At the beginning of the cover letter assignment, I only had a vague understanding of what one actually was and looked like, so naturally, I learned a lot during this process. My biggest takeaway is the AIDA method of writing. This technique makes it easy to format the cover letter and make sure that I am including all the necessary information that my potential employer should see. Writing clearly and concisely is hugely important for a cover letter. It not only amplifies the AIDA process, but it makes it easier for the reader to understand who you are quickly and without any confusion. My process of writing the cover letter went well, and I feel equipped with the tools to write one again geared toward my next job application. It was enjoyable to see my cover letter come together and highlight my experiences and abilities.
Having completed my Cover Letter, I feel much more confident in narrowing down the essential points of what a potential employer would want to know about me immediately. I think that being able to look at samples and read our textbook’s definitions/ tips made this task less daunting when you have a well-thought-out formula that can be personalized to each individual and scenario. Practicing good concise writing that considers the audience and uses the AIDA format is always applicable in a cover letter. You want to always strike attention and interest right from the start so that the rest of the piece will be seriously considered; building that desire and action is what makes the difference between getting an interview and moving to the next steps of the application process or being passed up. While writing and editing my cover letter, I always kept in mind that this was the first impression my prospective employer would get of me – it feels incredibly powerful and essential to figure out how I want to come across. This process also offers time for creativity when balancing professional and persuasive writing. The work has gone well, and I appreciated having extra class time to review samples and discuss what went well and what maybe needed some work. I felt it flowed nicely between our practice in the book and writing our drafts, and devoting that crucial peer review time made me feel more than ready to finalize my own.
While working on the Cover Letter, I learned a lot of great lessons on how to be professional and write professionally. I also learned how to properly peer review and how important that can be. One main thing that I took away from the workshops was how to make the Cover Letter look presentable and professional. Using certain words and phrases and deciding where to put different sentences to make it easier on the eyes when reading it. Getting peer reviews was nice because I could see their letter and look at how they formatted it and then I could change mine to that format. After looking at some examples of Cover Letters in the reading, I really had a great idea of what I wanted mine to look like so I just based it off those examples. Overall, I think the workshops were a great way to get ideas out to other brains and see what they thought about them.
Before we did this assignment I had never written a cover letter before, so this was all completely new to me. As we talked over examples and worked on them in class the outline became a little more clear. I now feel a lot more confident that if I needed to write a cover letter for a job I would be able to. I think that I have the gist of being able to sum up my skills and try to keep a professional format, which at first was hard for me. I was not sure how to go about writing skills in a way that didn’t sound braggy or too informational. I was also unsure how to properly format things in a correct and professional manner. Having peer review of our cover letters made a big difference in my final product as I was really thankful to have fresh eyes look at my writing. Another thing that will help me in the future that I used to not know is about AIDA. So now having this information in my head now I am a lot more sure of how to appeal to an employer. It’s all about giving them what they want to hear while also not boring them in the process.
Cover letters are something that I have always struggled with compared to resumes. But, this assignment has allowed me to develop what I can use as I graduate from college and venture into the job market. This is especially true given that I wrote my cover letter for the Attorney General’s Office as a paralegal. Both represent what I want to do, working in public service or the legal profession, focusing on paralegal work before applying for law school. This allowed me the chance to work on crafting the language that I could use in a future cover letter that I write. I didn’t use the textbook’s structure before or know how well I fit the overall letter into that structure. But, I have a better framework to reference when I have to work on cover letters in the future. The structure also made it seem less daunting than completely starting it from scratch with no assistance or deciding to rely on a generic template to help with the structure. Therefore, this assignment managed to get done in a reasonable amount of time and didn’t feel too difficult when working on it.
It’s hard to pick out specific things that I learned during this process because prior to this, I had absolutely no clue how to write a cover letter. That being said, this process was extremely helpful for me. Even having just a basic format to follow put me leagues above where I was before, where I was just guessing how to format the letter. There were a few things that I picked up from reading other students cover letters that I didn’t get from the book, like the header/watermark with your name and address. Before this, I was very worried about going into the working world without a clue as to how to format cover letters and resumes, but now I feel like my writing minor is worth it based purely on this one lesson.
