When you submit your resume alongside an application for a new job, are you Team Cover Letter, or Team Resume Only?

These two schools of thought vary depending on factors like what you were taught by your mentors and instructors, what part of the world you’re in, and what kind of job you’re applying to. In academic fields, cover letters aren’t usually required, but they are beneficial.

The intent of a cover letter is to informally introduce yourself and explain a little background before a potential hiring employer dives right into your resume. It’s your chance to explain ambiguities, fill in gaps, and give them a glimpse of your personality and professionalism.

These might sound like small things. For those looking to fill an academic role with an unknown candidate, though, the little things help to create a clearer picture that establishes more of a connection with you. This connection can mean the difference between your accepted application, and someone with similar skills getting the position.

Why Write a Cover Letter?

Your cover letter is your first opportunity to make a good impression. You want to use this chance as best as possible by composing a strong introduction.

Picture a situation where you’re out and about, and you run into the hiring manager for the institution you’ve been dreaming of working at. Would you rather be dressed professionally, with your mindset right so you’re able to carry on a coherent conversation with this person? Or do you want to introduce yourself to them looking unprofessional and reciting a jumble of skills and details about yourself that don’t make sense?

The cover letter is the first scenario. An unaccompanied resume is often how the second scene plays out.

Without a proper introduction, your resume is a mix of skills and details that tell the reader what you can do, but not who you are. That’s where a cover letter introduction comes into play.

Tips to Write a Strong Intro

You’ve heard the “first impression” tips, like making sure there’s nothing in your teeth, you don’t smell like body odor, and your handshake grip is firm. Now, it’s time to learn the dos and don’ts about first written impressions via a cover letter.

These six tips will teach you what to include and what to avoid as you’re composing your introduction

1. Clarify any ambiguities. Is there something in your resume that the reader might look at and think, “Hmmm, that doesn’t make sense”? This might be as simple as a gap between jobs while you were on sabbatical or maternity leave. Include a short explanation for those areas of potential confusion in your cover letter.

2. Watch out about assuming prior knowledge. No matter how “famous” your books have been, or what kind of impressive scholarly reputation you have in your field, when you introduce yourself, don’t assume the reader knows who you are. Stephen King must clarify that he’s a horror-novel author when he’s in front of a new audience. Taylor Swift has to introduce herself as a singer when she meets new people. You, too, must explain why you have (or don’t have) this academic celebrity status by detailing what your career role is and where your area of expertise lies.

3. Personalize your introduction. Resumes and curriculum vitae are okay to keep consistent. You really only need to update them when you add a new skill to your repertoire, or the job is looking for a particular experience or ability you have but didn’t list. Your cover letter is different. Tailor this introduction to introduce yourself to each new hiring manager personally. Research the institution and find out which departments you’d be working with if you were hired. Explain how your background and skills will help that department and institution specifically. If there are particular requirements for the job that aren’t clearly stated on your resume, discuss explicitly why you would fit that role and how you have the necessary prerequisites.

4. Keep your bragging to fact-based statements. You want to ensure that the reader knows your talents, accomplishments, and feats in your field. These things are the reasons why they will want to hire you! But there’s a fine line between sharing details about your work and bragging. Stick with fact-based statements, such as quantitative data pulled from data analysis you obtained from platforms like Impactio. These statements speak for themselves. You don’t need to say how your work was ground-breaking in your field, or how you introduced an entirely new perspective on an over-researched subject. The facts and data do this for you without you appearing like you’re bragging.

5. Speak clearly but professionally. The person reading your resume is just as educated as, if not more so than, you. They don’t need to be impressed with your academic jargon or slowed down by complicated statements that could have been easily shared in short, concise sentences. You don’t need to go into detail about all of your accomplishments. Keep your introduction brief and professional. Highlight your main feats, and outline how your accomplishments merge well with the institution’s mission and literature, but save the details for the interview process.

6. Show that you’re aware of their valuable time. Introduce yourself and explain why you’re interested in the job. Highlight your work with fact-based statements and segue them into ways your career path aligns with the institution’s aims. Then, close your introductory cover letter with an appreciation of the reader’s time, and a closing statement that verifies that you have more details you can explain further should they be interested. You’ve effectively shown them that you are considerate, professional, and respectful of the busy life of an academic.