Job Application: Cover letter/email

[szw]

Unsure about the preferred method for this. If they ask you to send them your cover letter/resume by email, should I:

a) Write cover letter in the body of the email with resume attached
b) Attach cover letter in addition to the resume
c) Attach cover letter and resume in single file

Also, should they be sent in Word format or PDF, or both?

[Shaolin]

I usually send a cover letter and a resume as 2 different files in a pdf.. although I can't say I've ever gotten an interview that way, all of the jobs I've gotten in the past were all from word of mouth.. so I can't tell you from personal experience whether it's effective or not :dunno:

[mac_82]

Word format and PDF are the 2 best ways. If they don't specify, maybe send both. What I did when applying for jobs was put the cover letter in the body of the email, and attach my resume and business card to the email.

Good luck.

[mac_82]

And from personal experience it did work for me. Its how I landed a job up in Edmonton with Teletoon.

:rofl:

[FishPoo]

Cover letter in body of e-mail works best if you ask me as long as its short and quick, no one wants to read a long cover letter through e-mail.

I usually do (.doc) files and unless requested, i don't use PDF.

[Tyler883]

I would consider doing both cover letter in the email and as an attachment.

if someone reads it electronically, I'm guessing the email work work best...

...but if they print out your resume, it might not occur to them that they should print out your email, hence the cover letter might work best...

....including both doesn't seem dumb, does it?

[Lex350]

Put the cover letter in the email. When I gey resumes in usually head straight for the resume. I don't any weight towards a cover letter.

[acura_el]

BUMP!!


I'm in a similar situation to this. If applying through a company website where it only specifies an e-mail that resumes should be sent to, is it better to send it as an attachment or through plain text in an e-mail?

I normally send it as a PDF to preserve formatting incase the other person has a different version of Word, but what happens if the company is worried about receiving viruses through attachments?

Would pasting a plain-text version of it in an e-mail and attaching a properly formatted version be a better idea? Anyone? :dunno: :confused:

[BrknFngrs]

I always put a customized cover letter (takes time, but well worth it) along with my resume in one pdf file when I email in applications and I've had really good luck with this.

Don't plain text it into the email, it'll look brutally sloppy.

[adam c]

i always send my resume and cover letter as a doc attachment, and write a short greeting in the email telling them i have attached the files and what i am applying for

[Ajay]

Originally posted by adam c
i always send my resume and cover letter as a doc attachment, and write a short greeting in the email telling them i have attached the files and what i am applying for

:werd:

This is exactly what I do. In the subject line I'll specify the position I'm applying for and in the body I will mention very briefly how my qualifications apply to that specific position. Maybe two or three sentences in the body of the email but just enough to captivate them to see the attachment which contains my cover letter and resume.

Always thank the person you're emailing for taking the time to read your email as well. Little things like that can go a long way.

[acura_el]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll definitely take those into account when applying. :thumbsup: