Cover Letters: The First Paragraph

Cover letters are one of the biggest job-seeking stress producers. What do I put in it? How do I start? How long should it be?

Relax!

Here's an easy formula for the first paragraph: Mention the job title and requisition number (if applicable), how you heard about the position (or who referred you), and state your belief that your skills set seems to fit well with the stated job description. This paragraph should be no more than 3 sentences.

How do you accomplish this? Let's break it down.

WARNING: After reading this, you may think you have to be a phonics geek to write a good cover letter. Relax. You can do this.

First Paragraph From Hell:

"Please except this cover letter and the enclosed resume as my expressed interest in joining ABC Inc. as a Auditor. I would like to learn more."

I see this quite often. Unfortunately, there are too many mistakes on it for many HR reps and hiring managers to get past.

The misspelling. "Except" means "to exclude." You certainly don't want that to happen. "Accept" is the proper spelling and meaning ("to receive"). This is a misspelling that would not be caught by your spell checker.

Clarifier usage. Use "an" to clarify nouns beginning with a vowel. In the example above, it should read "an Auditor." Only use "a" before a noun if the noun begins with a consonant.

The problems run deeper. The paragraph asks the reader to accept the cover and resume as your expressed interest. This comes across as convoluted: accepting two nouns as a verb equivalent? It doesn't read - or sound - right. Nouns equal nouns, and verbs equal verbs.

Other problems. In the example above, there is no mention where you heard about the job, nor what department the Auditor position is in. Employers want to know where their advertising dollars are going, so you should mention where you found the posting or through what channels you heard about the opening. Additionally, if the posting or networking contact mentions the department and/or requisition number for the position, you should mention that, as well.

GRAMMARIAN GEEK ALERT: The phrase "I would like to" should be banned from the English language forever; it's far too wishy-washy and passive and sounds like it should be followed by the word "..but..." If you want to do something, do it - this is a more confident and active way to go (see the example below).

GRAMMARIAN GEEK ALERT II: You don't need to mention your resume in the first paragraph. This is a redundancy which can adversely affect the facts and take up valuable space. The person reading your cover letter knows s/he is reading a cover letter, which, by definition covers an enclosure. And s/he knows the enclosure contains a resume.

Improved Example

"I am quite interested in the Auditor position (#8675) posted on your company website. The position seems to match my skills and experience well, and I am interested in learning more."

In this example, note that the requisition number and location of the posting are mentioned. Notice also that you mention your interest in a confident and active manner. Of course, there are variations you can use to accomplish the same feat, but the second example is an excellent template to follow.

IN A NUTSHELL: In the first paragraph of your cover letter, make sure to mention the position, department or requisition number, where you learned of the opening, as well as your interest. And, as always, watch your spelling and grammar.