So, What about this Cover Letter?

[BoDEAN]

A father of one of the students in my mothers class, told me that a local airline is hiring, and he gave me his name to use as a reference. I have my resume all filled out, but after searching this board, I really didn't get much help with regards to a cover letter.

Can someone point me to a good template to use, or a website with templates?

I guess I want to see what the cover letter should contain.


Thanks

 

[jsoceanlord]

try; www.knockemdead.com

 

[BoDEAN]

try; www.knockemdead.com

Not sure if that was suppose to be a valid link, but it's invalid

 

[bobbysamd]

Cover letter to use when you're name-dropping

You are a lucky person. Having the name of a person within the company to drop is almost as good as a personal letter of introduction.

Put the person's name up front. Try something like this:

March 11, 2003


Mr. Joe Savant, Pilot Recruiter
LoseAir Commuter Airlines
123 Main Street
Anytown, Anystate Zip Code

Dear Mr. Savant:

John Smith, who is employed in your training department, has suggested that I apply for a Flight Officer position with LoseAir Airlines. Enclosed for your review is my resume.

My qualifications include a Commercial Pilot Certificate with Instrument, Single and Multi Engine ratings and a First Class Medical Certificate. I currently fly for Mom & Pop's Air Service as a co-pilot on the PA-34. I am now flying 50 hours a month and expect that schedule to continue. I am also training for my Certificated Flight Instructor certificate and expect to build experience in that capacity.

Recent articles in the Podunk Press have featured LoseAir as a top regional airline with expansion plans. I am enthusiastic about aviation, I work hard and learn quickly, and I am sure you will find my abilities to be valuable at LoseAir.

I would appreciate the opportunity to present my qualifications to you in person. Any consideration that you might give me will be appreciated.

Respectfully,

Gizbug


It would be even better if your contact could write a letter for you that you would copy and include with your cover letter and resume.

Hope that helps. Good luck with your efforts.

 

[PRO AV8R]

The previous is an excellent example. The idea is to give the person looking at the letter, a brief idea of who you are, where you have been in your career or education and what you would like to do and how you can benefit their company.

 

[bobbysamd]

The previous is an excellent example. The idea is to give the person looking at the letter, a brief idea of who you are, where you have been in your career or education and what you would like to do and how you can benefit their company.

Thanks. I appreciate it.

 

[BoDEAN]

Thanks. I appreciate it.

Thanks Bobby.

What kind of letter should I have this father write for me?
Would I just make a photocopy of the letter?
Who would he address the letter to? Me?

 

[bobbysamd]

Letter of Introduction

Something like:


March 12, 2003

Mr. Joe Savant, Pilot Recruiter
LoseAir Commuter Airlines
123 Main Street
Anytown, Anystate Zip Code

RE: Gizbug

Dear Mr. Savant:

This letter is to introduce Gizbug. I have known Gizbug for X years and have encouraged him to become a pilot. He is hard working, enthusiastic and loyal, etc. I feel that Gizbug would be a worthwhile addition to our pilot group and is worthy of our Company's consideration as a Flight Officer.

Please contact me at extension 1234 if you have any questions or if I can supply further information.

Sincerely,


Big Cheese


Something like that. The letter should be on company letterhead, I think, but that's your contact's call. Give the recruiter the original, but see if your contact would be willing to print multiple originals. If not, make copies.

Don't give your contact a form unless he asks for it. That would be somewhat presumptuous on your part. Moreover, if you get a letter of introduction from the gentleman you (1) might seek his counsel on how to approach the pilot recruiter and/or (2) soft-peddle the introduction I wrote above. Maybe just a general statement of application in your cover letter, something like, "I should like to apply for a Flight Officer position with LoseAir Commuter Airlines. Big Cheese, in your training department, has told me that LoseAir will be recruiting pilots over the next several months." If you smack the recruiter across the forehead too hard with your connections the whole effort might backfire. It might antagonize the recruiter.

Once more, good luck with your efforts.

 

[avbug]

To Whom it May Concern;

This letter is to recommend Mr. Alex Sophonopolopodophis for the position of pilot. Mr. Sophonopolopodophis was employed for my company, Irresponsible Aerial Thrills, for a period of sixteen months in the position of Beechjet Captain. During this time he distinguished himself as the finest of characters, a crackerjack pilot, and a **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** fine human being.

Mr. Sophonopolopodophis frequently went beyond the extra mile with customer service, as well as performing functions for the company well outside his job description. During the previous sixteen months, Mr. Sophonopolopodophis has carried bags for customers, cleaned airplanes, donated a kidney to my secretary, and served in the capacity of surrogate father to my daughters illegitimate twins. The man is a peach.

To say that Mr. Sophonopolopodophis is a ray of sunstroke is to severely understate his value to me, and to my company. I have no doubt that were it not for his brilliance and shining leadership character, my firm would have been in the proverbial toilet six months ago. Alex's skill as a pilot is exceeded only by his charm and ability to sell flights, book charters, fix airplanes, and save souls from eternal **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED**ation.

When new security proceedures were established for all aircrew members, Mr. Sophonopolopodophis not only did not hesitate to be drug tested, but volunteered three times. He did the same with his fingerprints, going so far as to offer to spend a night in jail to better understand the needs of those who might not have been able to pass the screening. While there he even baked cookies for the gaurds, and recruited one away from the sheriff's office to be our new company custodian.

When Mr. Sophonopolopodophis is not occupied blessing our company with his talents and charm, he is often to be found the Our Lady of the Soggy Fish in the Lake orphenage, reading to blind, burned, and crippled children in at least four languages. He is content to do this and request to be taken off salary for his time spent away from the office.

In his spare time, Alex Sophonopolopodophis enjoys a monastic lifestyle, seldom speaking unless spoken to, sleeping on a bare plywood board, and communing with nature. He has brought this harmony to our office, reducing our annual expenditure on rolaids and psychological counseling by at least six thousand dollars.

In conclusion, at Irresponsible Aerial Thrills we are sorry to see Mr. Sophonopolopodophis leave us. We wish him the best of luck, and can only say that no amount of praise would be adequate for such a wonderful man. For further information, please contact me by day at (555) 555-5555 (ext. 555).



---You're welcome to copy this letter, simply inserting your name where it says Mr. Sophonopolopodophis. Then get your employer, future father in law, drug dealer, local police chief, or significant other to sign it. You're in, like a shoe (that's been ground up to small spagetti-sized consistance then shovelled one strand at a time through a narrow keyhole: a shoe-in). I use this letter all the time, and it always does the trick. Best of luck.

 

[carlos]

While I can't top avbug's letter, which is sure to get you at least an interview, the one overriding idea I learned in a business writing class in college is that in any letter of persuasion (which a cover letter is) you must always focus on the recipient, not yourself. The recipient always wants to know "what's in it for me?". So, any great qualities that you have should be stated in terms of what specific benefits you're going to bring to the company you're applying to. And if you can put that in dollar terms, all the better.

For example, paraphrasing from avbug's letter, you could just state that "I enjoy a monastic lifestyle, seldom speaking unless spoken to, sleeping on a bare plywood board, and communing with nature", and leave it at that. Better is to continue on and say "I have brought this harmony to our office, reducing our annual expenditure on rolaids and psychological counseling by at least six thousand dollars".

Companies love to see how you're going to help them make money, which, ultimately, is there reason for being.

Hope that helps some.

 

[bobbysamd]

Cover letters and thank you letters as sales and promotional tools

Good comments from Carlos.

I like his "letter of persuasion" observation. A good mindset to adopt when working up a cover letter is that it is really a sales letter. You are selling yourself to an employer. In fact, your cover letter is your first opportunity to peddle yourself to an employer. Therefore, as Carlos said, the letter should be oriented to the reader (Actually, anything you write should be oriented not to yourself but to your reader.). My Business Communications instructor always called it the "you" attitude.

Wrong: "I want to be a pilot for LoseAir Airlines. I am a good pilot. I wanna job because I'm sick of students," etc.

Better: "As a Captain for Unsafe Air Cargo, I flew a regular schedule on the CV-240 from our hub in Ypsilanti to outstations in Gary, Indiana, Dearborn, Michigan, and Kenosha, Wisconsin. I also served as a Check Airman and worked closely with the FAA's Principal Operations Inspector for my company. Before I joined Unsafe, I was PIC on the BE-90 for Anyhour Charters, an FAA Part 135 operation based in East Armpit, Alabama. I flew on-demand charter flights to cities throughout Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Perhaps you would find this experience to be valuable at LoseAir."

I realize that a lot of people de-emphasize the importance of the cover letter. They feel that little time should be put into them because the people who should read them never do and that they are read strictly by H.R. coneheads who have no appreciation for the message that you're trying to convey. I agree with that to a point. Therefore, I suggest keeping cover letters brief. Also, always ask for an interview and express appreciation for the reader's time.

Finally, always send a thank-you letter after an interview, even if you perceive the interview went badly. You can reiterate the highlights of your quals and bring up points you might not have emphasized. A thank-you note is another opportunity for you to sell yourself.

Hope these thoughts help some more. Good luck with your job search.

PS-Don't forget to proofread, proofread, proofread. Get help if you believe in any way that you need it. Your materials must be perfect in every way. Any typos, misspellings, etc. will about guarantee the sh!tcan for them, and your chances.

 

[BoDEAN]

A dilema!

I had to get the resume/cover letter back from the guy who was going to deliver it for me, due to a spelling error on his name.
He kind of suggested I mail it in, and that by having HIS name and contact # on the cover letter, they would contact him.

Should I press to have him take it in to them? Or go ahead and mail it in?

pros/cons on mailing it in?

 

[bobbysamd]

You're right, you have a dilemma . . .

Hopefully, your friend knows how the company operates and what it takes to get your materials to the right person. Although my gut reaction would be to have him take it in personally, you probably should follow his advice and do what he suggests.

Don't forget to drop his name. Please, spell it correctly.

 

[80/20]

Unconfirmed story:
A resume with the following cover letter was placed in shoe and mailed to Southwest:

Dear Herb Keller

I just wanted to get my shoe inside your door……

The story claims that Herb's reaction was "Just the kind of person we need - let's give him an interview right away…."

The job of screening applications can be very routine and boring. Screeners will look at the experience (facts) and for people skills. They will speed-read the cover letter and form their first opinion.
A cover letter should last from 30 seconds to maximum 2 minutes. It should work like a "hook" designed to catch the screener's interest. The same kind of "hook" is dangled in front of you every day when you watch TV and read newspapers or magazines. Newspapers always use "hooks" - they are called headlines. A good TV "hook" is never longer than 30 seconds because media research has determined that this is the attention span of an average viewer. How do you find a good hook? The most common and secure hook is based on your experience and skills. Bobbysamd's version is well written and secure.

Carlos' point - always focus on the recipient, not yourself - is also very valid.

Humor can be very effective, but your are taking a calculated risk because you do not know how it is recived. It might be better not to use too much humor unless you are very confident that it will work.