Medical Social Network News: Err Cover: Problems Writing a Cover Letter? Here’s Help!

By Rick Fromme

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: P-40 Warhawk with "sharktooth" nose (Photo credit: Chris Devers)

Ok, so you’ve read my previous blog, “Résumé Rules for Health Care Industry Applicants,” checked out its Related Article section, and, after hours of word work, you now have a well-crafted résumé. Well done!

What else is left to write right? Your Cover Letter, of course.

Alas, the conundrum of the Cover Letter. Most of us have had to wrestle with this challenging element of the job application process. Writing them can be a pain in the “S” as we Strive to Succinctly Sell our Salient Skills to a Specific Someone Successfully.

It’s not easy to accomplish all the S’s stated above. But in knowing more about the objectives of a well-crafted Cover Letter, you can better accomplish — here comes another “S” word — this Sisyphean task.

Sisyphus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cover letters do make a difference, even brief ones. But just like the faux pas of smacking on a wad of double bubble gum during your interview, you never, ever want to send a standard form cover letter with an opening statement such as, “Enclosed please find my résumé.” And while not being too informal, you may want to include an anecdote and, if appropriate, inject a little bit of humor.

All this in a tightly constructed document of about 150 to 200 words.

Not the easiest of writing chores, even for professional writers, let alone for someone whose skills lean more towards the clinical, diagnostic, treatment or sales side. It reminds me of an anecdote one of my college professors was fond of repeating. (See? I was able to include one!) Senator Abraham Lincoln was writing a letter to a colleague where he began, “Dear Sir, forgive me for the length of this letter, but I did not have the time to make it shorter.”

Objectives of the Cover Letter

Personalization: It generally offers the job seeker an opportunity to personalize and target their resume to a particular person. This is one of the major strengths of a cover letter. While a résumé is detailed and succinctly organized, it can be impersonal. When submitted without an accompanying cover letter, it can give the wrong impression; that is, the job seeker is just doing a résumé blast campaign. While it takes more work in today’s world of online applications, ideally you want to identify a specific person to whom you can send your cover letter. (By the way, this is one of the numerous advantages of networking on a niche site such as MedMasters, where you can make connections and more easily contact specific individuals.)

You want to target your cover letter to a specific individual within an organization, preferably the person who’s most likely to have decision-making authority about the position you’re applying for. Never address a cover letter with the ambiguous salutation, “To Whom it May Concern.” If necessary, contact the company to obtain your target’s name, its correct spelling, their title, and correct email.

Directing Attention to Skills: It allows the applicant to direct particular attention to specific skills that are important to the reader. One of the questions a well-crafted cover letter addresses from the outset is, “If we hire you, what can you do for us?” It allows a potential employee to highlight particular skills or accomplishments that are especially relevant to the position. While that specific skill may be among many cited in the résumé, its emphasis in the Cover Letter communicates several key concepts: A) The applicant has researched the company and the position; B) S/he has identified some of its specific needs; C) It verifies the applicant is ideally capable of fulfilling them. Using a handful of bullet points in this section of your cover letter is appropriate and useful, as Succinctly is one of our target “S” words.

Belgium-6193 - Radar Dish and Searchlight (Photo credit: archer10 (Dennis))

Clear Statement Indicating Reason for Interest: It enables the applicant to clearly state why the organization is in their “want to work for” radar. This objective is the “yin” to the above objective’s “yang.” Whereas the above objective highlights a specific skill or set of skills, here the applicant is stating where and how the organization can best utilize those skills. It also demonstrates the candidate has researched the organization and is industry savvy as well.

Creates Professional Proactivity: It opens the door for further communication and follow-through. Depending upon the organization and the nature of the application process, this aspect of the cover letter facilitates the job seeker’s ability to initiate the exchange of further communication. It gives them some input into the Who, What and When of the application process. Who is the job candidate taking the initiative. What refers to future actions and follow-ups. When is the decision and availability of the applicant.

Other points to consider:

· Proofread carefully before sending. Better still, get other people to proof it as well.

· Mention mutual contacts. (This can be an effective opening line such as “Jane Smith from Medtronic recommended I contact you about the medical device sales position at Johnson & Johnson.”

· Even though today’s Cover Letters are usually an email with an attached résumé and sometimes other documentation (awards, examples of work, letter of recommendation), it’s best to use more formal prose. Avoid using common email abbreviations such as “u” instead of “you.”

· Minimize your use of superlative adjectives. (Your project was the best, you were the quickest to finish paperwork, you had the highest success rate of closing sales, etc.)

· Orient your letter to a specific position, but don’t copy the job description’s exact verbiage.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (soundtrack) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are numerous websites and pundits who provide very good information on how to write effective Cover Letters, some of them citing examples of “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” for you to peruse. Extrapolate from the best, and, when appropriate, use some of those examples as models for your own.

In this article, I cited some of the difficulties and challenges of writing effective Cover Letters. I then described the main objectives of a well-written Cover Letter and also listed additional points to consider. If you found this article helpful, please post a comment and share.

Rick Fromme combines entrepreneurial enthusiasm with an insider's knowledge of the medical industry to co-found MedMasters.com. Both his drive and perspective helps provide health care professionals with a superior mechanism with which to communicate, network and market their strengths. Prior to founding MedMasters.com, Rick operated a highly successful medical device distributorship. Other milestones in his 12-year career in the medical industry include a key position at a medical device start-up company that was later sold to the Ethicon Endo division of Johnson & Johnson. You may also reach Rick by connecting with him on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube.