Cover letters are used as an effective means of introduction. Your cover letter allows you to present yourself, in narrative form, as the perfect candidate.  Whenever you mail, email or fax your resume, it should almost always be accompanied by a one-page, targeted cover letter.  The cover letter "covers" the information on your resume that pertains to the specific position for which you are applying.  It is your opportunity to highlight your most impressive and relevant experience.  You will want to discuss how your experience meets the qualifications the organization is seeking in new employees.  

Imagine your cover letter as a marketing tool, much like a television or radio commercial.  Effective commercials catch your attention by highlighting only the most attractive features of a product.  Your cover letter should be your commercial, in which you highlight your most attractive features as a potential employee.  Be brief.  Avoid detailing your entire work history in your cover letter - save that for you resume.  The best way to distinguish yourself is to highlight one or two of your accomplishments or abilities that show you are an above-average candidate for the position.

Cover letters may not always be required when applying for internships, but are certainly appropriate to show a potential internship site that you are serious.  When writing a cover letter to accompany your resume for an internship, you may not have much relevant information to highlight.  It is okay to instead describe your educational background or focus on your desire to work in the chosen industry or career field.  This way, you can still demonstrate your sincerity and interest in the career field, even though you may be lacking relevant experience.  

You should write a difference cover letter for EACH position to which you apply.  Take time to research each employer and what they are looking for in potential candidates.  Incorporate information from the job description into your cover letter to demonstrate that you have the skills the employer is seeking.  If your cover letter is well written, it will lead the employer to the other part of your application - the resume.  If your letter is poorly written, the employer may not even take the time to review your resume and your application has a good chance of ending up in the trash.  When an employer opens the envelope or email attachment, the cover letter is the first thing seen.  Be sure that impression is a good one by following the steps below.

Step One - The Basics
Your cover letter should be printed on the same, high-quality white or off-white paper as your resume and use the same font style as well.  A cover letter should be no longer than one-page in length and contain 3-4 short paragraphs.  A busy employer will probably not read a long cover letter, squeezed onto one page with small fonts and shrunken margins.  Your cover letter should appear neat, easy-to-read and appealing to the eye.

Step Two - Business Format
Two addresses should appear at the top of every cover letter you send; one belongs to you and the other to the person or organization receiving your letter.  For your address, you have two choices.  You may copy the heading style you used on your resume.  For example, if your resume displays your name centered in large capital letters with your contact information directly underneath a thick black line, it is appropriate to have that same heading on the top of your cover letter.  However, you may decide to head your cover letter in traditional business letter format, as discussed below.  

If you choose to write your cover letter in traditional business format, you will include your street address, city, state and zip code.  Underneath your address, skip one line and enter the current date (or the date you plan to mail the letter).  Take time to spell out the entire month, no abbreviations, dashes or hyphens are allowed.

Next, skip one line and enter the contact information for the person receiving your cover letter.  Begin with the contact's name, followed by his or her title, the department or division if appropriate, the name of the company, street address, city, state and zip code.  In some cases, you may not know the name of the contact person, especially if you are responding to a public advertisement for a position.  Do your best to find the name of the person responsible for hiring this position by searching the web and/or telephoning the main office.  If the company will not provide you the name, simply omit the name and title from the address information and only include that which you know.

Step Three - Salutation
As discussed in Step Two, it's important to address your cover letter to a specific person.  Letters targeted at the appropriate hiring manager or human resources person are more likely to be read and received positively than letters mailed simply to "SunTrust" for example.  Especially at a large organization, it is important that your cover letter finds its way into the hands of the right people.  Underneath the last line of the company address, you will skip one line and type "Dear Ms." or "Dear Mr." or "Dear Dr." and enter the last name of your contact person, followed by a colon.  Be careful to use the correct gender when addressing your cover letter and never use "Dear Mrs." or "Dear Miss" in a formal business letter.

If you do not have a specific contact name, there are a few options for addressing your letter:

Step Four - The First Paragraph
Generally, you should begin your first paragraph by clearly stating the purpose of your letter.  Why are you contacting this person (to apply for a job), which position are you applying for (name of position or department), and how did you hear about the opening, are questions that should be answered in the first few sentences of your letter.  

It is very impressive to an employer if you can demonstrate knowledge about their organization.  For example, cite information that attracted you to the company or a specific reason why you desire to work there.  Check out the company's website and research local papers to see the latest news updates on the organization.

