{"id":8236,"date":"2021-03-29T17:11:46","date_gmt":"2021-03-29T21:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/?page_id=8236"},"modified":"2021-03-31T18:54:24","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T22:54:24","slug":"cover-letters-frequently-asked-questions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/notes\/online\/s21-jsp\/cover-letters-frequently-asked-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Cover Letters: Frequently Asked Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"page-toc\">\n<div class=\"item3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/notes\/online\/s21-jsp\/job-search-table-of-contents\/\">all job search \u3009<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left:215px;\">\n<div class=\"middlebox\">\n<div>Have questions about your resume? See the <a href=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/notes\/online\/s21-jsp\/resumes-4-frequently-asked-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RESUME FAQ<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div>Have other questions about the Job Search Portfolio project? See the <a href=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/notes\/online\/s21-jsp\/job-search-portfolio-frequently-asked-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">JSP FAQ<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"new\">\n<div style=\"width: 350px; float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 50px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/06\/COVER-LETTER-resume-icon.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"350\" \/><\/div>\n<ul class=\"exspace\" style=\"margin-left: 50px; margin-top: 10px; font-size: 120%;\">\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 10px;\"><a href=\"#1\">The job application I&#8217;m using says to copy my cover letter into a submission box \/ write my cover letter in the body of an email. What should I do for this project?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 10px;\"><a href=\"#2\">Can I use a cover letter template?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 10px;\"><a href=\"#3\">Does my cover letter need a recipient&#8217;s address?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 10px;\"><a href=\"#4\">What if I can&#8217;t find the address?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 10px;\"><a href=\"#5\">Who do I address my cover letter to?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 10px;\"><a href=\"#6\">What if I can&#8217;t find the name of a recipient?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 10px;\"><a href=\"#6.a\">What if I can&#8217;t find a position number or job ID number?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 10px;\"><a href=\"#7\">I don&#8217;t have any paid experience in my career field. In my cover letter, can I talk about experiences I had in school?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 10px;\"><a href=\"#9\">Can I discuss personal information in my cover letter?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 10px;\"><a href=\"#9b\">How should I format my cover letter?<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 10px;\"><a href=\"#10\">How long should be cover letter be?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"h4div\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"new\">Frequently Asked JSP Cover Letter Questions<\/h3>\n<div style=\"display: block; text-align: right; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;\"><span id=\"1\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<h5><strong>Q. The job application I&#8217;m using says to copy my cover letter into a submission box \/ write my cover letter in the body of an email. What should I do for this project?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A. <\/strong>For the purposes of the Job Search Portfolio project, you should write your cover letter as a traditional, print cover letter for postal mailing. <a href=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/notes\/online\/correspondence\/genres\/letters\/#block\">Need help with letter formatting<\/a>?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; text-align: right; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;\"><span id=\"2\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<h5><strong>Q. Can I use a cover letter template?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A. <\/strong>No. You may not use a cover letter template of any kind. If you use a template, use a fill-in-the-blank sample, use a cover letter generator, borrow phrasing or sentences from a text you didn&#8217;t write, or try to game the system some other way, you will get a 0% on the Job Search Portfolio project.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px;\">It has happened before. Don&#8217;t let it happen to you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; text-align: right; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;\"><span id=\"3\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<h5><strong>Q. Does my cover letter need a recipient&#8217;s address?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> Yes. Your cover letter should look like <a href=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/notes\/online\/correspondence\/genres\/letters\/#block\">a letter<\/a>, and letters include a recipient&#8217;s name and address. You should look for this information online\u2014try to find a postal mailing address for the company or branch, and try to find the real name of a person who would likely review your materials (a supervisor&#8217;s name, an HR person, etc.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; text-align: right; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;\"><span id=\"4\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<h5><strong>Q. What if I can&#8217;t find the address?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> You should be able to find some address. If you can&#8217;t find the address to a particular division of a company, use their corporate or head office address instead.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; text-align: right; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;\"><span id=\"5\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<h5><strong>Q. Who do I address my cover letter to?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> You should try to find the name of a person who would likely review your materials if you were really applying (a supervisor&#8217;s name, an HR person, etc.).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; text-align: right; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;\"><span id=\"6\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<h5><strong>Q. What if I can&#8217;t find the name of a recipient?