Writing Example
| Gavin Williams 1547 North Elmwood St. Knoxville, TN 37901Phone: (555) 154-4899Email: gavin-williams@smail.com November 16, 2012 Thomas Hunnam Re : Inside Sales : Education Dear Mr. Hunnam, Are you looking for someone that can sell without putting unnecessary pressure on prospects and can get people excited about higher education? If so, we should talk. My experience working in consultative sales and customer service roles is valuable because I’ve been able to build my career around helping people, even when I’ve got something to sell them. Let me give you an example – at my last position, I worked for a charitable organization that called businesses asking for permission to place a little gumball machine benefiting the charity at their place of business. In addition to working through the organization till I was speaking with an actual decision maker, I had to instantly help the person relax and believe I wasn’t trying to sell them anything – I just wanted to ask for their help with about a square foot of floor space. I developed a number of techniques to help people feel at ease with me, including tricks in the way I greeted from that let me develop instant rapport 99% of the time. By the time I finished with most people, they were excited for the opportunity to work with us. Please find enclosed my resume. I’ll call your office on Thursday afternoon to follow and answer any questions. Alternatively, feel free to contact me at (555) 154-4899 or by email at gavin-williams@smail.com. Respectfully,
Gavin Williams |
Learning Points
Here are some steps you may follow to write an amazing cover letter:
1- Adress the letter to an individual : Try to call the company to find who to write to, their exact title, and the correct spelling of their name.
2- Open the letter with a short introduction.
3- List what position you’re after and how you find out about it.
4- Demonstrate that you understand what the company does : Check out the company’s website for details to mention.
5- Relate your past work experience to the current opening.
6- Adapt your writing to adress specific things that were mentioned in the job post. Keep it short and clear, it shouldn’t be longer than a page, a few paragraphs are enough.
7- Mention any attachments you plan to include with the letter.
8- Sign off with a suitable closing (like sincerely, best regards, respectfully, …) after thanking the reader.
9- Make sure you include all your contact information (name, adress, telephone, e-mail, …).
