The Cover Letter or Application Letter
Along with any resume you will send a letter that states your desire to apply for a job that was announced or to inquire about possible job openings. This letter serves to introduce you to a prospective employer and is a "personal advertisement" of your skills and experience. It serves to distill the information that is on your resume and helps the reader become interested in you. It also serves as a way for the reader to get an impression of your written communication skills.

Like the resume, the cover letter has a somewhat standard form but no exact format. The first paragraph simply states what position you are applying for and perhaps where you saw the position advertised.

The second and third paragraphs are your personal advertisement. Here you try to catch the readers attention and sell your experience, skills and strengths. How well you write this paragraph might be the difference between whether you or someone else is offered an interview. Let the reader know what you can do for them. Address how your experience and knowledge relate to the job description.

The final paragraph consists of a thank you, a comment about your availability for interviews, how you may be contacted for an interview, etc.

While cover letters may be similar, no two are exactly the same. Each letter should have content that is specific to the job for which you are applying. Generic letters make you look lazy. A letter should whenever possible be addressed to an individual. This assures that the letter ends up on the correct desk and again makes you look like you have done your homework.

The Career Center has examples of cover letters and the staff will be happy to critique and help you write eye catching letters.

Monster.com Cover Letters | Career Lab Cover Letters

Outline for Letter of Application

Final Forms for Resume and Cover Letters

Your documents must look just as good or better than your competition. In this day and age anyone in college has access to a computer with word processing capabilities such as Microsoft Word which can print in a variety of attractive fonts. Your letters and resume should be printed on bond paper and produced on a laser or ink jet printer.

Generally a font size of 12 points is the smallest recommended. You can use larger type for your name, address, phone and topic headings. Bold facing and all caps will enlarge the size of a type. Avoid too much underlining, do not use italics. Resumes and cover letters should be easy to read. Do not try to cram too much on one page.