Please attach both your final cover letter and a link the advertisement for the job to which you are responding. You need to target both your cover letter and your resume to this advertisement. For many of you, this ad will be for an internship in your field of study--good! Many of you will need internships in your fields to land the jobs you aspire to. However, because this is an assignment for a class, you need not limit your search for a suitable position to your local area.

Remember that cover letters are persuasive documents, and as such they depend on your ability to appeal to the interests of your reader. What does that mean? Show sincere interest in a specific aspect of the organization in your first paragraph, and focus paragraphs two and three on linking a specific experience (one per paragraph) to a specific job duty or requirement found in the job ad (one per paragraph). Show how the two accomplishments you describe (one in paragraph two and one in paragraph three) would enable you to succeed in the advertised position. Avoid trying to narrate your entire resume or discussing why the job is good for your career, learning or development. Then, in the fourth paragraph, simply mention your resume, suggest an interview, give your phone number and thank them for reading your materials.