Post Fair Craziness: Now What?

So the Career Fair's officially over, but unofficially the work's just beginning! On campus interviews are popping up like crazy, due dates for jobs are fast approaching, and it seems that with every application I attempt to submit, there is some other document or piece of information I need to somehow obtain. Be careful about the deadlines listed in Job Finder!! I mistakenly put off applying to a job til the due date, just to discover that I needed to go through that company's online job application process as well. Most of the time this is a fairly quick process that would take less than an hour, except for one tiny detail: they are requiring a cover letter. Being the procrastinator I tend to be, I hadn't even thought about submitting one and now have a very short period of time to write one... Fun times...

Many of you might be asking, "What is a Cover Letter? What info should I include in it? Where are there samples??"

First things first, a cover letter is your preface or introduction to your resume. It states things that don't really fit in on your resume, like why Company X is your dream company, or what qualities you have that make you an excellent candidate, or maybe why you are pursuing a job in X field. Your cover letter inadvertently says alot about you as well. It can tell an employer how detail oriented you are (does your cover letter have a ton of typos), how your communication skills are (this is especially important coming from a technical school!!), and how organized you are (is there a flow to the letter, and clear organization of thoughts?). Quite possibly the biggest problem with Cover Letters is that unlike Resumes, you need a specific cover letter for each position you apply to (YIKES!). I am currently working on preparing 3 for internships that I'm interested in. ALSO, if you happen to see a text box below the resume submission part of Job Finder that says "Enter any extra notes you want the employer to see" THIS MEANS YOU NEED TO COPY AND PASTE YOUR COVER LETTER INTO THAT BOX!!!


On to how to write your cover letter.... The CDC has an extremely helpful handout available either in the office or online through your Job Finder account. Just go to "Documents" then "Podcasts and Handouts" and you can either view the podcast on cover letters, or view the traditional handout.

Also mark your calendars for...
THE HOW TO WRITE A COVER LETTER WORKSHOP!!!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
5 pm
SL 105


And now if you still don't know where to start, or just need to see more samples, you can go here to find a bunch of sample cover letters for both full time and internship positions!


When you've finished your cover letter, try to get it critiqued at the CDC. You cannot just drop off cover letters; you need to meet face to face with a counselor either during walk-in appointments or you can set up an appointment at another time.



I hope you are all applying like crazy right about now!!! Best of luck to all of you over the next few weeks, and I'll keep you posted when I start hearing about interviews!