[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":3,"doc-seo-275576-105":53,"doc-detail-275576-en":127},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49],{"id":8,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":11,"show_sort_weight":12,"slug":13},11,1,"Template","Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":15,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":16,"show_sort_weight":17,"slug":18},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":20,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":21,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":23},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":25,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":26,"show_sort_weight":27,"slug":28},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":30,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":31,"show_sort_weight":32,"slug":33},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":35,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":36,"show_sort_weight":37,"slug":38},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":40,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":41,"show_sort_weight":42,"slug":43},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":45,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":46,"show_sort_weight":47,"slug":48},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":50,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":51,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":52},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":54,"data":55},"ok",{"site_id":56,"language":57,"slug":58,"title":59,"keywords":60,"description":61,"schema_data":62,"social_meta":120,"head_meta":122,"extra_data":124,"updated_unix":126},105,"en","the-cover-letter-developing-and-structuring-your-cover-letter","The Cover Letter - Developing and Structuring Your Cover Letter","","A practical guide to creating an effective cover letter by explaining what a cover letter is and is not, and why employers value it. It emphasizes targeted introductions that connect education, experience, and skills to a specific role, and warns against generic, rushed writing. The document outlines pre-writing steps, including job-description analysis, organization research, selecting relevant examples, and using the STAR method to present situation, task, action, and results. It also recommends standard business formatting and concise paragraph structure.",{"@graph":63,"@context":119},[64,80,102],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":41,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/the-cover-letter-developing-and-structuring-your-cover-letter/275576/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-cover-letter-developing-and-structuring-your-cover-letter/275576.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Cipher","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-19","2026-09-15",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":101},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":103,"mainEntity":104},"FAQPage",[105,111,115],{"name":106,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":108},"What should a cover letter accomplish for an employer?","Question",{"text":109,"@type":110},"It should make a case for your candidacy through a targeted introduction that links your education, experience, and skills to the qualifications the employer is seeking and help the employer understand your fit.","Answer",{"name":112,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":113},"What are common mistakes a cover letter should avoid?",{"text":114,"@type":110},"Avoid writing a generic introduction, listing accomplishments without context, summarizing your resume, or treating the letter as something to be rushed or skipped. Even when not requested, writing one can help you stand out.",{"name":116,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":117},"How do you develop strong examples for your cover letter?",{"text":118,"@type":110},"Select two or three specific past or present experiences that best demonstrate the skills the employer is seeking, then flesh them out using the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, and Result, including measurable outcomes when possible.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":121,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":123,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":125,"site_id":56},275576,1791186079,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":128},{"doc_id":125,"user_id":129,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":130,"doc_module":9,"category_id":40,"category_name":41,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":131,"file_id":132,"file_url":133,"file_type":134,"file_size":135,"view_count":101,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":76,"language":136,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":140,"read_time":9},687208528416,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_9964176cb1d06d4a9deccf72a44ae3dc","The Cover Letter  \nWHAT IS A COVER LETTER?  \nA cover letter IS…  \n􀁸 A chance to make a case for yourself and your candidacy so the employer brings you in for an interview to learn more  \n􀁸 A targeted introduction to your application that relates specifically to the position  \n􀁸 An opportunity to make connections between your education, experience, and skills and the qualifications sought by an employer.  \n• A sample of your writing skills-this isnot the time to use ChatGPT. Employers can tell.  \nA cover letter IS NOT…  \n• A general introduction to your application  \n• A list of accomplishments  \n• A summary of your resume  \n• Something to write quickly and without thought  \n• Less important than your resume  \n• Something you should skip. Even if the employer does not request a cover letter, we recommend you write one. This will set you apart from the crowd!  \nWHY IS THE COVER LETTER IMPORTANT?  \nWhen employers scan your resume, they are interpreting your skills and experiences through their own lens, and as much as you try to target your resume to a specific position, the employer may not understand what you have to offer the same way you do. The cover letter is your chance to connect the dots between your qualifications and what the employer wants or needs. You know exactly why you’re qualified for the position, but the employer may need help understanding what makes you such a unique, strong candidate. In a cover letter, you can spell this out for them.  \nDEVELOPING YOUR COVER LETTER-Pre-writing  \nEach cover letter you write should be distinct as you target it to a specific job with its own set of responsibilities and qualifications in a specific organization with its own culture and mission. For this reason, writing a cover letter takes time. Do not rush the process. Before you even start to write the letter, spend time doing the following:  \n• Read the job description and highlight the things you'd be doing in the job, and the skills they are looking for. Think about the matching skills you have and may want to address.  \n• Do research on the organization to get a sense of the culture, what they value, and what they might be looking for in candidates that is not explicitly mentioned in the posting. If you want guidance on how and where to do research, see the Employer Research page of the Career Services website.  \n(P)413.577.1057 • [https://sbspathways.umass.edu/channels/career/](https://sbspathways.umass.edu/channels/career/)• [SBScareers@umass.edu](SBScareers@umass.edu)  \n• List the skills and qualities you think the employer is looking for based on the posting and your research.  \n• Identify relevant past and present experiences or accomplishments. The goal is to demonstrate specifically how you have developed skills or qualities that qualify you for this new position. The skills and qualities do NOT have to be directly related to the internship but should be relevant to the skills the employer is seeking. For instance, if you are applying for a scientific research position, but do not have direct experience, think about other positions in which you have developed your attention to detail, ability to work with others, additional research skills or scientific knowledge, etc.  \n• Select two or three specific concrete examples of experiences or accomplishments that you think are most relevant or important to highlight in your letter.  \n• Use the *STAR* method to flesh out your examples with details. The idea is to show how you developed the skills, not just to tell the employer you have them.  \no Situation – Give background that will help provide context, i.e. title, organization, department, project, timeframe.  \no Task – Describe what was expected or asked of you in terms of responsibilities OR the challenges or obstacles you had to overcome.  \no Action – Detail the specific action steps that you took to handle the tasks or address the obstacle.  \no Result – What impact did you have on the situation? What was the outcom","cbCaimJNrrj9NaiX","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaimJNrrj9NaiX","pdf",466204,"English","# What Is a Cover Letter?\n## What a Cover Letter Is\n## What a Cover Letter Is Not\n# Why Is the Cover Letter Important?\n# Developing Your Cover Letter - Pre-writing\n## Job description and skills alignment\n## Organization research\n## Skills, qualities, and experiences\n## Choosing concrete examples\n## Using the STAR method\n# Writing & Structuring Your Cover Letter\n## Business format and length","[{\"question\":\"What should a cover letter accomplish for an employer?\",\"answer\":\"It should make a case for your candidacy through a targeted introduction that links your education, experience, and skills to the qualifications the employer is seeking and help the employer understand your fit.\"},{\"question\":\"What are common mistakes a cover letter should avoid?\",\"answer\":\"Avoid writing a generic introduction, listing accomplishments without context, summarizing your resume, or treating the letter as something to be rushed or skipped. Even when not requested, writing one can help you stand out.\"},{\"question\":\"How do you develop strong examples for your cover letter?\",\"answer\":\"Select two or three specific past or present experiences that best demonstrate the skills the employer is seeking, then flesh them out using the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, and Result, including measurable outcomes when possible.\"}]","The Cover Letter - Developing and Structuring Your Cover Letter | PDF",1789488373]