Structure your application letters with three or four paragraphs:
Come to the point. Reveal your purpose and interest. Identify the position and your source of information. Introduce your themes.
Outline your strongest qualifications that match the position requirements based on the themes you selected. As much as possible, provide evidence of your related experiences and accomplishments. Refer to your enclosed resume.
Suggest an action plan. Request an interview, and indicate that you will call during a specific time period to discuss interview possibilities.
Express appreciation to the reader for his or her time and consideration.
1225 Chicago Ave.
Evanston, IL 60208
March 14, 2009
Ms. Mary Lou Nelson
Manager of Human Resources
Continental Industries, Inc.
2900 Rosemont Blvd.
Rosemont, IL 60018
Dear Ms. Nelson:
I am applying for the web developer position that was advertised with Northwestern University Career Services this week. The position seems to fit very well with my education, experience, and career interests.
Your position requires skills in various types of programming and software used in web development. My academic program in computer studies emphasized C, C++, .NET, PHP, Visual Basic, Assembler, Java, and MSSQL. In addition, I have extensive experience with several software packages in web development, including Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, Dreamweaver, and Microsoft Visual Studio. My experience as a department computer consultant gave me exposure to both PC (Windows 2000, NT, XP, Vista) and Macintosh OSX platforms, as well as Microsoft Active Directory Novell and NT LANs.
Additionally, I worked as a summer intern in computing operations for a major city newspaper where I gained knowledge of enterprise systems, content management systems, and e-commerce operations. My enclosed resume provides more details on my qualifications.
My background and career goals seem to match your job requirements well. I am confident that I can perform the job effectively. Furthermore, I am genuinely interested in the position and in working for Continental Industries, Inc. Your firm has an excellent reputation and comes highly recommended to me.
Would you please consider my request for a personal interview to discuss my qualifications and to learn more about this opportunity? I shall call you next week to see if a meeting can be arranged. Should you need to reach me, please feel free to contact me at 847/683-4388 or m-lopez@northwestern.edu.
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to talking with you.
Sincerely yours,
Maria Lopez
Maria Lopez