Cover Letters / Letter of Intent
A well-crafted cover letter may often be the gateway to a job as one of the first items a prospective employer looks at. That is what it is vital to make it the best you can. A good cover letter should fulfill THIS checklist as best/appropriate as possible.
Check out more hints and tips below.
Check out more hints and tips below.
- Format - Should be 4-5 "short" paragraphs.
- Contact Header Info = name, address, phone, email, etc. Refrain from use of a photo.
- This header should be used across all of your documents (Cover Letter, CV, Professional References, etc.), so they appear as a cohesive collection of documents.
- 1st = "Introduction" = Start with who you are, quick education background along with the dates of each (podiatry school, residency, fellowship).
- 2nd = "The Meat" = Give some details about your educational background whether it is the kinds of things treated during residency to show medical and surgical background, research done, etc. Define your skill set and qualifications.
- 3rd = Can be more from the 2nd but may pivot on another topic, like non-medical things done (service, research), awards, etc. Or how you may integrate within that specific practice. Or how this practice fits your goals. It is good to note something about how education to this point would be a good fit at X-practice because of Y-reasons. These are the "specific" items you will need to do some research about the practice to be able to define.
- 4th = Closing sentences drawing it all together with notation of a way to re-connect in the future.
- Re-connect
- "I would welcome a follow-up call/email/conversation and can be reached at XZY..."
- Take Action To Direct Follow-up
- “My background seems to be a good match.”
- “My training appears matches your requirements.”
- “I feel I can be an asset to your practice.”
- “…I am confident I can meet your needs.”
- “Please find attached resume for your consideration.”
- “Thank you for your consideration.”
- “Sincerely,” “Best regards,” “Yours”
- Signature / hand-written name, DPM
- Re-connect
- Contact Header Info = name, address, phone, email, etc. Refrain from use of a photo.
- Be Specific to (1) Make it personal, (2) Make it seem like you spent more than 2 minutes throwing it together and sending it out. Take actually time to review the practice so that this specific Cover Letter is only for this specific practice/job.
- Examples / Advice Points Include:
- The "Dear.." or "To..." line should specific to the practice applying to in all possible instances. Either the practices name, doctors name, HR person who handles the hiring, and so forth should be listed. DO NOT just write "To practice manager" or "To Whom It May Concern."
- When addressing how you would fit into that practice (maybe based off of a deficit or need to that practice OR something the practice has that you want to participate in like Wound Care or Sports Med) list specifics and short small details about the practice.
- Be specific to the kind of job you are applying to. I had 2-3 different variations of cover letter when submitting them to (1) an academic center/hospital, (2) a podiatric practice, (3) an ortho practice. Each are looking for different things or may require different skills that while you may possess all of them, some are more appropriate to one of the different settings you want to highlight in the cover letter. They'll get to see all your skills when they look at the resume and/or call for a follow-up interview.
- For a hospital/academic/research center with residents, I talked more about my research endeavors, papers published, desire to work in a center with research capabilities, IRB, residents to teach, etc.
- For a podiatry practice, I talked about my well rounded residency experience for all facets of podiatric medicine and surgery, working at wound care center, and learning in-office billing management during residency.
- For an orthopaedic practice, I talked about my fellowship with greater surgical training, recon/trauma/etc.
Online Resources
- "Physician cover letters: why writing a good one is as important as ever." by Bonnie Darves (via NEJM Career Center)
- "Physician cover letter information" (via PracticeMatch.com)
- "Writing a Cover Letter - Customizing Your Application" (via McGill University) (pdf)