I have worked as a PCA for Abby Care, Inc. for eight years providing elders with home care services to keep them in the community, helping them cook, clean and bring them to appointments and make an appointment Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to create a cover letter. As noted on the St. Kate’s Career Services website, “A cover letter is a letter written to a prospective employer, with the purpose of explaining who you are, and how your experiences make you a qualified candidate for a specific position. Think of it more like an argumentative essay, or a chance to show them who you are as a person.” The cover letter gives you an opportunity to sell yourself, telling the employer why you are the best fit for the position. While I will be reading it, your audience is the employer.
Instructions: Before creating your cover letter, you should find a position online that you would like to apply for. You should look over the requirements and the skills the position is asking for. If you skills match, you should tailor your resume to the position and then write a cover letter. Your cover letter should include the following:
• Heading
o The heading should include your name and contact information (including email and telephone number.
o You should also list the hiring manager’s name and title, organization name, and address information of the employer.
o Lastly, address your letter to a specific person (Use Mr./Ms./Mrs./Mx. if you know the person’s preferred pronouns/gender identity).
• Opening
o The opening should be a few sentences and capture the reader’s attention.
• Body Paragraph(s)
o These paragraphs add specific detail, expanding on what’s in your resume, and providing direct connections to details about the position/employer. If you’d like, you can dedicate one paragraph to each quality or experience you list in your thesis statement.
• Closing
o The focus of this section is to wrap up your argument, and “close the deal.” Briefly reiterate your interest and qualifications, and thank the reader for considering your application.
• Signature
o Sign your document
Format: The cover letter should be written in a traditional letter format and the font should be basic, not too fancy. Some examples of acceptable fonts include: Times New Roman, Ariel, and Calibri. The font size should be 11 or 12 pt. font. Please read and re-read your cover letter for grammar and spelling errors. You can also set up an appointment with career services to have them read over your cover letter and resume.
Evaluation: You will be evaluated on the following:
Format: Was the letter formatted correctly? (5 points)
Grammar/Spelling: Was the letter accurate in grammar and spelling? (5 points)
Sections: Did the cover letter include the sections listed in the guidelines? Was the body of the letter tailored to the specific job description? (5 points)
Coherent and Cohesive: Was the letter coherent, cohesive and well organized? (5 points)