Lastly, you want to include in the first paragraph a short statement that expresses your honest desire to work for the organization.  Briefly, demonstrate that you are a worthy applicant and entice the employer to keep reading.  

Step Five - The Middle Paragraph(s) - Highlights ONLY!
This is the part of the cover letter where you link yourself to a specific job category or type of work.  Indicate your desire to work in the field and call attention to your merits by highlighting one or two of your special accomplishments.  If you feel as though some of your skills have not been well described on your resume, you can discuss those here.  

The second and optional third paragraph(s) of your cover letter tell more about yourself and why you're the perfect candidate for the job.  Be sure to link your skills to the needs of the company and the requirements for the position.  The middle paragraph(s) allows you to move beyond your initial declared interest and competence to more revealing statements about who you are and what skills you bring to the job.  This is your opportunity to draw attention to key facts in your work history or educational/training background.  In the middle paragraph(s) you can also mention any connection or prior experience you may have with the company.

It's important to remember, however, that it is NOT sufficient to simply state what you believe to be true.  You must show or demonstrate that truth.  For example, your letter might say, "I am a hard-working, intelligent individual who is very creative and a good listener."  Well, anyone can say this and it may or may not be true.  A successful cover letter will describe a job, class or group project where the candidate used and showed those skills.  Don't only claim to be very creative, also provide an example of something creative you did.  If you are hard working, describe why or how you know that.  Discuss the obstacles you have overcome.  Explain about a time when you worked really hard to achieve a goal and share how that project turned out.  Your comments should always be backed up by specific references.  Use examples of your success!

Step Six - Final Paragraph
The final paragraph is your fond farewell and the shortest paragraph in the letter.  You should restate your interest in the position and thank the employer for reading your letter.  It is appropriate to suggest a time when you'll be getting in contact by phone or to indicate that you will wait for a response.  Don't forget to provide your telephone and/or email address again in this paragraph of the letter.  The following are sample sentences you may include in your final paragraph:

Step Seven - Closing
Although the closing of your cover letter will probably be just one simple word, it's nonetheless an important part.  Many candidates write impressive cover letters, only to ruin the overall impression with a horrible closing.  It is NOT appropriate to use any of the following as a closing to your cover letter:

There are a few "tried and true" methods of closing your cover letter that are safe and effective.  You might think these are boring, but boring is better than silly or cheesy.  Career Services recommends you use a standard, traditional closing such as:

After typing your closing, skip three lines and type your full name (as it appears on the top of your resume).

Step Eight - Your Signature
This part is easy - DON'T FORGET TO SIGN YOUR NAME!  Nothing looks worse than a letter with a big white space where the signature is supposed to be!  Use blue or black pen, but don't forget to sign!  Emailed cover letters are exempt from this requirement.  Simply typing your name underneath the closing is appropriate.

Step Nine - Enclosures
Underneath your typed name, skip one line and type the word "Enclosure."  This indicates that another document (probably your resume) is included in your application packet, which you have mailed to the employer.  If the employer asked you to submit writing samples or a reference list, the word "Enclosures" should be followed by a number in parentheses indicating how many separate documents you have included with the cover letter.

Step Ten - Do's and Don'ts
DO use spell check - misspelled words on a cover letter will almost certainly send your application packet straight to the bottom of the pile, if not the trash.

DO proofread your letter several times.  Spell check can't always catch "there" vs. "their" and may not notice that you typed "Rolling" instead of "Rollins."

DO ask someone else to proofread your cover letter.  It's always a good idea to have fresh eyes review your work to catch any small mistakes you may have missed.  Don't forget, Career Services can help!  Drop off your cover letter in the office and pick it up the next day with plenty of tips and suggestions written in the margins.  

DO keep your cover letter brief.  Busy employers do not want to read detailed, lengthy descriptions of your entire work history from age 12-present.  Stick to the highlights and keep your cover letter on one page.

DO use professional language.  Remember, this is an employer's first impression of you as a potential employee.

DON'T hide your reasons for writing the letter down in the last paragraph.  Begin your letter by telling the reader why you are writing.

DON'T begin your letter with something like, "Hi, My name is Sam Smith and..."  The employer can read your name at the bottom in the signature.

DON'T overuse the thesaurus.  Speak in everyday language that is clear, easy to understand, and professional.  If you don't really know the meaning of a word, don't use it in your letter!

DON'T use the same cover letter every time you submit a resume.  Tailor your letter to be specific to the job for which you are applying.