HR bees, I need your help!
A really great opportunity came up for the hubs, and he's already updated his resume, but he's going to need to write up a cover letter. He was right out of school when he got into his current company, and I have no helpful advice for him, so I'm hoping the experts here can help us!
Any tips, advice, pointers, etc. etc. for writing a good cover letter? Thank you!! 
apricot / 355 posts
How is the resume going to be submitted? I worked in recruiting for 7 years and honestly barely read cover letters. That being said, our applicant tracking system only collected resumes, but different industries have different protocols.
What industry?
pomegranate / 3759 posts
You basically take the words right out of the job description and describe how youhave experience, education etc for that description.
kiwi / 656 posts
I work in a position of hiring and firing and a cover letter normally just states something like "dear sir/madam, please find attached my cv in application for the position of (blah) here. I am available to start work from (date) (then a short personal statement eg I am motivated and work well in a team) (the reason I would like this position is...) yours sincerely...
coconut / 8234 posts
Not an HR person, but I am a writer. And during my job search last year I was invited on tons of interviews, including for jobs I had no business applying for, based on my cover letters.
He should send a tailored resume that does what @Lindsay05: reiterate key words from the job description, etc. Also, a sentence or two about why he's interested in this specific company/position to show he's researched them.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6581 posts
@mrsjazz: @Lindsay05: What they said. You look at the job description and explain why you have x,y,z for each thing they are looking for.
cantaloupe / 6869 posts
Another tip: keep your cover letter direct and to the point. I had a longer version of my cover letter and did not get interviews. I tightened it up and was much more successful. Don't say in 10 words, what you can say in 5.
pear / 1955 posts
What previous posters said. Just chipping in a reminder to double- and triple-check spelling and grammar - I don't know what field he's in, but we regularly discard applicants based on poor attention to detail in cover letters.
pomelo / 5000 posts
I think Penelope Trunk is whacky, but she has great career advice, including how to right a good cover letter.
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