{"id":5788,"date":"2021-08-27T19:04:30","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T19:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=5788"},"modified":"2021-09-21T17:18:29","modified_gmt":"2021-09-21T17:18:29","slug":"module-3-assignment-cover-letter","status":"web-only","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/chapter\/module-3-assignment-cover-letter\/","title":{"raw":"Module 3 Assignment: Cover Letter","rendered":"Module 3 Assignment: Cover Letter"},"content":{"raw":"In the module Motivating Success, we provide general guidance to Writing Effective Cover Letters. The cover letter is a key component in any successful job search. Its purpose is to align the job description with your experience. In other words, you want to discuss how your experience and expertise will make you the perfect fit for this position. The Cover Letter is the prelude to an interview, and the points made in it may apply directly to future interviews.\r\n<h2>Directions<\/h2>\r\nFor this assignment, you are going to write a brief cover letter of less than 500 words based on a resume fragment. Your goal is to convince the employer why the company should hire you for the position. Review the Job Posting and a Resume fragment in order create your cover letter.\r\n<h3>Job Description<\/h3>\r\n<strong>Accounting Assistant 1<\/strong>\r\n\r\nCity of Gotham\r\n\r\n$50,000 \u2013 $60,00 a year.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 Cashiers, prepares bank deposits, and assists with banking.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 Enters data in various software systems.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 Assists with Accounts Payable to include reconciling vendor statements.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>The Ideal Candidate<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe ideal candidate will be a motivated self-starter eager to provide excellent customer service to both internal and external customers. The position requires a responsible, detail- oriented individual who is capable of multi-tasking. The successful candidate will possess experience performing bookkeeping tasks with experience in accounts payable\u00a0preferred. Experience working with computerized financial systems is preferred. The ideal candidate will also possess:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">The knowledge of accepted office practices to include:<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nFiling and organizing, elementary financial records to include statements, invoices, worksheets, accounts payable principles\/practices, and cash handling procedures.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The skill to organize and enter accurately a variety of data into various computer software applications.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The skill to organize and enter accurately a variety of data into various computer software applications.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The skill to make and check arithmetic calculations.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The skill to be a cashier and prepare bank deposits.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The skill to prepare accurate basic financial records and forms to include invoices, statements, worksheets, etc.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Education and experience:<\/strong>\r\n\r\nHigh school graduation or GED equivalent. Some college level\u00a0coursework in Business, Accounting or a related field is preferred.\u00a0 One year of experience performing business office functions\u00a0including some combination of financial recordkeeping\/clerical\u00a0tasks preferred.\r\n<h3>Resume Fragment<\/h3>\r\n<strong>Your Name<\/strong>\r\n\r\nContact Information\r\n\r\n<strong>Professional Summary<\/strong>\r\n\r\nMeticulous Accounts Receivable Clerk with advanced accounting, mathematical, and QuickBooks expertise. Successful at keeping accounts current and accurate for compliant financial recordkeeping. Well-organized, diligent, and focused professional.\r\n\r\n<strong>Skills<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Preparing statements<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Mail routing<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Inbound calls<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Account management<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Accounts payable\/receivable<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Financial management<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Work History<\/strong>\r\n\r\nAccounts Receivable Clerk | Acme Corporation \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 3\/2018 \u2013 Present\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Monitored, verified and approved invoices using financial software.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Entered financial information and payments to guarantee on-time and accurate payments for employees and vendors.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Analyzed and corrected inconsistencies in automated accounting system.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Education<\/strong>\r\n\r\nRedwood Shores College | A. A.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 2017\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/www.livecareer.com\/resume\/examples\r\n<h3>Rubric<\/h3>\r\n<table style=\"height: 94px;\"><caption>Grading Rubric<\/caption>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 13px;\">\r\n<th style=\"height: 13px; width: 298.75px;\" scope=\"col\">Criteria<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"height: 13px; width: 519.199px;\" scope=\"col\">Meets Requirements<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"height: 13px; width: 545.879px;\" scope=\"col\">Needs Improvements<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"height: 13px; width: 385.84px;\" scope=\"col\">Does Not Meet Requirements<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"height: 13px; width: 39.1602px;\" scope=\"col\">Points<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 27px;\">\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 298.75px;\">Cover letter formatting.<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 519.199px;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Addresses the reader in less than 500 words<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Includes your contact information<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Includes a sign off at the end<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Does not contain spelling or grammar errors<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 545.879px;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Addresses the reader, exceeds 500 words<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Does not address the reader<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Does not include your contract information and\/or a sign off at the end<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Contains spelling and\/or grammar errors.