In the second paragraph, tell the recruiter why you’re qualified for the job. Don’t summarize your resume, but state your strongest qualifications - list two or three significant accomplishments, including internships and summer employment. If the second paragraph is too long, break it into two paragraphs because a large block of type is hard to read and unattractive.

In the last paragraph, refer the reader to your resume and, if relevant, to enclosed samples of your work. Bashfulness counts for nothing when looking for a job, so say that you look forward to meeting the recruiter. This takes a deft touch because you want to be confident and interested in the job without appearing egotistical and pushy.

A good cover letter should look something like this:

April 15, 2008

Horace Greeley, Editor
The Cowflop Gazette
4 Canyon Road
Way Out West, Idaho 83814

Dear Mr. Greeley:

This letter is in response to an advertisement in Fourth Estate magazine for a general assignment reporter. The Cowflop Gazette has a solid reputation for community reporting and I believe I can build on it.

I will graduate in June from Equator State University with a degree in history and a minor in statistics. I am willing – eager – to relocate.

I’ve had summer internships at major papers and I’ve worked with some of the best. At The Daily Collegian, I won national awards for my stories on the trustees’ misuse of travel expenses and continued violation of New York’s open meeting law. I’ve also written obituaries for the local paper, covered night cops and handled dictation for prep sports. I know the importance of being fast and accurate. I know AP style. I have page layout skills and I’m proficient with Quark. I can handle a digital camera.

I will graduate in June with honors. My senior thesis traced the impact of technology on reporting, starting with telegraphic dispatches during the Civil War to computerized archives and online public records.

My resume and samples of my work are attached. Thanks for taking the time to review my resume and clips. I will call you late next week. I look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,

Joe College (Signed in black ink)
Joe College (Laser printed.)
123 Chaucer Lane
Professorville, New York 10516

Remember that your first job is a foot in the door and you won’t start at the top.

“You can be a brilliant theater major and no one is ever going to come to Penn State to recruit you,” says Jack Rayman, director of Career Services at Penn State University. “You’ve got to go to New York, wait tables and start at the bottom.”

A good cover letter will get you noticed. Next comes the most crucial part of any job hunt: the interview.

The Web sites of major brokerage houses and banks offer solid financial tips to grads, including T. Rowe Price (TROW), Merrill Lynch (MER), JP Morgan Chase (JPM), Wells Fargo Bank (WFC) and Wachovia (WB).

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