When beginning the cover letter assignment, I was very wary about tone. Sometimes I find it difficult to talk about myself out of fear that it may sound like bragging or as though I’ve given too much detail. However, this assignment helped me gain practice and made me feel more comfortable explaining my experience and skills in a professional manner by following the AIDA model and the other guidelines highlighted in the textbook. It also made me realize the importance of showcasing my abilities and how to use my accomplishments to appeal to an employer. Reading the chapters and then getting to apply what I was learning to the assignment was very helpful as well. It helped to have that resource, but what I found even more useful were the workshops. I am excited to take the skills and guidelines I learned from the cover letter chapter and assignment into preparation for entering the job market someday.
Having written a cover letter before, I already had an idea of how I wanted to present myself. This assignment was exciting because it is the first cover letter of my college career, and since high school I have grown tremendously and gained lots of relevant and useful skills for the type of job I want, so being able to rewrite my old cover letter felt like a huge step. One aspect of the cover letter I had been unsure of in the past was the conclusion, but I feel confident about it now, after discussing the AIDA model in class, and also comparing the ways to sign off. Finding an ending that works for me, that grabs attention and pushes for action, was the most helpful aspect of the cover letter that we covered in class.
Having written many cover letters recently because I was applying for jobs for post-graduation in a few months, I already had a good understanding of the critical components. I have a lot of relevant work experience because I sought jobs with relevant industry experience for my post-graduation goals, so the challenge for me was the hit on the most essential parts while keeping the reader engaged. The AIDA model was definitely helpful for me to flush out irrelevant information as well as keep the reader engaged until the end. I also developed a stronger call to action at the end, which I haven’t used previously. I did recently accept a job for post-graduation, so I am not sure the next time in the near future I will be writing a cover letter, but I will be drawing from this assignment for sure.
I thought that was a good use of time because I could work out any kinks that needed to be fixed. The overall feedback received was excellent as it made sure several eyes got a good look at it in order to make certain fixes work out. It also allowed me to figure out if the letter flowed well and was a solid balance between enthusiastic and professional. Not only but having the opportunity to view other classmates and see what they have done was interesting. Another aspect was viewing how peers had different formats and tones to their pieces that makes them sound like them. Now all that is left is to write the final version of the draft.
Link to Page: https://bfitzgerald4.uneportfolio.org/pro-tech-writing/
10 thoughts on “JOURNAL # 11”
At the beginning of the cover letter assignment, I only had a vague understanding of what one actually was and looked like, so naturally, I learned a lot during this process. My biggest takeaway is the AIDA method of writing. This technique makes it easy to format the cover letter and make sure that I am including all the necessary information that my potential employer should see. Writing clearly and concisely is hugely important for a cover letter. It not only amplifies the AIDA process, but it makes it easier for the reader to understand who you are quickly and without any confusion. My process of writing the cover letter went well, and I feel equipped with the tools to write one again geared toward my next job application. It was enjoyable to see my cover letter come together and highlight my experiences and abilities.
Having completed my Cover Letter, I feel much more confident in narrowing down the essential points of what a potential employer would want to know about me immediately. I think that being able to look at samples and read our textbook’s definitions/ tips made this task less daunting when you have a well-thought-out formula that can be personalized to each individual and scenario. Practicing good concise writing that considers the audience and uses the AIDA format is always applicable in a cover letter. You want to always strike attention and interest right from the start so that the rest of the piece will be seriously considered; building that desire and action is what makes the difference between getting an interview and moving to the next steps of the application process or being passed up. While writing and editing my cover letter, I always kept in mind that this was the first impression my prospective employer would get of me – it feels incredibly powerful and essential to figure out how I want to come across. This process also offers time for creativity when balancing professional and persuasive writing. The work has gone well, and I appreciated having extra class time to review samples and discuss what went well and what maybe needed some work. I felt it flowed nicely between our practice in the book and writing our drafts, and devoting that crucial peer review time made me feel more than ready to finalize my own.
While working on the Cover Letter, I learned a lot of great lessons on how to be professional and write professionally. I also learned how to properly peer review and how important that can be. One main thing that I took away from the workshops was how to make the Cover Letter look presentable and professional. Using certain words and phrases and deciding where to put different sentences to make it easier on the eyes when reading it. Getting peer reviews was nice because I could see their letter and look at how they formatted it and then I could change mine to that format. After looking at some examples of Cover Letters in the reading, I really had a great idea of what I wanted mine to look like so I just based it off those examples. Overall, I think the workshops were a great way to get ideas out to other brains and see what they thought about them.