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 385.84px;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Does not address the reader, exceeds 500 words<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Does not include your contact information<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Does not include a sign off at the end<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Has excessive spelling or grammar errors.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 39.1602px;\">_\/5<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 27px;\">\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 298.75px;\">Basic information about the position and company.<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 519.199px;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Identifies the position<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Describes how you heard about the company and\/or position<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Explains why you're interested in the company using specific information you gathered from background research<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 545.879px;\">The cover letter is missing one or more of the following items:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Identifies the position<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Describes how you heard about the company and\/or position<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Explains why you're interested in the company using specific information you gathered from background research<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 385.84px;\">The cover letter is missing two or more of the following items:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Identifies the position<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Describes how you heard about the company and\/or position<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Explains why you're interested in the company using specific information you gathered from background research<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 39.1602px;\">_\/5<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 27px;\">\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 298.75px;\">Explanation of why you're the best candidate for the job.<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 519.199px;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Presents highlights of your experience, skills, and accomplishments<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Reflects your genuine interest in the company<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Includes details that set you apart from possible competition<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 545.879px;\">The cover letter is missing one or more of the following items:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Presents highlights of your experience, skills, and accomplishments<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Reflects your genuine interest in the company<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Includes details that set you apart from possible competition<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 385.84px;\">The cover letter is missing two or more of the following items:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Presents highlights of your experience, skills, and accomplishments<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Reflects your genuine interest in the company<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Includes details that set you apart from possible competition<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 39.1602px;\">_\/10<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>","rendered":"<p>In the module Motivating Success, we provide general guidance to Writing Effective Cover Letters. The cover letter is a key component in any successful job search. Its purpose is to align the job description with your experience. In other words, you want to discuss how your experience and expertise will make you the perfect fit for this position. The Cover Letter is the prelude to an interview, and the points made in it may apply directly to future interviews.<\/p>\n<h2>Directions<\/h2>\n<p>For this assignment, you are going to write a brief cover letter of less than 500 words based on a resume fragment. Your goal is to convince the employer why the company should hire you for the position. Review the Job Posting and a Resume fragment in order create your cover letter.<\/p>\n<h3>Job Description<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Accounting Assistant 1<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>City of Gotham<\/p>\n<p>$50,000 \u2013 $60,00 a year.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 Cashiers, prepares bank deposits, and assists with banking.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 Enters data in various software systems.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 Assists with Accounts Payable to include reconciling vendor statements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The Ideal Candidate<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The ideal candidate will be a motivated self-starter eager to provide excellent customer service to both internal and external customers. The position requires a responsible, detail- oriented individual who is capable of multi-tasking. The successful candidate will possess experience performing bookkeeping tasks with experience in accounts payable\u00a0preferred. Experience working with computerized financial systems is preferred. The ideal candidate will also possess:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">The knowledge of accepted office practices to include:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Filing and organizing, elementary financial records to include statements, invoices, worksheets, accounts payable principles\/practices, and cash handling procedures.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The skill to organize and enter accurately a variety of data into various computer software applications.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The skill to organize and enter accurately a variety of data into various computer software applications.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The skill to make and check arithmetic calculations.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The skill to be a cashier and prepare bank deposits.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The skill to prepare accurate basic financial records and forms to include invoices, statements, worksheets, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Education and experience:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>High school graduation or GED equivalent. Some college level\u00a0coursework in Business, Accounting or a related field is preferred.\u00a0 One year of experience performing business office functions\u00a0including some combination of financial recordkeeping\/clerical\u00a0tasks preferred.<\/p>\n<h3>Resume Fragment<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Your Name<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Contact Information<\/p>\n<p><strong>Professional Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Meticulous Accounts Receivable Clerk with advanced accounting, mathematical, and QuickBooks expertise. Successful at keeping accounts current and accurate for compliant financial recordkeeping. Well-organized, diligent, and focused professional.