Superhero Cover Letter

Learning Outcomes Through class activities, readings & assignments, students will
Write a tailored, specific cover letter
The Superhero Cover Letter
Now that you have developed a spectacular, skills based resume, it is time to write a cover
letter. If the resume contains all of your applicable transferable skills, the cover letter
should discuss exactly how you will fill a companys needs. Notice, the emphasis on the
company once again. Even more than the resume, the cover letter should be less about you
and more about how you will help the company. Think of yourself as the Superhero
Engineer that will come and save the day! Through the cover letter you should convince the
recruiter or future employer that they would be foolish if they left you off the interview list.

In the past, students have taken my superhero analogy literally, and they have tried to
write letters stating they will save companies millions of dollars. As a fresh college
graduate you will not be saving the company, but you should be making life a little easier
for those that you work with. In order to accomplish that goal, you need to sell skills.
The cover letter is your opportunity to explain exactly why you are the correct person for
the job. Hopefully, you recognize that in order to be the right person for the job, you need to
know something about the company and you need to know something about the job. The
best cover letters include key words and phrases from the job description or from the
company website. Further, every cover letter should be customized for every job application.
Remember, the cover letter is about how you will fit into the company, and all companies
and jobs are different. You might get away with the same resume for every job application,
but this will not work well for cover letters.
Cover Letter Mechanics
To get started, each of your cover letters should use the following criteria to ensure
professional representation.
1. Limit the letter to 1 page, at least for the next 5 years. When you step in to
management roles, your cover letter can expand.
2. Use a 12 point font that maximizes readability. You do not know who is going to read
your cover letter or how they will be reading it (e.g. paper, computer, iPhone).

Professional Practice

Superhero Cover Letter

3. Optimize the ability to scan a hard copy back into an electronic format (e.g. pdf or jpg).
Your cover letter may get passed around the office or across offices, so you want to make
sure it looks as good as it can even after a few transitions between paper and pdf.
4. Use a formal address at the top of the page and a formal signature at the bottom of the
page to showcase professionalism. The formal address and formal signature that I used
to get the job at Trine follow.

Notice, I addressed a specific person with the letter. Do your best to find a specific
person, which may require an email or a phone call to the human resources department.
If no individual can be identified, use Dear Hiring Manager or Dear Hiring Personel. DO
NOT use To whom it may concern.

There are a few things you should borrow from this formal signature. First, put a real
signature in your electronic file that looks seamless. Use blue pen to sign a white piece
of paper, and scan with a copy machine. Too many students take a picture with their
phone, and a tan or yellow background develops. Where I have Assistant Professor, you
should include a leadership position that you currently hold (e.g. ASCE President, Delta
Chi Vice President). This is one last little advertisement for your leadership skills. If
you do not hold a leadership position, Mechanical Engineering Class of 2018 works well.
The Cover Letter Formula
As an engineer I struggled to write early in my career, but a good cover letter is nothing
more than a simple four paragraph formula.

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Superhero Cover Letter

Paragraph 1 The Opening Statement

The opening paragraph should be brief and it should specifically state that you are applying
for the job. Be very clear with your verbs. You ARE APPLYING for the job. You are not
excited to see an opportunity and you are not interested in possibly, maybe, someday
developing your skills at job XYZ. Too many students use passive verbs when they should
be very direct. If you would like to comment on where you found the job announcement, this
is perfectly acceptable and it may be required of some cover letters.

The last sentence of the opening paragraph is critically important, as you will announce the
two reasons you are the best candidate for the job. These two reasons will then be expanded
upon in paragraphs 2 and 3. In the example above I sold three different reasons, but you
should focus on two specific characteristics or skills. Most often, students sell technical
skills, previous experience, or leadership. In the following paragraphs we want you to tell
stories that will set you apart from others or will show exactly how well you will fit in to the
company. The order in paragraph one should follow for paragraphs 2 and 3. While we have
discussed leadership as the most important trait desired by recruiters, it should be
paragraph 3 for the reasons discussed above. Employers want you to have leadership skills,
but you will likely not be in a leadership role when you start at the company. The first skill
or characteristic that you sell should show exactly how prepared you are to step in to the
job on day one. A few student examples follow.

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Superhero Cover Letter

Paragraphs 2 and 3 will make your claims in paragraph 1 believable. At the same time, the
paragraph format of the letter allows you to expand upon items found on the resume.
Specifically use your previous experiences to show that you will be able to do the job.
Paragraph 2 Put Yourself in the Position
Open paragraph 2 by literally putting yourself in the position. As an engineer for I will
When you put yourself in the job, the reader will do the same and ultimately you do want
them to see you as the engineer. The second part of the opening sentence should tell why
you will succeed in the role, and this is where you bring in the first characteristic or skill
that you would like to sell and elaborate upon. The rest of the paragraph should be good
examples, stories, details, justifications, and expansion of ideas. Do not replicate the
resume, but pick one or two of your bullets that this particular employer will care about
most and expand the story.
As a classroom professor, the most important skill that I can possess is teaching expertise.
This is the focus of my second paragraph, using as many good details as possible to
showcase and support my claims. Notice that I literally put myself in the job to start the
paragraph. I want you to steal this sentence and use it as your own. Following my second
paragraph, several more student examples are given.

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Superhero Cover Letter

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Superhero Cover Letter

Paragraph 3 Give them another good reason to hire you!

The third paragraph should focus on another skill or characteristic that will make you a
good employee. If you have good leadership experience, this is the best place to discuss
those accomplishments. Students also address written communication or team work/selfstarter here if that will be a significant part of the job. If you discussed work experiences in
paragraph 2, this would be a decent opportunity to discuss hands-on projects completed at
Trine. Make sure the future employer will care about the subject of this paragraph. It
should not be an add-on, it should help advance your status as the employee to hire.
In my example below the second most important job skill for professors is addressed,
scholarly learning, research, and student projects. Notice how I target the fake DeWitt
Clinton University specifically, showing that I understand how I will fit in to the new job.
As fresh faced engineers it is likely that you will just be another cog in the wheel, but you
can also target the job by using words pulled from the job announcement. Again, student
examples follow.

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Superhero Cover Letter

Paragraph 4 Close professionally and quickly

To close the cover letter be polite, kind, and brief. Provide your phone number and email
address. If you would like to make a statement about the potential job location, that would
be a good idea; see the third example below. Too many students add filler and fluff to this
paragraph, going on and on about how you love the company or how you are the most
spectacular engineer in the world. People recognize the BS for what it is and you should
avoid superfluous statements. Three student examples are provided to show simplicity.

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Superhero Cover Letter

Additional Readings and Resources

10 Phrases that dont belong in your cover letter (US News & World Report)
Often, students write phrases and sentences that have no meaning. This short article
does a great job summarizing phrases that fall in to this category. Please avoid!
Student Cover Letters
Several decent student cover letters are provided as examples. As always, there are
parts of these letters that could be improved. Generally, they do a great job illustrating
what a cover letter should accomplish and the tone that should be used.
Rentz Cover Letter
I have also generated a letter to a fake university job. I understand that some of the
examples will not apply directly to you, but look at the overall letter. Does it convince
you that I should be asked for an interview? Do I clearly show that I will be able to do
the job required? The paragraph about location should not be replicated until you are
moving to a management position. Also, keep your letter to one page till that time too.

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Superhero Cover Letter

Poor Cover Letter

This example cover letter might be acceptable for someone pursuing their first
internship. Unfortunately, you would like to earn significantly more money, and I
highly recommend that you follow my four paragraph formula. Digest this cover letter
and try to identify all of the items that could be improved substantially.

Professional Practice

Superhero Cover Letter