202 Great Cover Letters by Michael Betrus; Tata McGraw Hill; Price: Rs.475; 282 pp
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One of the greatest downsides of the new age of instant real time communications is that the art of letter writing crafted over centuries, is well nigh lost and eroded. It’s rare these days to receive a well-written letter — brief, purposive, a communication which stirs the recipient into action. Which is a shame because a well crafted letter which a famous writer once defined as akin to a two-piece bathing suit —short enough to be interesting and long enough to cover the subject matter — can facilitate business and commerce for those so engaged, and in matters of the heart, nothing works as well as a missive which evocatively describes love and sentiment.
Of course conversely, there is the omnipresent danger of a written communication being open to misinterpretation — the use or non-use of the humble comma can completely alter the meaning of a sentence, and misconvey the intent of the writer. Which is why slippery characters and casanovas tend to adhere to the rule of never putting it in writing. Nevertheless there is ample evidence to prove that a letter written in charged prose can move mountains, and often galvanise recipient(s) into action.
Of all the formal letters one is likely to write at some point, perhaps the most crucial is to a prospective employer. Usually appended to the resume, it’s the cover letter which according to the author of this valuable compendium which makes all the difference.
“Some of the candidates I interview earn a six-figure salary, yet they have absolutely horrendous resumes and cannot draft a well-written letter. Many of these letters are littered with typos, sentence fragments, and randomly capitalised words. However, the biggest offense I see time and time again is that most cover letters are not written from the right angle to get that candidate in the door of an employer,” writes Michael Betrus, a US-based “hiring manager and career seminar leader for students on campuses nationwide.”
To help job applicants avoid this common pitfall, Betrus presents an engaging analysis of the inputs required of the perfect cover letter which will excite the harried HRD (human resource development) manager who is obliged to wade through hundreds of such letters, replete with annoying clichés such as “humbly”, “esteemed”, “most respectfully” and “your goodself”. Refreshingly, this guide not only advises the reader how to write an arresting letter for advertised positions, but more significantly, on how to apply to a company or organisation of your choice which hasn’t advertised a vacancy (“Over the last few months I’ve noticed your firm is moving into consulting…”).
After outlining the general principles of letter writing, Betrus describes the format of a formal covering letter. At the top (usually right aligned in India) it should clearly indicate the name and full address of the writer. The date and name, correct designation and full address of the addressee should be left aligned. These important preliminaries should be followed by a proper salutation (“Dear Ms. Lane”) and a ‘power introduction’ which will grab the reader’s attention (“Cameo Rehabilitation has built some wonderful facilities in the Detroit area…”). The next paragraph should state the purpose of the letter (“I am very interested in joining the Cameo team”), followed by ‘critical messages’ (“I offer your consulting service the following skills…”), followed by a ‘call to action’ para (“Please expect my telephone call in the next week so that we might set a time to meet”). A well-structured application letter should end with a closure (“Thanks for your consideration”) and sign off.
The structure and form of effective covering letters with a plethora of examples, is not the sole nugget offered by this teach yourself volume. Among the 16 chapters included in 202 Great Cover Letters are: Street-smart writing tips; Creating solutions-based (ascertaining the needs of the hiring company) letters; Composing broadcast (a hybrid between a resume and a cover letter) letters; Responding to job postings and classified ads; Applying to executive recruiters (i.e. placement firms); Networking letters; Targeting comp-anies directly (sending unsolicited applications); Letters for students seeking internships and management training openings, and contact during and after the interview (follow-up letters and calls).
Quite obviously this is a reference manual which should be available to school and college graduates on the threshold of entering the job market, rather than a book to be read as a novel. Therefore it is recommended to institutional and organisation libraries, rather than individuals. However there’s no denying its immense value for graduating students, corporate executives, and the upwardly mobile in search of fresh woods and pastures — particularly in a society whose letter-writing skills, influenced by rude government babu letters — are abysmal.
Dilip Thakore