Application Letter of Interest (Cover Letter) Assignment

Requirements:

1. For this assignment, you may choose to writeeither a solicitedoran unsolicited application (cover) letter. 

• If you select the solicitedapplication letter, search the Internet (e.g., CareerBuilder, Monster, company website) and identify a job of interest. See Table 15.1 for additional Job-Search websites. Select a position that you would like to apply to, and create an application letter that is adapted to your audience. See the eText, Figure 16.2 (page 522) for an example.
• If you select the unsolicitedapplication letter, write a general application letter by taking the initiative to write to a company, although the company has not publically announced a job opening that matches your credentials (Thill & Bovee, 2013, p. 521). See the eText, Figure 16.3 (page 523) for an example.

1. Remember that your letter is a form of advertising and serves as a representation of you. So, be sure it is visually appealing and well written using effective sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation.
2. Review the Handbook of Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage in MyLabsPlus, eText. 
3. Follow our author's tips (see eText, p. 521-522). Avoid starting your first sentence with a "gimmicky" (Thill & Bovee, 2013, p. 521) statement, such as stating what the company needs in an employee.
4. Submit your own original work! DO NOT copy/paste/submit Internet content or prewritten application letter content, or you run the risk of plagiarism and the consequences thereof (e.g., zero, F, grade; etc.).
5. Use business letter format and include all of the elements of a business letter (Date, Sender's Address, Inside Address, Salutation, Body, Closing, Signature) in your cover letter assignment.
6. 
   
   1. Prominently display your name, address, city, state, zip, phone, and mail address, so this perspective employer knows how to contact you for an interview.
   2. Include the current date
   3. Be sure to: address the letter to the contact person in the want ad or use Dear Hiring Manager for the unsolicited application letter
   4. Include a signature (i.e., can be typed with a different font style; does not need to be an original signature)
   5. After your signature, include an "Enclosure: Résumé" notation
   6. Be persuasive, and sell yourself in the letter. Highlight as many qualifications as you possess in the company's ad or generally speaking.
   7. Refer your reader to the résumé to learn more about your knowledge, skills, and abilities.
   8. Your letter of interest should be no more than one-page in length.
   9. Refer to the eText Chapter 16, MyLabs Plus Lesson 5, and Appendix A for help hints and examples.