Letters of Interest: What's the big deal?

[Michaela]

Letters of Interest: What’s the big deal?

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.

[Actively Seeking Employment]

Hi Michaela,

Thanx for the post, this is helpful. Im still a little confused about
making it sound right. I always think I wrote a great letter but
never get called for the interview. What other pointers can you give
me?

Geneva

[E-Rock]

Thanks, this is pretty helpful. Can I send my letter of interest to
you to look over it beofore I turn it in?

Eric

On Aug 18, 7:09 am, Michaela <fav...@wsdot.wa.gov> wrote:

[Michaela]

Eric,

Please feel free to send a letter of interest to me to review. This
is something that all of our recruiters are willing to do. The only
thing I ask is that if you do want me to review a Letter of Interest,
please make sure to send it to me at least 48 hours before the
application deadline so I have proper time to look it over and get it
back to you with any edits.

Michaela

> > focusing on specific words and not just content.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Michaela]

Hi Geneva,

I completely understand what you mean. I always have someone look
over all of my papers before I turn them in, whether it's as important
as an applciation or if it's a simple letter of introduction. One
thing I do when I am submitting an application is I always make sure
to have my co-worker proof read it. When I do, I first give her the
job announcement with the listed qualifications. She then goes
through my letter of interest and reads it and highlights each of the
qualifications. If I am missing one, then I have to re-word my letter
so that it becomes more apparent. It doesn't matter if I thought it
was in there, I never argue with her because chances are if she didn't
see it, then the hiring manager won't see it either. My co-worker
will then go through a second time and check or grammar and to see how
well it flows.

If you don't have someone who can read through your cover letter.
Feel free to send it to my email and I will take a look at it and send
it back to you with my edits. Just make sure to send it to me at
least 48 hours before the closing date so I can make sure you get
enough time to make any edits.

Michaela

On Aug 18, 1:36 pm, Actively Seeking Employment