prepare a cover letter using a job description

How to Use a

Job Description to Prepare a

Cover Letter

Created By: Amy Middleton

Twitter: @orangewalk

Personal Site: crankybabicult.com

A quick aside-

These slides vary in lengthclick through at your own pace

(don’t use auto-play)

Why Cover Letters Matter

Now, imagine you are looking for someone to do a service for you…

You want someone to walk your dog.

Why Cover Letters Matter

You create an ad:

Dog Walker Needed

Must love dogs.

Why Cover Letters Matter

George emails you:

I love dogs! I have 6 of my own and we go walking every day!

Why Cover Letters Matter

Ringo emails you:

To whom it may concern.

Please see attached resume.

Meanwhile Ringo is thinking:

If I didn't love dogs, why would I be applying as a dog walker?I've already addressed this in my resume.I hate cover letters.{ }

Why Cover Letters Matter

Who are you more impressed by?Whose resume are you going to bother

to open?

Why Cover Letters Matter

Now imagine that your dog has diabetes, and you need someone who can meet his medical needs while going on slow, labored walks with him.

Why Cover Letters Matter

You make your ad:

My dog has diabetes, and I need someone who can meet his medical needs while going on slow, labored walks with him.

Why Cover Letters Matter

George emails you:

I love dogs! I have 6 of my own and we go walking every day!

Why Cover Letters Matter

Paul emails you:

So sorry to hear about your dog! My terrier had cataracts and a heart condition towards the end of his life, and I learned everything I could about the disease in order to care for him. Our slow walks together are some of my best memories of him.

Why Cover Letters Matter

Who are you going to follow up with on this ad?

What You are Seeking is Seeking You

If you are an employer, you want to know that the person you hire isn't just a great person.

You want to hire the right person for your specific job.

What You are Seeking is Seeking You

Your goal as a job candidate is to prove you are what the employer is looking for.

What You are Seeking is Seeking You

This presentation will help you

use the job description

to prepare a cover letter

that proves you are what they are looking

for.

The Job Description

Think of the job description as

Your secret weapon

The Job Description

They are showing you exactly what they are looking for.

The Job Description

But when job descriptions stop looking like this:

Dog Walker Needed

Must love dogs.

The Job Description

And start to look more like this:Responsibilities: Student advising duties include counseling students about academic policies, programs, and options, assisting students in the development of meaningful educational plans, and supporting students by helping them to identify and assess alternatives and the impact of their decisions. An Advising Dean supports students as they develop greater responsibility for their educational goals, evaluate post-graduate options, and transition to life after college. Resource referral duties include maintaining a comprehensive knowledge about all academic policies and procedures, core requirements, pre-professional information, and all non-major specific information. An Advising Dean will work collaboratively with faculty, academic departments, the Center for Career Education, other campus resources and other departments within the Division of Student Affairs to provide students with necessary scholastic, co-curricular and personal resources.  Programming duties include supporting the programming efforts of the Center for Student Advising and large scale Student Affairs programs such as the Summer Advising sessions, Pre-First Year Summer Program…

The Job Description

It’s hard to know what you should be responding to.

The Requirements Outline

This should help you get a better handle on things:

Exercise 1: Create a

Requirements Outline

The Requirements Outline

In this exercise, you'll turn the job description into a bulleted outline.

The Requirements Outline

A paragraph contains too many ideas to deal with at once.

Resource referral duties include maintaining a comprehensive knowledge about all academic policies and procedures, core requirements, pre-professional information, and all non-major specific information. An Advising Dean will work collaboratively with faculty, academic departments, the Center for Career Education, other campus resources and other departments within the Division of Student Affairs to provide students with necessary scholastic, co-curricular and personal resources.

The Requirements Outline

Step 1: Break paragraphs into sentences.

Resource referral duties include maintaining a comprehensive knowledge about all academic policies and procedures, core requirements, pre-professional information, and all non-major specific information. 

An Advising Dean will work collaboratively with faculty, academic departments, the Center for Career Education, other campus resources and other departments within the Division of Student Affairs to provide students with necessary scholastic, co-curricular and personal resources.

The Requirements Outline

Even a sentence has too many ideas to deal with at once.

Resource referral duties include maintaining a comprehensive knowledge about all academic policies and procedures, core requirements, pre-professional information, and all non-major specific information. 

The Requirements Outline

Step 2: Break sentences into unique ideas.

Resource referral duties include maintaining a comprehensive knowledge about all academic policies and procedures, core requirements, pre-professional information, and all non-major specific information.

