Cover Letter

Assignment 5: Professional Cover Letter

Due Week 10 and worth 180 points

Completing this assignment will help you name and identify the skills and abilities that will move your career forward.

Find a specific job posting open posted online within the last 9 months. You will develop a Job Application Cover Letter (as though you were applying to that position) that highlights and emphasizes why you are the most suitable candidate.

Complete the cover letter on page 1 of the submission and then include a link to the job posting on page 2 (a copy and paste of the link is acceptable and the link must work). To compose the letter, use the general writing guidelines on pp. 277-278 in the text for structural and content guidance. Note: An example can be found on p. 250, Figure 13.8.

The message should take the form of a business letter; however, you will submit your assignment to the online course shell.

The job letter / application message must adhere to the following requirements:

1. Content
   1. Highlight relevant background and job history information specific to the opening.
   2. Emphasize significant qualifications and exclude nonessential ideas.
2. Format
   1. Follow proper letter formatting techniques per block business letter format.
   2. Use an appropriate and professional greeting and closing.
3. Style
   1. Use professional language.
   2. Paragraphs effectively developed and efficient. Note: Six (6) or seven (7) lines when possible.
4. Mechanics
   1. Ensure there are no grammar or spelling errors.
   2. Eliminate wordiness and unclear sentence construction.

Your assignment must be typed, single-spaced paragraphs and double spaced between the paragraphs, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Use writing process strategies to develop brief business documents, such as routine messages, bad news messages, and persuasive / sales messages.
• Support ideas or claims in body paragraphs with clear details, examples, and explanations.
• Organize ideas logically by using transitional words, phrases, and sentences.
• Use sentence variety and effective word choice in written communication.
• Write clearly and concisely using proper writing mechanics.