The “Must Read” Clerical Cover Letter

Posted by in Administrative & Clerical Services



You’ve just graduated with an Associate of Arts in business and you’re ready to land that first clerical job. The one that will get you out of your parents’ house and hopefully pay enough for a small apartment and a decent car. Your resume looks good and now you’re ready to write the all-important cover letter. 
 
Where to start? What to say? How to put your best foot forward without sounding over confident? Some suggestions that will get you past a gatekeeper or two:

 

Summarize your skills and clerical experience. This is what the employer wants to know right off—do you have the experience and skill sets they need to do the job? Be brief here and put this at the top of the letter. 

Match your skills with the ad posting. Read and re-read the job posting or ad. This is your biggest clue as to what they’re specifically looking for. If certain skill sets are listed, expound on your abilities in those areas. If certain hardware/software systems are listed as “must haves,” elaborate on your experience or training in those systems. 

State why you want the job. “I look forward to working for your company (or division) because…” Do some research and include what you admire about the company, why you think working there would be a good fit--for their goals as well as your career. The employer wants to hire someone who is motivated by more than just a paycheck. Clerical positions can be tedious, especially for those starting out. Employers want to know that you’ll stick it out and become a valuable member of the clerical support team. 

Sell initiative. If, in your past jobs, you created a new filing system, implemented a new software program, or contributed creatively to a presentation, sell that. Show that you’re not just ten fingers on a keyboard. That you’re willing to go beyond the job description. 

Ask for the interview. Be bold, available and ask for an interview. Many applicants ignore this critically important step. They leave this up to the employer, hoping and waiting for the phone to ring. Asking for the interview suggests confidence in your ability to do the job. It sets you apart from the herd.

Check for grammar and typos. Don’t rely on spell-check programs to catch typos and grammatical errors. Read it over and have someone else read it. 

Let the letter “age.”  If an urgent response is not requested, let your cover letter age a day or so. Let the words simmer into your mind. Then read the job ad or posting and re-read your letter. Put yourself in the employer’s shoes. Does your letter “answer”  the ad or posting? Does it whet your appetite for the resume?
 
Got suggestions for writing a cover letter for clerical positions? Include them in the comments section below.  
Comment

Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.

  • Shirley H
    Shirley H
    Excellent tips to help get noticed in a stack of resumes and cover letters.
  • Tamika D
    Tamika D
    This is very important information that can help you get a heads up in this tough economy today. I thank you for the info. informative and helpful. My skills that I have obtained over the years in Food/Restaurant are highly skillful and I can take on any challenge that is placed before me.  
  • Laura E
    Laura E
    Very informative!
  • Alex Kecskes
    Alex Kecskes
    Good comments,thanks.Jessie:  I would include your multi skills in your cover letter--if the  job ad asks for them. Andrene : "Whet" means to  stimulate, whereas "wet" means to cover or soak with water. See: http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business/whet-your-appetite-or-wet-your-appetite/orhttp://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/wet.htmlorhttp://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/whet%20your%20appetite.html
  • Lisa H
    Lisa H
    Very helpful. As someone stated before, when you have been out of the job search market for a while, you forget how to market yourself. This is necessary in order to win the job over all the other candidates applying for that very same position.
  • Janet Yanushefsky
    Janet Yanushefsky
    Thank you.  You are to the point.  Keep it simple, but win the job!
  • viola garcia
    viola garcia
    Informative
  • Andrene S
    Andrene S
    The suggestion listed above is mostly true. Most importantly is doing your research on the company who is hiring. One pet peeeve I do have is these job engine like, monster.com, careerbuilder. com has a copy of your old cover letter sending to every job you apply for automatic does not give you the time to review or prompt you enough for you to edit or proof read. I'm a stickler on typo just like in the last paragraph above. "Does it whet your appetite...?" Instead of "Does it wet your appetite.?"
  • Douglas C
    Douglas C
    Your information was great and very helpful. Thanks, Douglas
  • Jessie S
    Jessie S
    I NEED TO KNOW EXACTLY DO YOU PUT MULTI SKILLS INTO A COVER LETTER. THANKS.
  • JOCELYN A
    JOCELYN A
    IT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE
  • olayinka o
    olayinka o
    Thank You
  • Yvonne G
    Yvonne G
    Very helpful.  Information that you forget to say or write.
  •  Nancy O. Bell
    Nancy O. Bell
    I thought that it was a nice summary. The only change that I would make is that I would not wait a whole day to reassess it. I like to come back in 30 to 60 minutes. In this job market there is a lot of competition out there.Thank you for sharing,Nancy
  • Karen H
    Karen H
    I thought this was very helpful.
  • Roselyn C
    Roselyn C
    Thank you
  • Donna H
    Donna H
    Looks really good.  I am going to use this. Thank you.
  • Mary S
    Mary S
    Thank for the tips very informative. I will consider using this in my next cover letter.
  • Joan K
    Joan K
    I think a cover letter is very important.   
  • Tamara Mims
    Tamara Mims
    It's wonderful.  I'm participating in a job club and the instructor mentioned those same steps to writing a cover letter. Wonderful article!!!!
  • Quartella M
    Quartella M
    Very helpful
  • shirley s
    shirley s
    Very informative, I like it.
  • Zetta Lucas
    Zetta Lucas
    Very helpful and easy to understand.Thank youZetta
  • Sarah D
    Sarah D
    This should be very helpful. Thank you
  • Amber G
    Amber G
    Thank-you

Jobs to Watch