On November 7th, I went to a Cover Letter Career Workshop. At that event, they talked about what a cover letter was for and how to write one. It is a document sent with your resume that elaborates more on your past experiences and skills. Some companies may require a cover letter, but not all do. It should talk about why you’re qualified for that job and shouldn’t be a repeat of your resume. It’s like pitching yourself to the potential employer. You should brag but in a humble way. I thought this workshop was really useful and helpful because we all need to know how to write a good cover letter since many of us are applying to internships and this would help determine if we get the job or not. It should also be unique to yourself since many other will have the same experiences as you or more. Many people make the mistake of replicating their resume onto their cover letter. The cover letter can either make or break your opportunity of getting that job. Most job requiters spend only a few seconds glancing at your resume/ cover letter since they have so many applicants and most look the same.
The two hosts at the workshop were very engaging. They had everyone participate by separating us into groups and asking us true and false questions about cover letters. I also learned that after an interview, a thank you letter/ email should be sent. The hosts also gave us some sample cover letters to look at and grade with a rubric.
Overall, I think this was a good workshop and a great experience to have because many of us need to know how to write a cover letter properly in order to get a job. I would definitely go to more workshops like this. They would be extremely helpful for me and my fellow classmates in the future.