Cover Letters & Letters of Interest - How to secure an Interview

As a recruiter, I’ve seen it on more than one occasion: a potentially good applicant applies for various positions around state government and uses the same letter of interest for every position they apply for. This is not a good idea.
You can turn in the same Application format and the same Resume for each position you apply to, but a letter of interest is something that should be specific to a particular job. The reason behind this is that your letter of interest is the explanation for everything that your resume and application do not show. This should be the strongest part of your application packet. For example, if there is a position open for a member of the Incident Response Team (IRT) and there are three people that all have their First Aid License and CDL (all things you would find on an application) but the hiring manager only has space to interview one more person, how would they decide which one would be interviewed? It would probably based on their letter of interest, whether or not they spoke about the soft skills listed on the job announcement and if they had them. Like, if they spoke about how they live less than 30 minutes from the office so they could easily respond to occasional off-hour emergencies, if they did not mind working on highways which would place them in imminent danger, if they have had previous experience working in a fast paced environment. These are all qualifications that were listed on a previous job announcement for an Incident Response Team member and there were many candidates who possessed the CDL and the First Aid License, but did not cover any of the soft skills listed. It was the candidates who wrote a good letter of interest that were awarded the opportunity for an interview.
What’s the difference between a Letter of Interest and a Cover Letter?
A cover letter and a Letter of Interest are essentially the same thing. They are a letter included in your application packet that is clear, concise and establishes reason for your interest /ability to do the job. Many employers will ask that your letter explain why you believe you are the best candidate for a position. This is why you want to make sure that you are addressing the qualifications for a particular job so the employer is aware that you do have those particular qualities.
What are some pointers to writing a good Letter of Interest?
First and foremost, you want it to be a concise as possible without leaving out any important information. Although it varies by position, in general, a good Letter of Interest is 1-2 pages long. One paragraph is too short and five pages is too long.
Second, you want to make sure that you cover the qualifications/job duties of the job and explain how you meet those qualifications and why you can do the job duties. You do not want to say “The qualification is this, and I can do it”. Instead, you want to show how you can meet a stated qualification with an example of your work. This is more believable. For example, instead of writing, I have strong communication skills and can multi-task, you can write: in my previous job, I frequently had to act as the facilitator between various offices in the country on one conference call. By using strong communication skills and establishing an organized meeting agenda, I was able to ensure that all offices were able to speak their ideas and still have enough time at the end for an open forum. This example is much better than just saying you have strong communication skills and can multi-task. Anyone can say that they are a good multi-tasker and have good communication skills but most hiring managers have been around the block enough times to know that just because someone says they do, doesn’t mean they actually do. By giving en example, you are giving primary evidence that you do in fact have those skills.
Third, address any issues or red flags that could be in your application. Don’t try to hide any red flags or hope that a hiring manager won’t see it. If you have a 2 year break in service because you had to take care of your sick mother. Let them know that although you took 2 years off to take care of your mother, you are ready and energized to get back into the work force. Put it this way, if you don’t say anything about it, it means that the employer could think anything about it. Imaginations can run wild, so it’s better to address anything up front and set the record straight; just remember to put a positive twist at the end of it.
Fourth, always put a header on your letter of interest that includes your name, phone number and email. This is a good idea because A) it reinforces your name. They can see it on top and at the bottom so they’re more likely to remember it. B) when you put an email on the top, Microsoft Word will automatically make in underlined and highlighted blue, this again makes your name stand out and C) If you have more than one page to a document, this is a good way to make sure that all the pages stay together. I once had 127 people apply for a job and the hiring manager wanted to view all the applications in paper format. When one of the pages got loose, it was almost impossible to figure out whose application that page was a part of. If your name is on top of all the pages, its an easy way to ensure that your application never loses a page.
Fifth, check your spelling and grammar. Written communication is part of almost anyone’s job. Your letter of interest directly reflects your writing capabilities. If you have spelling and grammar mistakes in there, it could count against you as it’s a tiebreaker when there are multiple employees that all meet the qualifications. Make sure you have someone read your Letter of Interest over before you turn it in. If you don’t have the time for this, try reading your letter backwards as you are more likely to catch your own mistakes if you are focusing on specific words and not just content.