Resume and Cover Letter Writing

3 Cover Letters

Some employers will ask you to write a cover letter as part of the application process with your resume; this will be indicated within the job posting.

A cover letter provides you with an opportunity to strengthen your application:

  • demonstrate your written communication skills
  • show that you have done some research about the employer
  • tell the reader why you are passionate about digital technologies
  • make a connection to any relevant experience you might have; this could be a passion project, extracurricular, etc. [1]

Cover Letter Purpose

There are 3 main purposes for a cover letter: [2]

  • identify the position to which you are applying 
  • demonstrate why you are the best person for the job
  • convince the employer why they should invite you to an interview

Just as with a resume, writing a cover letter is not an exact science. There are guidelines, but there are a variety of ways to write a cover letter to meet employer expectations while still letting your unique voice come through.

Content and Format

Use the Job Posting to Develop your Cover Letter

The job posting can provide valuable information to develop your cover letter and resume, such as keywords.

Shopify Job Postings Example

Here is what a cover letter might look like for the Shopify job posting. Take a look at the anatomy of the letter and pay attention to the ways in which the example specifically utilizes language from the posting itself:

  1. Position: quickly identifies the name of the position
  2. Employer: names the company or employer that posted the position
  3. Education: why you are excited to be part of the York University Digital Technologies degree program
  4. Experience: specifies that they have several years experience performing relevant work
  5. Skills: Mention any relevant technical knowledge, even self-directed knowledge. If you don’t have any, make a connection to the technology mentioned in the job posting.
  6. Work Conditions and Personal Suitability: takes language directly from the job posting and personally contextualizes it with a description of their previous experience

 

Resources

  1. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/job_search_writing/job_search_letters/cover_letters_1_quick_tips/index.html ↵
  2. https://owl.uwo.ca/access/content/group/d7c559cd-6048-4288-bf19-9a39203d3c41/Developing%20a%20Resume%20and%20Cover%20Letter%20-%20Storyline%20output%20-%20Dec%209/story_html5.html ↵

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