Before we did this assignment I had never written a cover letter before, so this was all completely new to me. As we talked over examples and worked on them in class the outline became a little more clear. I now feel a lot more confident that if I needed to write a cover letter for a job I would be able to. I think that I have the gist of being able to sum up my skills and try to keep a professional format, which at first was hard for me. I was not sure how to go about writing skills in a way that didn’t sound braggy or too informational. I was also unsure how to properly format things in a correct and professional manner. Having peer review of our cover letters made a big difference in my final product as I was really thankful to have fresh eyes look at my writing. Another thing that will help me in the future that I used to not know is about AIDA. So now having this information in my head now I am a lot more sure of how to appeal to an employer. It’s all about giving them what they want to hear while also not boring them in the process.
Cover letters are something that I have always struggled with compared to resumes. But, this assignment has allowed me to develop what I can use as I graduate from college and venture into the job market. This is especially true given that I wrote my cover letter for the Attorney General’s Office as a paralegal. Both represent what I want to do, working in public service or the legal profession, focusing on paralegal work before applying for law school. This allowed me the chance to work on crafting the language that I could use in a future cover letter that I write. I didn’t use the textbook’s structure before or know how well I fit the overall letter into that structure. But, I have a better framework to reference when I have to work on cover letters in the future. The structure also made it seem less daunting than completely starting it from scratch with no assistance or deciding to rely on a generic template to help with the structure. Therefore, this assignment managed to get done in a reasonable amount of time and didn’t feel too difficult when working on it.
It’s hard to pick out specific things that I learned during this process because prior to this, I had absolutely no clue how to write a cover letter. That being said, this process was extremely helpful for me. Even having just a basic format to follow put me leagues above where I was before, where I was just guessing how to format the letter. There were a few things that I picked up from reading other students cover letters that I didn’t get from the book, like the header/watermark with your name and address. Before this, I was very worried about going into the working world without a clue as to how to format cover letters and resumes, but now I feel like my writing minor is worth it based purely on this one lesson.
When beginning the cover letter assignment, I was very wary about tone. Sometimes I find it difficult to talk about myself out of fear that it may sound like bragging or as though I’ve given too much detail. However, this assignment helped me gain practice and made me feel more comfortable explaining my experience and skills in a professional manner by following the AIDA model and the other guidelines highlighted in the textbook. It also made me realize the importance of showcasing my abilities and how to use my accomplishments to appeal to an employer. Reading the chapters and then getting to apply what I was learning to the assignment was very helpful as well. It helped to have that resource, but what I found even more useful were the workshops. I am excited to take the skills and guidelines I learned from the cover letter chapter and assignment into preparation for entering the job market someday.
Having written a cover letter before, I already had an idea of how I wanted to present myself. This assignment was exciting because it is the first cover letter of my college career, and since high school I have grown tremendously and gained lots of relevant and useful skills for the type of job I want, so being able to rewrite my old cover letter felt like a huge step. One aspect of the cover letter I had been unsure of in the past was the conclusion, but I feel confident about it now, after discussing the AIDA model in class, and also comparing the ways to sign off. Finding an ending that works for me, that grabs attention and pushes for action, was the most helpful aspect of the cover letter that we covered in class.
Having written many cover letters recently because I was applying for jobs for post-graduation in a few months, I already had a good understanding of the critical components. I have a lot of relevant work experience because I sought jobs with relevant industry experience for my post-graduation goals, so the challenge for me was the hit on the most essential parts while keeping the reader engaged. The AIDA model was definitely helpful for me to flush out irrelevant information as well as keep the reader engaged until the end. I also developed a stronger call to action at the end, which I haven’t used previously. I did recently accept a job for post-graduation, so I am not sure the next time in the near future I will be writing a cover letter, but I will be drawing from this assignment for sure.
I thought that was a good use of time because I could work out any kinks that needed to be fixed. The overall feedback received was excellent as it made sure several eyes got a good look at it in order to make certain fixes work out. It also allowed me to figure out if the letter flowed well and was a solid balance between enthusiastic and professional. Not only but having the opportunity to view other classmates and see what they have done was interesting. Another aspect was viewing how peers had different formats and tones to their pieces that makes them sound like them. Now all that is left is to write the final version of the draft.
Link to Page: https://bfitzgerald4.uneportfolio.org/pro-tech-writing/