25 Nov A Guide to Cover Letters

Posted at 19:22h in EM Resident Resources by
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I like to think of the Cover Letter as the personal statement of a job except a whole lot easier. The cover letter is where you are really trying to sell yourself. There are many breakdowns to how to write a cover letter and a lot of different ways to do it, below is just an example on how to break it down. Here are a few sample cover letters incorporating different writing styles:

I like to break a cover letter down to three main parts because it just makes it easier to organize. You can, however, have as many paragraphs as you wish.

Introduction:
Usually this is where you introduce yourself to the reader and state your intent. It may be something like “ I am completing my residency for …. At ….. and am interested in the position of ….” The wording can be varied to fit what you wish to say. But this area is mainly describing yourself, where you trained and what type of position you are looking for in their department.

Body:
This is the meat of the letter and basically where you sell yourself. This will be different for everyone depending on the type of position you are applying for. This is the area where you are basically saying why you are the absolute best person for the job and describe your proof. For example, if you are applying to a job in California and you are from New York, this would be the area where you describe why you want to go to California and how important it is to you.

Let us say you are applying for an Academic position. This is the area where you highlight your achievements to show why you are qualified for the position, i.e.: leadership positions, research or anything else that highlights how you stand out from others. Remember, you are not regurgitating your CV here, pick one thing and talk about it.

A lot of people use this area to give facts about their residency program which is always a good idea. If you are applying to a different state, they probably do not know your program very well and you need to prove to them that you were trained at an institution that prepares you for anything you see at their hospital.

Conclusion:
This is the wrap up. In one or two sentences you need to highlight why you are the best person for that job. Make sure you tell them again that you are interested in the position and would like to meet them. Also, write a few sentences about how you will have your CV attached.

Cover Letter Tips:

  • Make sure to bring a copy of your cover letter with you along with your CV and references to the interview
  • Try to make it fit on one page, a one half cover page does not look good.
  • Do not regurgitate your CV!! The point of the cover letter is to give them more information about why you are the best candidate for their job position.
  • Go into more detail on things that make your stand out as a candidate.
  • Make sure to sign the printed copy of your Cover Letter.
  • Most people email their CV, in that case think of the e-mail as your cover letter; it should say the same points but not necessarily as long.
  • Make sure to customize your cover letter to the job you are applying to. If you are applying to both academic and community hospitals, you are going to need two different cover letters.
  • PROOFREAD! PROOFREAD! PROOFREAD!

Content prepared by Anchal Ghai, MD; 2014 Chair, New York ACEP Emergency Medicine Resident Committee