| How do you write a perfect cover letter? | | | | Now let's take a look at Harcourt Potter's cover |
| The best one is short and has a hook in it that will | | | | letter (you may want to take a look at his |
| make the employer's eyes pop out. | | | | resume here to put this in context). |
| What will make someone's eyes pop out? | | | | |
| That depends on whose eyes are reading it, what | | | | Harcourt Potter |
| that person's business problems are, and what | | | | 283 Swami RoadNorth Treestump, Vermont |
| you can do to help solve those problems: | | | | 05789(802) Job-Magi |
| - The company is located in Ohio and in the | | | | April 16, 2008 |
| biotech business. Biotech companies tend to be | | | | Hortense H. Granger, President |
| clustered in a handful of areas - Philadelphia/New | | | | Fantasy Home Goods |
| Jersey, Boston, North Carolina and California. If | | | | 426 Princeton Pike |
| your cover letter mentions that you have a | | | | Lambertville, New Jersey 08111 |
| biotech background and that you would like to | | | | Dear Ms. Granger: |
| move back to the Midwest because you grew up | | | | As a VP/Sales & Marketing, I recruited and |
| in rural Indiana and still have family there, you | | | | led a sales force that opened up Wal-Mart, |
| could solve two of your reader's problems: she's | | | | Macy's, L L Bean and Bloomingdale's, as our |
| had trouble getting biotech people to move to her | | | | sales increased from $23-million- to $77-million in |
| small-town Ohio location, and when she has, most | | | | nine years. |
| have moved back to Philadelphia or Chapel Hill, | | | | During that time, the Marketing Director I |
| whenst they came, within a year or two. You | | | | recruited conceived and developed our |
| know her industry and want to be there. She's | | | | award-winning Twinkle Barrels line that now |
| interested. | | | | represents 44% of company sales that you have |
| - The company has been trying to break into | | | | probably seen on our monthly programs on |
| Wal-Mart for ten years. You opened up | | | | QVC (and if you saw these, you've probably |
| Wal-Mart, Target and Home Depot for your | | | | seen me, as I regularly appear on our QVC |
| company, have been selling to all three of those | | | | programs). |
| retailers for 10 years, and told them that in the | | | | Now that we have completed our IPO and it |
| first line of your cover letter. The VP/Human | | | | appears that our marketing and sales directors |
| Resources is on the phone to you within minutes. | | | | are both seasoned enough to move into my |
| | | | | position, I'd like to move to a larger company. I'd |
| Rules of Direct Mail Copy Writing | | | | prefer a location that is less remote and offers |
| Research on direct mail indicates the following: | | | | better educational and cultural opportunities for |
| - The parts of a letter that are read first are the | | | | my children as they move into junior high school. |
| first sentence and the P.S. | | | | |
| - Bullets in a letter naturally draw the eye to | | | | Financially, I'm earning a base salary of $215,000, |
| those sections, and if you put bullets in a letter, | | | | plus variable compensation in the range of 35% to |
| the bulleted sections will be read first, even | | | | 65%, including options. |
| before the first sentence and the P.S. | | | | I'll be in New York City and New Jersey several |
| Whether it's being delivered by email or snail mail, | | | | times during the next four weeks, and would like |
| and whether you're sending one or a thousand, | | | | to stop by to meet you then. |
| your cover letter is a piece of direct mail. | | | | Can we meet? |
| Bearing this in mind, your letter should have a | | | | Best wishes, |
| strong opening sentence and an engaging P.S. | | | | |
| I'll leave it up to you as to whether you want to | | | | Harcourt Potter |
| use bullets or not. Bullets will attract the reader's | | | | P.S. I went to college at Princeton, and would |
| attention, but they will also make your resume | | | | love to return to the Princeton area. |
| look more like advertising (and as we all know, | | | | This letter was aimed at a major housewares |
| advertising is less believable). I think you can go | | | | manufacturer located 20 miles from Princeton, |
| either way regarding bullets and have an effective | | | | New Jersey. Harcourt has caught Ms. Granger's |
| cover letter. | | | | attention in several key areas. He knows her |
| The Hook: Your cover letter needs to have a | | | | customers and the industry well. It also appears |
| hook in it that grabs the reader's attention within | | | | that he knows how to recruit and develop a |
| five to ten seconds. That's all the time you have | | | | team, rather than do everything himself. She |
| to get the employer to read further, which | | | | hasn't seen him on QVC, but is aware of the |
| means you have at best a couple of sentences | | | | Twinkle Barrels line, and feels that her company |
| to accomplish this. If you're not using bullets, then | | | | could be doing big dollars on the home shopping |
| your hook needs to be in the first sentence. If | | | | networks. In addition, this just might be the right |
| you use bulleted sections, your hook should follow | | | | person to start up the infomercial program that |
| your first bullet. | | | | marketing consultants have told her could easily |
| Here is where you need to immediately, | | | | increase their sales by $200-million when you |
| instantaneously open their eyes, grab their | | | | include the boost their sales in the major chains |
| attention and get them thinking about how you | | | | would get from the increased publicity. Harcourt |
| can solve their problems. In the cover letter | | | | also has ties to and a reason for moving to her |
| sample below, you'll see how Harcourt Potter | | | | company's area. |
| came up with a hook that was irresistible to his | | | | If Harcourt was also interested in moving back to |
| reader. For more on how to develop the hook, | | | | Upstate New York where he grew up, he could |
| get a copy of How to Get Your Point Across in | | | | mention where he grew up in letters to |
| 30 Seconds or Less, by Milo Frank. | | | | companies in Upstate New York. In letters to |
| Cover letters need to be customized. Forget the | | | | Ohio companies, he could mention how much he |
| general, one-size-fits-all, cover letter. The cover | | | | enjoyed Ohio during the four years he worked in |
| letter needs to be targeted towards the | | | | that state, and how he still spends two weeks |
| employer's industry and sub-industry, geography | | | | every summer there, visiting friends. |
| and numerous other differentials that are specific | | | | In letters sent to food manufacturers, he can |
| to the company. That doesn't mean that if you | | | | open someone's eyes by mentioning the Kroger |
| send out a thousand letters that each letter must | | | | promotion that was featured in Supermarket |
| be unique. However, by using the miracle of | | | | News, and his experience selling to Albertsons, |
| word processing, you can easily develop a dozen | | | | Wegmans and Ralph's. In letters to clothing |
| or two dozen form letters, each a little different | | | | importers, he can lead by mentioning Dillard's, |
| from the other, producing each time a letter that | | | | Macy's and Bloomingdale's. |
| makes it look like you targeted it just for the | | | | Think customization and hook, hook and hook |
| company that will be on the receiving end. | | | | again when creating cover letters. |