Today´s topic is Cover Letters: It´s all about "YOU"!

Let me explain why I put the emphasis on YOU. You are the letter writer but you also have an audience. Who is the audience? The audience is a person reading your cover letter, usually someone in the human resource department.

Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about. Most cover letters begin like this:

I am interested in applying for the part-time bookkeeping position. I am a student at Bellevue Community College. I am taking classes toward a degree in accounting and have a 3.8 GPA. I would like to gain experience and advance in this field.

Now, let´s see what happens to your cover letter when you move from an I-to-a-you-focused letter. Listen to what happens in this example:

As a student who is working on a degree in accounting, I am writing to apply for the part-time bookkeeping position you have advertised on your website. The enclosed résumé outlines my work history along with relevant coursework at Bellevue Community College which prepares me to accurately record and maintain your financial data.

In the first example, it´s all about "I am interested in this…I am studying that…I have a degree in this…I want a position so I can gain experience." − I, I, I, I, I.

For a more interesting cover letter, change all those I´s to you´s. By changing the language around, you´re making a connection with the reader and telling them what you can do for them! This will immediately improve your cover letters!

Check out our Career Café Podcast series on our website at http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/careers/podcast.html or schedule an appointment with one of our career specialists. We are conveniently located on the second floor of the Student Services Building (Building B) on the main campus or your can call (425) 564-2279.

Thanks for listening!