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> If you absolutely cannot find the name of any person who would be likely to review your materials (if you were really applying), then use the next best piece of information you have to use in your salutation. See <a href=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/notes\/salutations-names-titles-closings\/\">&#8220;Salutations, Names, Titles, and Closings.&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 8px;\">If you don\u2019t know a person\u2019s name or gender, if possible, use the their job title or role (Dear Recruiter, Dear Claims Adjustor).<\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 8px;\">If you are writing to a company rather than a specific individual, use the company name (Dear Pet Smart, Dear E.J.\u2019s Garden Pros).<\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 8px;\">When writing to a group, use an appropriate plural noun (Students, Employees, Customers). When appropriate, use a more direct, descriptive, or friendly plural noun (Hello 3213 Pro Writers, Dear FAU Employees, Dear Initech Team)<\/li>\n<li style=\"padding-bottom: 8px;\">Don&#8217;t <em>ever<\/em> write: \u201cTo Whom it May Concern\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; text-align: right; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;\"><span id=\"6.a\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<h5><strong>Q. What if I can&#8217;t find a position number or job ID number?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> Look in the listing URL\u2014often the URL has a position number or job ID number at the end. See below.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4341\" src=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/job-id-number-images.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1090\" height=\"550\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/job-id-number-images.png 1090w, https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/job-id-number-images-768x388.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1090px) 100vw, 1090px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; text-align: right; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;\"><span id=\"7\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<h5><strong>Q. I don&#8217;t have any paid experience in my career field. In my cover letter, can I talk about experiences I had in school?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> Yes! Absolutely!<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px;\">The work you&#8217;ve done as an undergrad <em>is<\/em> work. Your classroom experiences <em>are<\/em> experiences. The projects you&#8217;ve completed for class <em>are<\/em> projects. The research you&#8217;ve done for classes <em>is<\/em> research. Your educational experiences are worth highlighting, especially if you don&#8217;t have paid experience in your field.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px;\">Always keep in mind that your cover letter, resume, and interview responses are intended to &#8220;prove&#8221; your qualifications for the position. What matters is the experiences, projects, and research that qualify you. It doesn&#8217;t really matter whether those experiences, projects, and research are paid or unpaid (or &#8220;work&#8221; or &#8220;educational&#8221;).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; text-align: right; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;\"><span id=\"9\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<h5><strong>Q. Can I discuss personal information in my cover letter?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> Only if it applies to the position in some way.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px;\">Some examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px;\">You grew up in a military family and lived in six different countries before your father retired from the military and settled in Florida. Should you discuss this in your cover letter?<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 38px; margin-bottom: 1em;\">\n<div style=\"width: 20px; float: left; font-size: 130%; color: #2e7d32; opacity: 0.65;\">\u2714<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 25px;\">Yes, if you&#8217;re applying for a Global Strategist position at Ford Motors, Inc., then you should probably mention having lived abroad\u2014in multiple countries\u2014in your cover letter. Although this wasn&#8217;t professional experience, living abroad made you more knowledgeable about other countries and cultures. This makes you more qualified than some other applicant who has no international experience.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 38px; margin-bottom: 1em;\">\n<div style=\"width: 20px; float: left; font-size: 150%; color: #b71c1c; opacity: 0.65;\">\u2717<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 25px;\">No, if you&#8217;re applying for a Wildlife Conservationist position at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Loxahatchee, FL, your international living experiences probably don&#8217;t apply to the position in any way, and so there&#8217;s no reason to discuss it in your cover letter.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px;\">You lived with and helped your aunt while she battled breast cancer\u2014you took her to chemo, cooked her meals, ran errands, and helped to clean her house. Should you discuss this in your cover letter?<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 38px; margin-bottom: 1em;\">\n<div style=\"width: 20px; float: left; font-size: 130%; color: #2e7d32; opacity: 0.65;\">\u2714<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 25px;\">Yes, if you&#8217;re applying for a position as a Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Manager at the Susan G. Komen foundation. Since the Susan G. Komen foundation raises money for breast cancer research and awareness about breast cancer, your personal experience helping a loved one through cancer treatments makes you a more qualified candidate than a similar applicant with no personal connection or experience.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 38px; margin-bottom: 1em;\">\n<div style=\"width: 20px; float: left; font-size: 150%; color: #b71c1c; opacity: 0.65;\">\u2717<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 25px;\">No, if you&#8217;re applying for a position as a Digital Animator with Konami Entertainment\u2014a company that creates, develops, and markets video games\u2014then your personal experience helping your aunt is likely irrelevant to the job. Since it doesn&#8217;t help to qualify you for the position or explain your connection to the work, you shouldn&#8217;t discuss this in your cover letter.