Sri
Venkateswara
SVCE College of
Engineering
Autonomous - Affiliated to Anna University
Sriperumbudur, Tamilnadu
Cover Letter
What is a Cover Letter?
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A Business Letter
Goals of a Cover Letter
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To clearly express your interests to an employer.
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To state how your skills specifically meet the
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employer's needs.
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To get the employer to want to read further, read
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your resume and ask you for an interview.
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THE COVER LETTER DOES NOT GET YOU THE JOB,
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ONLY THE INTERVIEW!
What to include?
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1. Try to address to a specific person.
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2. Indicate why your are interested in this company.
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3. Give sufficient information to interest the reader.
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4. If the ad asks for specific information and skills, explain
what you have to offer.
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5. Avoid long sentences. Keep it short and understand-
able.
Format of a cover letter: General
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1. Use formal business letter formatting
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2. Stay to one page
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3. Use bond paper that matches your resume
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4. Either left-justified or indented paragraphs are acceptable
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5. Date should line up with closing
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6. Look up titles if unsure
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7. Use formal, but not convoluted language
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8. ALWAYS sign your letter
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9. Triple-check for typos
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10. Have someone else look it over
Cover letter Tone
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1. Formal, Not Casual
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-“Mr. Krishnamoorthy” not “Arvind”
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2. No contractions or slang
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-Simple, Not Verbose
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3. Use direct, action verbs
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-Avoid passive voice
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4. Shorter, simple sentences
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E.G.
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Formal & Verbose: “I am in receipt of your correspondence.”
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Casual & Simple: “I got your note.”
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Formal & Simple: “I received your letter.”
Cover Letter Grammar
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1. Use dictionary, thesaurus, and style manual for reference (look
online)
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2. Watch synonyms
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There, their, they’re
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Your, you’re
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3. Use apostrophes correctly
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Replace letters: you’re = you are
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Indicate possession: John’s
Cover Letter Format: Headings
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Mention your name and contact information
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Along left margin:
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Today’s date
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Name, title, company, and full address of addressee:
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Use formal title: Dear mr/ms (last name,) of the person
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Or Dear HR manager or Dear sir/madam
Cover Letter Format:The Body
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1. First Paragraph,
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Who are you, where did you come from (implicit in this: how did you find me?)
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What do you want?
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Special circumstances
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2. Second Paragraph,
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The Sales Pitch: Link your education, skills and experience with the job descrip-
tion.
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answer to- Why should I give you what you are asking for?
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3.
Cover Letter Format:Closing
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Closing should line up with date (flush left or indented, your
choice)
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Use appropriate phrase, such as,
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Sincerely,
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Yours truly,
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Followed by a COMMA
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Second word is NOT capitalized
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Leave 3-4 returns (space for your signature), then type your name
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Double-spaced under your typed name, write “Enc.” to indicate
that there is an enclosure (resume, etc) with the letter.
Dos and Don'ts
Dos Don'ts
Make is professional Tell a personal story
Mention mutual contact Send a lettere saying-at-
tached is my resume
Sell yourself Use abbreviations like 'u',
lyk etc...
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Resume
What is a Re-
sume?
1. Your marketing tool.
2. A way of selling yourself.
3. A way of highlighting your skills and experience.
4. A way of getting you an interview.
Difference between Cover letter and Resume
1. Cover letter is more about introducing yourself
and giving reasons why you are fit for the job.
2. A cover letter tells what you want to do.
3. A Resume is a summary of information about the
person, work experience, job profile, career goal
etc.
4. A Resume tells what you have done.
How to write a Resume
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1. What information to include on your resume.
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2. How to organize your information
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3. How to choose the most appropriate categories
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4. How to format your resume
Sections
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The major sections of a resume:
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Personal Information
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Objective
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Education
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Work Experience
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Skills (computer, language)
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Awards and affiliations.
What should not be on a Resume
1. Personal info like age, ethnicity, sexual orienta-
tion, marital status etc.
2. Personal pronouns like I, me and my.
3. Gpa if lower than 3.0
Objective
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Remember, this is a major heading
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Objective: To obtain an entry level position in Home Health Care
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Objective: To obtain a position as an Information Technology Spe-
cialist
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Objective: To obtain an advanced level position in Marketing and
Finance
Education
High School Diploma
Associates Degree
Advanced Associates Degree
Bachelors Degree
Masters Degree
Doctoral Degree
Remember to stick to the What/Where/When for-
mat
Experience
This section is the single most important place to sell your-
self to a potential employer
With so many to read, employers often skim resumes, look-
ing for:
Key job titles
Specific skills
Relevant qualifications
Always use key words/phrases that clearly and briefly articu-
late your experiences
Good skill-related verbs
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Administered Analyzed Appraised
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Assembled Budgeted Coached
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Compiled Conducted Coordinated
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Designed Developed Evaluated
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Facilitated Managed Monitored
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Negotiated Planned Repaired
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Printed Recorded Recruited
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Served Supervised Taught
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Translated Wrote Reviewed
Quick Tips for a Better Resume
1.Make your name stand out.
2.Let your objective reflect the job you’re applying for.
3.Use headings and subheadings for organization.
4. Use What/Where/When format.
5. Put Education and Work Experience in reverse
chronological order.
6. Use bullets to make your experiences stand out.
7. Proof-read
