Week 4 – Assignment 3       

Cover Letter

Cover  letters are recommended, and in some instances required, for job  applications. If you want to stand out from other candidates, you will  want to write a unique cover letter for each position you apply to.

Cover  letters allow you to clarify, detail, and expand on your most relevant  skills and competencies. In addition, a cover letter allows you to  showcase your written communication skills.

It is important that  you have a compelling cover letter. To write an impactful cover letter,  you need to answer the following questions before you begin composing  it. Starting with these questions will help provide a clear and concise  message for the person reading your cover letter.

• Why are you interested in the position? Consider what makes the position, organization, or company interesting to you.
• What three skills or competencies do you possess that match the skills the employer is seeking in a candidate? 
  • You can find these skills by viewing the job description. These  specific skills are the reason every cover letter should be unique for  each job for which you apply.
• The Cover Letters (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.  resource contains step-by step instructions for creating a cover letter  including: formatting suggestions, tips regarding how to  highlight  your best skills and qualification and how to tailor your letter for  specific job you wish to apply to.
• For more in-depth guidance for writing a cover letter, please watch the Developing a Professional Cover Letter and Resume (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. video.

For your assignment:

• First, identify a position on Indeed (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.  that interests you as a potential job opportunity. Using the job  description, identify three skills or qualifications that match your  background and type them out.
• Next, using the format suggestions from both the webinar and cover  letter sample, create a three- to four-sentence paragraph that  communicates the three matching skills and/or competencies you would  like to highlight for the employer. The goal is to tailor the body of  your cover letter to the position you seek.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.