Cover Letters
A wide selection of sample cover letters for a variety of employment opportunities.
Tips for composing a thank you letter following a call-back or initial off-campus interview
Cover letters represent one of the strongest marketing tools for your job search. A successful cover letter will capture the attention of the reader in a professional and appropriate manner, direct the reader to the strongest points of your resume, and persuade the reader to seek further information from you through an interview. Serving as both your first writing sample and your introduction to the employer, your cover letter should be succinct, well-written and error-free. It should state why you are interested in the employer and why the employer should consider you.
Cover letters accomplish what resumes cannot by offering information that is tailored to a particular employer. Most people prepare one resume to be sent to many different prospective employers, in both legal and non-legal settings. Individualizing a resume through a cover letter is accomplished by highlighting information in your resume that would be of particular interest to the employer and explaining how this information makes you a qualified candidate. Be sure to avoid simply repeating your resume in text format.
Although sample cover letters are provided, it would be a disservice to yourself and prospective employers to simply copy one of the samples as your own. The samples are provided not as absolute models of good correspondence, but primarily to illustrate how proper cover letters might look. Further, if you and other students adopt the same sample cover letter, you run the risk of sending an employer a letter that is virtually identical to other letters that the employer has received. Your cover letter should distinguish you from other applicants and should express of your personality and writing style.
Various Types of Cover Letters:
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Response to a Job Advertisement:
A letter responding to a specific job listing posted online, in legal classifieds or with the Career Services Office. In the first paragraph of this type of letter, you should include where you learned of the position.
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Supplemental Mail Campaign:
A letter directed to employers who have not contacted the school regarding their hiring needs. This type of letter is useful if you are interested in a specific practice area, seek employment outside the Southern California region or would like to contact an employer who may be interested in your particular background or experience.
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Informational or Networking:
A letter contacting specific individuals presently employed by a particular firm or company that is of interest to you. The letter should not inquire specifically about employment opportunities, but instead should request additional information or a possible meeting to discuss the individual's recommendations regarding how you should enter that field.
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Referral:
A letter to an employer to whom you have been referred by another individual. In the opening paragraph of this type of letter, it is important to indicate who referred you.
When writing your cover letter, you will want to:
- Tell the employer who you are and what your current status is. For example: "I am a second-year student at the University of Southern California Law School."
- Let the employer know how or where you heard about them and specifically refer to them by employer name. If you were referred to the employer by a particular person, be sure to include that person's name.
- Let the reader know what kind of job you want (i.e., Summer Associate, Associate, Law Clerk, etc.)
- Tell the employer why you have chosen them and be as specific as possible. Let them know you've done some research about them.
- Identify why they should hire you. Tell them what your qualifications are for the position.
- Reiterate your interest in the position and thank them for their consideration of your candidacy.
Additional Recommendations:
- Cover letters should be clear and succinct. One page is preferable.
- Don't try to write a cover letter at the last minute. A good cover letter takes some time and effort to prepare.
- Avoid too many personal pronouns, but don't eliminate them entirely.
- Do not print generic letters and merely type in a particular employer's name. Rather, tailor each letter to the intended recipient.
- Find out the name and title of each addressee. This will enable you to establish a contact person with the employer when following-up. However, if a blind advertisement (i.e. one in which the identity of the employer is not provided) indicates that you should address inquiries to the Hiring Partner or Recruitment Coordinator, send the cover letter as requested.
- If your research of the employer has included discussions with an individual who is familiar with the employer (e.g., a student who worked for the employer during a past summer), be sure to incorporate the fact of this discussion into your letter, including the name of the individual with whom you spoke. The inclusion of a name that is familiar to the employer helps your cover letter stand out from others. (However, prior to including this information, you should be confident that the individual with whom you spoke has a positive relationship with the employer.)
- Be very affirmative in your discussion and avoid comments that sound apologetic or negative (e.g., "I know I don't have any experience...", "My grades aren't very good, but,..."). Such comments are unnecessary and unhelpful.
- If you are sending letters to a city outside the Southern California area, you should tell the employer the dates you plan to be in that city as specifically as possible. Additionally, you should point out what ties, if any, you have to that city and explain why you wish to be in that city (so employers will not conclude that you are only interested in a summer position and have no intention of returning if offered a post-graduation position).
