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Each cover letter should be tailored to a specific job description and organization. Demonstrate what you know about the organization/industry and why you are a good fit. Show how you meet the required qualifications for that particular job by emphasizing your 2-3 strongest skills; where possible, make a direct connection between those skills and how you could use them to accomplish what is required for the position. Use confident language, write in an active voice, and, except in rare circumstances, limit your letter to one page.
Before you begin, ask yourself these four questions
Remember, an employer is trying to match the skills they need with the skills you have, so where possible, use key words from the job/internship description and weave them into your cover letter. |
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Cover Letter Format
- Same font as your resume, sized within 1pt (larger, not smaller)
- One page in length, left justified, margins ideally 1”
- For consistency, consider using the same header on your cover letter that you use on your resume
- Top of letter: date, employer name, contact information (if you are short on space, remove the employer name/contact info and only include the date)
- Formal salutation (person's name, if possible)
- End of the letter: your name and contact information (your contact information is not necessary if you include it in the header)
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- Opening Paragraph: Introduce yourself. Who are you (e.g. rising senior at Yale Syracuse studying AnthropologyInformation Management)? For what internship/job are you applying? Why do you want to work for that employer (e.g. draw a connection between who you are and why you are a good fit with this employer)? End your introduction with a short ‘thesis statement’ that highlights the 2-3 related skills that will enable you to contribute to this position (e.g. My experience conducting statistical analysis combined with my ability to take an initiative make me a strong fit for this position).
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