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; text-align: right; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;\"><span id=\"9b\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<h5><strong>Q. How should I format my cover letter?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> You should format your cover letter as a professional letter in <a href=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/notes\/online\/correspondence\/genres\/letters\/#block\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">block format<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; text-align: right; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;\"><span id=\"10\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<h5><strong>Q. How long should my cover letter be?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<div class=\"h4div\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px; text-indent: -18px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> For the Job Search Portfolio Project, your cover letter should be one full page (your cover letter should be <a href=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/notes\/online\/correspondence\/genres\/letters\/#block\">formatted as a letter<\/a>, so it should be singled spaced with an additional space between paragraphs).<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 18px;\"><strong>Aim to write at least one full page.<\/strong> (While I don&#8217;t count words,  I&#8217;d prefer a cover letter that goes over one page instead of one that goes under one page.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"border-top:2px solid #e0e0e0;\">\n<div style=\"float:right; width:230px; margin-top:1em; margin-left:10px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/serif-vs-sans-serif2.png\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"font-size:110%; margin-top:1em; font-weight:500; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0,188,212 ,0.5);letter-spacing: 0.05em;\">A note about font and font sizes:<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes when I read cover letter drafts, it&#8217;s clear the author is trying to make their text look longer\u2014trying to make it fill more of the page without actually writing more words. The easiest (and most obvious) way to make a text look longer is to use 12 point Arial font. <\/p>\n<p>First, technically, you should use a common, readable serif font for body text on printed pages. Serif fonts\u2014like Times New Roman\u2014are often considered better than sans-serif fonts for readability, speed, and comprehension. (See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4612630\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Arditi and Cho<\/a>).  <\/p>\n<p>Second, <Strong>using 12pt Arial font isn&#8217;t fooling anyone<\/strong> (especially not someone who is reading a stack of cover letters and can plainly see the difference between a page printed in 10pt Times New Roman and one printed in 12pt Arial). To illustrate the effect of size and font style on words per page, take a look at these four mock cover letters. Each version has 1 inch margins, single spacing with an extra hard return (or extra space) between paragraphs, and the same addresses, salutation, and signature block. The body text of each version uses automatically generated Lorum Ipsum placeholder text.<\/p>\n<p>With 10pt Times New Roman, the word count of the body text is 567. With 12pt Arial, the word count is 313. In other words, the per page word count with 10pt Times New Roman is more than <Strong>twice<\/strong> the word count with 12pt Arial. <\/p>\n<p>Since your cover letter is an opportunity to make an argument for why you&#8217;re an excellent candidate for the position, you should aim for quality and completeness. Usually, this takes people <em>at least<\/em> a page.<\/p>\n<p>When I grade, I&#8217;m evaluating your rhetorical approach\u2014I&#8217;m looking for quality and comprehensiveness. I&#8217;m looking to see whether you&#8217;ve made a compelling argument for yourself as an excellent candidate for the position.<\/p>\n<p><em>Bottom line? While I don&#8217;t count words, please don&#8217;t think you&#8217;ve fooled me into thinking you&#8217;ve written a whole page by putting your cover letter into 12pt Arial font.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"width:90%; margin:0 auto;\">\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50%; padding: 10px 20px; border-bottom:none;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"greenshadow\"  src=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/06\/TNR-10.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"638\" height=\"825\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%; padding: 10px 20px; border-bottom:none;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"imgshadow\"  src=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/06\/TNR-12.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"638\" height=\"825\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50%; padding: 10px 20px; border-bottom:none;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"imgshadow\"  src=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/06\/Arial-10.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"638\" height=\"825\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%; padding: 10px 20px; border-bottom:none;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"redshadow\"  src=\"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/06\/Arial-12.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"638\" height=\"825\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; text-align: right; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1500px;\"><span id=\"none\" class=\"anchor\"> <\/span><span class=\"arrowtop\" style=\"font-size: 130%; opacity: 0.5;\"><a href=\"#top\">\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>all job search \u3009 Have questions about your resume? See the RESUME FAQ. Have other questions about the Job Search Portfolio project? See the JSP FAQ. &nbsp; The job application I&#8217;m using says to copy my cover letter into a submission box \/ write my cover letter in the body of an email. What should <a href='https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/notes\/online\/s21-jsp\/cover-letters-frequently-asked-questions\/' class='excerpt-more'>[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":8208,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"no-sidebars.php","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8236"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8236"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8236\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8394,"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8236\/revisions\/8394"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}