Resource referral duties include maintaining a comprehensive knowledge about

• all academic policies and procedures • core requirements• pre-professional information• all non-major specific information

The Requirements Outline

Resource Referral Duties maintain a comprehensive knowledge about

academic policies and procedures core requirements pre-professional information all non-major specific information

work collaboratively with faculty academic departments the Center for Career Education other campus resources other departments within the Division of Student Affairs

provide students with necessary resources: scholastic co-curricular personal

Your Requirements Outline should be concise: no sentences or serial commas.

The Requirements Outline

Once you’ve created a Requirements Outline, you should know exactly what the company is looking for.

Now it’s time to show that you are the right person for the job.

The Response Outline

It’s time for:

Exercise 2: Create a

Response Outline

The Response Outline

Your Response Outline is going to respond to each item in your Requirements Outline.

The Response Outline

Must be a hard worker I am a hard worker

Requirement Response

The Response Outline

Try to Respond to each Requirement using

SkillsExperienceAccomplishments

The Response Outline

Your Requirements Outline asks for:

•Knowledge of lifesaving and first aid techniques.

Skills

The Response Outline

I know first aid and CPR.

•Knowledge of lifesaving and first aid techniques.

You could respond with skills:

Requirement Response

Experience

The Response Outline

I have been a certified American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor for the last three Summers.

•Knowledge of lifesaving and first aid techniques.

You could respond with experience:

Requirement Response

Accomplishments

The Response Outline

Last Summer, I rescued a child using CPR.

•Knowledge of lifesaving and first aid techniques.

You could respond with accomplishments:

Requirement Response

The Response Outline

Remember, the purpose of this outline is to help you confidently respond with your strengths and abilities.

Filling in Missing Pieces

At this stage, avoid using qualifiers such as

HoweverButEven though

Filling in Missing Pieces

“I don't know the software,

but I can learn”

is better framed as....

Filling in Missing Pieces

“I can learn the software because ___________.”

I already know other products in the suite.I am familiar with the interface.I have used a similar program for two years.

Filling in Missing Pieces

Your Requirements Outline states:

•Must have at least 6 months exp wrapping sandwiches (hoagies, heros,)

{ }but you don’t!

Experience

The Response Outline

I have several months’ experience wrapping sandwiches

•Must have at least 6 months exp wrapping sandwiches

If you have five months’ experience rather than the required six, you could say :

Requirement Response

The Response Outline

I am an adept wrapper, with 8 months’ experience quickly wrapping packages of various

sizes.

•Must have at least 6 months exp wrapping sandwiches

If you are a skilled gift wrapper but have no sandwich wrapping experience, you could say:

Requirement Response

Skills

Putting it All Together

By this point, your Response Outline should be a reflection of your Requirements outline, making it clear that you are the person the company is looking for.

Putting it All Together

5+ years relevant work experience Highly proficient with MS Outlook

applications• calendar• email• evite

Confidentiality and discretion are required with private business matters

Well organized Strong interpersonal and multi-

tasking skills Precise attention to detail Excellent verbal skills

I’ve worked as an Administrative Assistant for the past 7 years. I’m an expert at MS Outlook including

• Calendar (I support the calendar of 3 EVPs and 2 SVPs)

• email• evite

I am professional and discrete with confidential matters.

I’m a great organizer. I created a filing system that was rolled out corporate-wide.

I have strong interpersonal, verbal, and multi-tasking skills.

I have excellent attention to detail.

Requirement Response

Putting it All Together

work collaboratively with faculty academic departments

the Center for Career Education work collaboratively with faculty academic departments the Center for Career

Education other campus resources other departments within the

Division of Student Affairs

Requirement Response I have worked

collaboratively withfaculty (often liaising

with students and clarifying policy)

academic departments (including establishing course requirements)

Campus resourcesStudent Life Dept.

Putting it All Together

Your Response Outline provides you with the meat and potatoes of your Cover Letter.

Putting it All Together

Review itFeel good about itOwn it

Use it

Putting it All Together

Armed with a solid list of your skills experience and accomplishments

tailored to your Job Description, writing your Cover Letter should be easy!

Finishing Touches

A few final suggestions for your Cover Letter

Finishing Touches

Use your Response Outline as a resource, but only include relevant items

Finishing Touches

Do some research about the company beyond what you’ve read in the job description

Finishing Touches

Be professional but personal Show personal interest in the position and company

Finishing Touches

Get feedback on your Cover Letter

Invite someone (or everyone) to review it for grammar, punctuation, and content

Finishing Touches

If you can edit the subject line, include your name (this helps the recipient find your letter if your email is forwarded and it loses the “from” line)

FWD: Internet SEM/PPC Professional

FWD: Amy Middleton: Internet SEM/PPC Professional

Finishing Touches

Good luck!All the best in your job search