking.”

Adding the job number in this introduction is always appreciated and sends a signal that you know what you are doing and are organized. Managers want to hire people who are more organized than they.

Again, don't worry if the introduction sounds formal. You can restructure it to fit your own voice, but don't delete any information.

In your cover letter, don't include phrases like “as you can see from my resume.”

Logic of how you fit

Next, explain from the company's perspective why your skills and experience match what they need. These paragraphs need to be short and compelling, ideally highlighting the most relevant aspects of your background.

So how do you know what is compelling? You don't. The best you can do is make inferences from the job description, and hope you get it right.

In any case, you need to tie your background to their needs. For example, if one of the first bullets in the job description refers to experience in troubleshooting, by all means, talk about your experience in troubleshooting.

A typical paragraph may begin with “The job description emphasizes experience in troubleshooting of network issues. While a network analyst at Enron, I managed the trouble-ticketing system and provided ongoing reports to management on issues.”

Unsuccessful cover letters share these characteristics:

Recognize that you must have experiences that relate in some way to the job. If not, applying is a waste of your time.

Many of these fields have a spell checker. Do not rely on spell checkers. Write your cover letter using your computer's word processor and save it along with the job description in a file. In this way, you are more likely to catch typos, which can kill an opportunity, and you'll have a copy of your cover letter if you get the interview.

Call to action

When applying to a job through an applicant-tracking system, about the only thing you can write for your call to action is “I look forward to hearing from you about this opportunity.” This one sentence communicates that you want something to happen and sends the message that you are a doer.

Closing

End your cover letter as you would if it were a hard copy. Write “Sincerely,” or “Sincerely yours,” and then put your name below it. Done.

When you have your letter prepared, copy and paste it into the cover letter box or upload it to the applicant-tracking system.

Your cover letter (as well as your resume) will be digitally uploaded, and the applicant-tracking system will search it using keywords. It is critically important that a search on relevant keywords will show multiple hits for your cover letter and resume.

As mentioned, most companies allow you to enter a cover letter. Some notable exceptions are Microsoft, Amazon.com, and Verizon. These organizations believe that they can discern what they need strictly from your resume. This approach saves applicants time and encourages them to submit many applications, without much discernment as to whether there is a good fit.

Cover letters for referrals and recruiters

When you send a cover letter to a referral or a recruiter, compose it in an email message. However, the cover letter is not an email to an old friend. You should come across as a professional. The elements of the cover letter are the same, but the content is adjusted to suit the context.

Greeting

The good news is that you have the person's name. Use it. In an email message, it is okay to write “Dear Miles” or just “Miles.” (Assuming the person's name is Miles. Otherwise, it would be awkward.) Email is a casual medium, so there is no need to write, say, “Mr. Raymond.”

Reason for the cover letter

When you state the reason for the email, just lay it out there. “I was told by our mutual friend, Maya Randall, that you are seeking a security analyst and that you requested that I send my resume.” Similarly, a recruiter will want to know why you are sending the email. “I understand that you recruit networking professionals for organizations in which I am interested” is sufficient.

Logic of how you fit

When you describe the logic of how your skills fit the requirements, be short and sweet. For example, “I have recently completed my Cisco Certified Network Professional Certification (CCNP) as Maya may have mentioned. I am now seeking the opportunity to use this certification at a firm such as yours.” For recruiters, you would write, “I have recently completed my Cisco Certified Network Professional Certification (CCNP). I understand that placing professionals such as myself is your area of expertise.”

Call to action

Because you know the person's name and contact information, you have the opportunity to follow up. Your call to action should be polite and should give the person a chance to contact you. For example, you might write, “I have attached my resume to more fully describe my background. Please let me know if you have any questions. I will follow up with you in a week.”

You need to be precise in your follow-ups. If you say you will follow up in a week, follow up in a week — not sooner, not later.

Closing

In the closing, write “Sincerely,” on one line and your full name on the next. Some people omit the closing. This may be appropriate in correspondence with people you know, but it does not work here.

Generic replies to cover letters

When you get a response from a company that has reviewed your resume and cover letter but is not interested, they reassure you that they will keep your resume on file should another opportunity that better matches your background becomes available. It could happen. And the Cubs could win the World Series.

Although the chances that the employer will contact you in the future are slim, they are better than if you did nothing.

Your resume and cover letter will go into the applicant-tracking system and be available should the hiring manager need someone with your qualifications. This aspect of an applicant-tracking system works best when you have a unique skill.