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Skills<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Preparing statements<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Mail routing<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Inbound calls<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Account management<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Accounts payable\/receivable<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Financial management<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Work History<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Accounts Receivable Clerk | Acme Corporation \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 3\/2018 \u2013 Present<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Monitored, verified and approved invoices using financial software.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Entered financial information and payments to guarantee on-time and accurate payments for employees and vendors.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Analyzed and corrected inconsistencies in automated accounting system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Education<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Redwood Shores College | A. A.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 2017<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/www.livecareer.com\/resume\/examples<\/p>\n<h3>Rubric<\/h3>\n<table style=\"height: 94px;\">\n<caption>Grading Rubric<\/caption>\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 13px;\">\n<th style=\"height: 13px; width: 298.75px;\" scope=\"col\">Criteria<\/th>\n<th style=\"height: 13px; width: 519.199px;\" scope=\"col\">Meets Requirements<\/th>\n<th style=\"height: 13px; width: 545.879px;\" scope=\"col\">Needs Improvements<\/th>\n<th style=\"height: 13px; width: 385.84px;\" scope=\"col\">Does Not Meet Requirements<\/th>\n<th style=\"height: 13px; width: 39.1602px;\" scope=\"col\">Points<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 27px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 298.75px;\">Cover letter formatting.<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 519.199px;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Addresses the reader in less than 500 words<\/li>\n<li>Includes your contact information<\/li>\n<li>Includes a sign off at the end<\/li>\n<li>Does not contain spelling or grammar errors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 545.879px;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Addresses the reader, exceeds 500 words<\/li>\n<li>Does not address the reader<\/li>\n<li>Does not include your contract information and\/or a sign off at the end<\/li>\n<li>Contains spelling and\/or grammar errors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 385.84px;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Does not address the reader, exceeds 500 words<\/li>\n<li>Does not include your contact information<\/li>\n<li>Does not include a sign off at the end<\/li>\n<li>Has excessive spelling or grammar errors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 39.1602px;\">_\/5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 27px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 298.75px;\">Basic information about the position and company.<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 519.199px;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Identifies the position<\/li>\n<li>Describes how you heard about the company and\/or position<\/li>\n<li>Explains why you&#8217;re interested in the company using specific information you gathered from background research<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 545.879px;\">The cover letter is missing one or more of the following items:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Identifies the position<\/li>\n<li>Describes how you heard about the company and\/or position<\/li>\n<li>Explains why you&#8217;re interested in the company using specific information you gathered from background research<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 385.84px;\">The cover letter is missing two or more of the following items:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Identifies the position<\/li>\n<li>Describes how you heard about the company and\/or position<\/li>\n<li>Explains why you&#8217;re interested in the company using specific information you gathered from background research<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 39.1602px;\">_\/5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 27px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 298.75px;\">Explanation of why you&#8217;re the best candidate for the job.<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 519.199px;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Presents highlights of your experience, skills, and accomplishments<\/li>\n<li>Reflects your genuine interest in the company<\/li>\n<li>Includes details that set you apart from possible competition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 545.879px;\">The cover letter is missing one or more of the following items:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Presents highlights of your experience, skills, and accomplishments<\/li>\n<li>Reflects your genuine interest in the company<\/li>\n<li>Includes details that set you apart from possible competition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 385.84px;\">The cover letter is missing two or more of the following items:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Presents highlights of your experience, skills, and accomplishments<\/li>\n<li>Reflects your genuine interest in the company<\/li>\n<li>Includes details that set you apart from possible competition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 27px; width: 39.1602px;\">_\/10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-5788\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">Lumen Learning authored content<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Cover Letter. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Robert Danielson. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":169554,"menu_order":7,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"lumen\",\"description\":\"Cover Letter\",\"author\":\"Robert Danielson\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-5788","chapter","type-chapter","status-web-only","hentry"],"part":5753,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/5788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/169554"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/5788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6174,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/5788\/revisions\/6174"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/5753"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/5788\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=5788"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=5788"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=5788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}