Liberal Arts Career Services | College of Liberal Arts
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Cover Letter Guide

The cover letter (or letter of interest) is a one-page document commonly requested with a resume as part of an employment application. To ensure that your application materials highlights your skills, schedule an appointment with a Career Coach or use our drop-in hours. It is helpful if you can bring your job posting to your appointment. 

  • Getting Started
    • Identify aspects of this role that appeal to you and describe why
    • Describe your past experiences that demonstrate your ability to succeed in this role 
    • Draft your cover letter using our cover letter template
    • Review job posting analysis worksheet to connect relevant language and skills from the job posting to your cover letter
  • Template and Sample
  • Other Written Application Elements

    List of References: References should not be included on a resume, but in a separate document. References are provided upon employer's request, typically after an interview because employers want to know what your work performance was like in other professional settings. It is common for an employer to request for three references.

    Letters of Recommendation: Letters of recommendation are requested in support of applications for graduate or law school.

    Writing Sample: A writing sample only needs to be submitted if it is specifically requested as part of the job application (typically for writing intensive, research or law-related positions).

    Email Signature Block: When using email to correspond with prospective employers, be sure your email signature block looks professional and contains relevant information.

  • Using AI for your Cover Letter 

    These sample prompts can be used with the AI platform of your choice to supplement your cover letter writing. Adjust the language as needed to match your experiences. See more resources and suggestions for using AI on our Generative AI Tools page. 

    • Develop an outline for a cover letter based on my resume and the job description below. [insert job description] 

    • How should I tailor the introductory paragraph of my cover letter for this role? [Insert job description]

    • What should I focus on in my cover letter based on my resume and the job description? [Insert job description] [Insert resume with personal info removed] 

    • Does my cover letter align with the job description?  [insert job description] 

  • Accordion 5
    Panel 5. Add body text in this space.
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