Overview
Overview
In this lesson, you’ll gain a clear understanding of the role that cover letters play in the job application process. We’ll explore the key elements of crafting impactful cover letters that effectively showcase your qualifications and enthusiasm for the position.
Learning Goals
- Understand the purpose of a cover letter
- Reflect on what needs to be in a cover letter
- Prepare a cover letter based on a job application
Why even write a cover letter?
Cover letters can seem daunting, but they don’t have to be. It’s important to understand their importance in order to know how to write them well. A common misconception is that a cover letter should be all about you as the candidate. However, your cover letter is actually a space to demonstrate your understanding of the company. Another common misconception is that a cover letter should regurgitate everything on your resume. It should actually complement your resume; your resume is a space to tell about you, your cover letter allows you to show much more.
Start with this frame in your mind – the cover letter is a love letter to the company. How? Again, start by demonstrating your understanding of the company.
- What research have you done?
- Who from the company have you talked to?
- Go back to the job posting – what are they looking for? What needs do they have based on this posting?
- What problem is this company trying to solve?
- What is exciting about this company?
Then, talk about yourself, but remember – this still isn’t really about you. Talk about yourself in relation to the company. First, provide an introductory hook. Show what you know about the company and why you’re interested in the position. Then, show why you’re qualified for the job. A great way to template out your story is by a quick summary: “Merging my background in X and Y, I now help [industry] improve [these outcomes].” You can also break your story into parts:
- Here’s what I did in the previous phase of my career + what I learned from that…
- And here’s what I can do for you based on what I’ve learned…
Now, create a connection between you and the company:
- What can we do together?
- It’s not about what you can get from them; it’s about what you can give to them
But, how do I format the cover letter?
Let’s use the job post below to practice writing a cover letter together!
Software Engineer I - Mesa Natural Gas Solutions
Mesa Natural Gas Solutions, based in Loveland, Colorado, is a leading power solutions company specializing in the manufacturing, sales, leasing, and operations of natural gas and liquid propane-powered mobile and stationary generator sets and microgrids. Mesa’s best-in-class power solutions enable customers to reduce their energy costs and capital expenditures as well as increase reliability and operational up-time, all while lowering emissions and decreasing their carbon footprint. Mesa currently operates across the globe with headquarters and multiple satellite locations in the United States. Today, Mesa provides sustainable power generation for commercial and industrial prime power, microgrids, standby power, and a variety of other global applications.
MISSION
To manufacture and provide superior responsible, reliable power solutions to industrial markets.
VISION
Enable our customers to reduce capital expenditures, decrease operating expenses and increase their operational runtime.
AWARDS
Department of Defense Freedom Award
ESGR Employer Support Award
Department of Labor HIRE Vets Medallion Program Platinum Award 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022
Job Title: Software Engineer I
Full Time, Hybrid with 2 days WFH after initial onboarding
Pay: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year
Job Description:
As a member of the software engineering team you will work on developing software solutions that best meet the needs of our customers. Under the mentorship of more senior engineers you will participate in all parts of the software development lifecycle. Someone with an interest in building web and mobile applications, the ability to solve problems and provide effective solutions for customers, and a strong desire to learn new programming languages, frameworks and technologies will be the best fit for this position.
Essential Duties:
With guidance from your mentor you will be expected to.
- Gather requirements and plan work related to a task.
- Determine appropriate software design.
- Implement bug fixes, improvements or new features.
- Test changes before deployment to production environments.
- Prepare changes for deployment to production environments.
Education and Experience:
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree from accredited four-year university in Computer Science, Software Engineering or a related field or equivalent experience.
- 0-2 years of related experience.
Preferred:
- Honorably discharged service veterans.
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:
- Self-motivated and a great teammate.
- Strong communication and organizational skills.
- Interest in developing web and mobile applications.
- Proficiency with a high level programming language such as Python, JavaScript, Go, C#, or Java
- Proficiency with web markup and styling, HTML and CSS.
- Proficiency with SQL.
First paragraph: The hook
- Show why you’re interested in the position
- Mention how you found out about the opening
- State the position you’re applying
- Use the title from the job listing
Write a first paragraph for a cover letter for the job post above. Be ready to share you paragraph in small groups!
Give students a few minutes to draft a paragraph, then put them in breakout rooms to share and discuss. Go to different rooms and pull out examples of what we like to see, and identify some growth areas to share out with the whole class.
Middle paragraph: Why you? Why this company?
- Connect your accomplishments, skills, and knowledge to the position and company
- Demonstrate the soft skills the role requires by using examples from your experience
- Tie the company to your experiences
Write a middle paragraph (or two) for a cover letter for the job post above. Be ready to share you paragraph in small groups!
Give students a few minutes to draft a paragraph, then put them in breakout rooms to share and discuss. Go to different rooms and pull out examples of what we like to see, and identify some growth areas to share out with the whole class.
Final paragraph: Now, bring the company + you together
- Summarize what you would bring to the position and suggest next steps by requesting a meeting or a call (be specific)
- Thank them for reading your materials
- Ask for an interview
Write the final paragraph for a cover letter for the job post above. Be ready to share you paragraph in small groups!
Give students a few minutes to draft a paragraph, then put them in breakout rooms to share and discuss. Go to different rooms and pull out examples of what we like to see, and identify some growth areas to share out with the whole class.
Do’s and Don’ts on Cover Letters
There is no one-size-fits-all way to write a cover letter; there are multiple ways to write an effective cover letter. However, there are some general rules to follow:
- Any time you mention yourself connect it explicitly to the job/company
- Keep it concise (no more than a page; half a page is ideal)
- If you’ve met someone at the company, drop their name!
- State the position you’re applying for in the first line
If you find yourself with:
- Very long/wordy cover letters, try reading it out loud to find extraneous details. Cut those to make easily skimmable, shorter paragraphs
- A cover letter that is all about you, try reframing sentences about you by starting the sentence talking about the company and segue into how you can provide value to them based on your experiences and skills
- Grammar and spelling errors, try Grammarly or the Hemingway App.
Cover Letter Next Steps & Resources
You might want to prep a few job listing that are suited for our students, or help them research one or two jobs they could choose from. We want them to focus on the cover letter, not the availability of jobs!
✅ Deliverable for Cover Letter Lesson:
- Look for a job description that interests you.
- Create a cover letter based on a job description.
- Format, structure, and create your cover letter using the Cover letter guide and template
- Have the cover letter ready by Monday of Week 5.
A Word of Warning…
Cover letters can easily become a time-sink. As you start your job hunt, remember that a cover letter is only one part of the application process. Before you start your cover letter, set a time limit for writing it, and stick to it!
Resources:
- Here are additional resources and a general checklist to guide your draft.
