The COVER Formula to Writing a Cover Letter (Part 1 of 4)

Writing the perfect cover letter doesn’t have to be an ordeal. In fact, it can be as easy as spelling C-O-V-E-R. COVER is an acronym for a five-step paragraph-by-paragraph approach you can use to write an effective cover letter. In this series of blog posts, I will show you how you can use the COVER formula and the announcement for the position for which you are applying as a handy guide to craft the perfect complement to your resume.

To illustrate how this works, we’ll use an actual job announcement that was posted on a popular online job site. The entry level position was for a human resources assistant at an Atlanta consulting company that, for purposes of this article, we’ll refer to as ABC Consulting. Assume you’ve read the job announcement and wish to apply for the position. Your resume is ready. Now, let’s write the cover letter!

Step One: Cultivate a CONNECTION in the first paragraph.

The C in the COVER formula stands for connection. Step one in creating the perfect cover letter is to establish a connection in the first paragraph. When you are introduced to someone, you engage in conversation to get to know the person better and discover what the two of you have in common. The same principle holds true when cultivating an authentic connection with a potential employer.

To build a connection with an employer, you need to conduct what I call intelligence. Intelligence is conducted on three distinct levels: (1) the company or organization at which you would be working; (2) the specific department or division in which you would be working; and (3) the individual(s) for whom you would be working. Doing your homework on a prospective employer serves a dual purpose. First, educating yourself about a company will help you better assess if the company’s mission, values, and culture are compatible with your own goals and working style. Second, if you decide there is a good fit, the person reading your cover letter or sitting across the desk from you during the interview will be impressed that you took the initiative to investigate the company for which you aspire to work. I suggest creating a file for each company you research where you can organize your notes and save your correspondence. This way all your vital information will be in one place for quick reference and easy retrieval later.

Let’s return to the sample job announcement posted by ABC Consulting. Here is the basic job description for the position:

ABC Consulting located in downtown Atlanta, GA is currently seeking a professional, bright, savvy, and hard-working Human Resource Assistant for our corporate office. If you are a bright individual who is seeking to work in the HR field in a great entry-level position and likes to work in a fast-paced environment, this could be the experience for you!!

The first crucial piece of information in a job description we are given is the name of the hiring company. Armed with that information, your initial step is to visit the official corporate website. Pay particular attention to those pages detailing the company’s philosophy, culture, core values, vision, and mission statement. While there, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the company’s history and the names of its officers or executive board members. I also suggest that you visit the media page to read recent press releases. This is an excellent resource to learn about any community service initiatives with which the company may be involved. After you review the company’s website, head over to its social media pages to continue your research. Thanks to the fluid nature of social networking, you can find the most current news events there. The final front of research on the company level can be conducted using internet search engines such as Google and Bing.

The second level of intelligence you’ll need to conduct is on the department level. While on the corporate website, look for a link for the department where you would be working. There you may find a personnel directory, an explanation of newly instituted programs, links to online newsletters, and other valuable information. The third level of intelligence is on the individual level. If the job announcement lists the name of the person to whom you would report, or if you can find this information out, check to see whether the person’s biographical details are included on the company’s official website. You’ll also want to check whether the person maintains a profile on LinkedIn or other professional networking sites. Bear in mind that your ultimate goal is to discover what things you have in common with your potential boss. For example, you may be alumni of the same college, belong to the same professional group or club, or share a unique hobby or interest.

After you have completed and compiled your research, give some thought about how you can incorporate one aspect of what you learned into the first paragraph of your cover letter to cultivate a connection.

For instance, suppose your research revealed that the company's employees helped construct a Habitat for Humanity house last month. If you are a regular volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, you can make a connection with the company by explaining your personal commitment to working with Habitat on previous projects and expressing the enthusiasm with which you look forward to working with the company on its future projects.

If you conducted research on the human resources department and learned that it would be launching a software program for the first time next month and you have used that program successfully in a previous position, you can use this commonality as a basis for a connection:

“Please accept this cover letter and the enclosed resume in application for the Human Resources Assistant position with your company. I had an opportunity to visit your official website. I understand from reading your most recent newsletter that the human resources department plans to transition from its current software system to the PeopleSoft HRIS next quarter. In my previous position, I helped train 20 people in my department on how to use PeopleSoft.”

Through your research on the individual level, you may have learned that person for whom you would be working graduated from your alma mater’s archrival. If you were composing a cover letter to that person, your first paragraph might include the following connection:

“I read in your online biography that you are actively involved in the University of Alabama’s Alumni Association – Atlanta Chapter. I can assure you that this Florida Gator harbors no ill feelings about last weekend's game.”

Cultivating a connection is all about beginning to form a relationship. People want to work with other people they like and with whom they share similar interests and values. It follows that if you can cultivate an authentic connection in your cover letter and you have the requisite skills the employer is seeking, there’s a much greater likelihood you’ll be called in for an interview.

In Part 2 of this blog series, we'll review how to give a brief overview of who you are and voice your interest in the position in the second paragraph.

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