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Learning Outcomes Planning Objectives
The Cover Letter
Objective 1: Students will learn prior to beginning a cover letter, they must research each employer's organization and personalize each letter.
Rationale:
- Just like a resume, a cover letter needs to be targeted to a specific employer. The cover letter is an invitation for an employer to read the resume and is the best way for a candidate to set themselves apart.
Measure:
- At the conclusion of the Career Counseling session, students will be surveyed with the following question: As a result of my Career Counseling experience, I now understand the importance of doing research prior to writing my cover letter and tailoring/personalizing my letter to match the employer. Respondents will indicate through a likert scale (5 - strongly agree, 4 - agree, 3 - neutral, 2 - disagree and 1 - strongly disagree) their agreement with the statement.
Objective 2: Students will learn how to consider the employer's requirements and needs and place the most important items in their cover letter first.
Rationale:
- An employer will not take the time to decipher a candidate's skill-set from the resume and figure out how they can use them in their company; it is the candidate's responsibility to take the time to summarize their skills and how they might benefit the company. The cover letter is not a resume in paragraph form.
Measures:
- At the conclusion of the Career Counseling session, students will be surveyed with the following question: As a result of my Career Counseling experience, I know how to consider the employer's requirements and needs and place the most important items in my cover letter first. Respondents will indicate through a likert scale (5 - strongly agree, 4 - agree, 3 - neutral, 2 - disagree and 1 - strongly disagree) their agreement with the statement.
- Students will submit their cover letters for review to the Career Counselor and will be evaluated on this outcome utilizing a rubric developed by the Director of Career Services (planned implementation in fall 2007).
Objective 3: Students will learn how to create a polite yet formal style and be positive in content and tone with their cover letter. Additionally they will learn how to utilize powerful action verbs and portray a sense of energy in their document.
Rationale:
- Employers are looking for what a candidate can do for the company, not vise versa. The cover letter, in many cases, will be the first piece of written communication the employer will see (even before the resume); make sure it makes the appropriate impression.
Measures:
- At the conclusion of the Career Counseling session, students will be surveyed with the following questions: 1.) As a result of my Career Counseling experience, I now understand how to create both positive content and tone within my cover letter. 2.) As a result of my Career Counseling experience, I now understand how to utilize powerful action verbs to portray a sense of energy in my letter. Respondents will indicate through a likert scale (5 - strongly agree, 4 - agree, 3 - neutral, 2 - disagree and 1 - strongly disagree) their agreement with the statement.
- Students will submit their cover letters for review to the Career Counselor and will be evaluated on this outcome utilizing a rubric developed by the Director of Career Services (planned implementation in fall 2007).
Objective 4: Students will learn how a cover letter should be organized so that paragraphs relate logically to each other as well as how to support general statements with specific facts or examples.
Rationale:
- A cover letter is not to be confused with a college paper. The sentences and paragraphs need to be concise and to the point in order to make an impact on the hiring manager, being mindful they may spend only 15 seconds reviewing the letter.
Measures:
- At the conclusion of the Career Counseling session, students will be surveyed with the following question: As a result of my Career Counseling experience, I now understand how a cover letter should be organized so that the paragraphs relate logically to each other and support general statements with specific facts. Respondents will indicate through a likert scale (5 - strongly agree, 4 - agree, 3 - neutral, 2 - disagree and 1 - strongly disagree) their agreement with the statement.
- Students will submit their cover letters for review to the Career Counselor and will be evaluated on this outcome utilizing a rubric developed by the Director of Career Services (planned implementation in fall 2007).
Objective 5: Students will learn about the consequences of misrepresenting themselves or exaggerating or overstating skills.
Rationale:
- Ethics are important; candidate should be viewed as honest and the cover letter begins the relationship with a company. If facts are found not to be true, candidate can be excluded from interview or terminated if hired.
Measures:
- At the conclusion of the Career Counseling session, students will be surveyed with the following question: As a result of my Career Counseling experience, I now understand the consequences of misrepresenting myself, exaggerating or overstating my skills. Respondents will indicate through a likert scale (5 - strongly agree, 4 - agree, 3 - neutral, 2 - disagree and 1 - strongly disagree) their agreement with the statement.
Objective 6: Students will learn about cover letter presentation and the importance of utilizing correct spelling and grammar.
Rationale:
- Employers hire based largely on "soft skills" which include communication both written and verbal. Cover letters are an active representation of candidate's written communication skills. Errors on the cover letter, both grammatical and spelling can be used to reject an applicant.
Measures:
- At the conclusion of the Career Counseling session, students will be surveyed with the following question: As a result of my Career Counseling experience, I now understand how to make my cover letter stand out from others and the importance of utilizing correct spelling and grammar. Respondents will indicate through a likert scale (5 - strongly agree, 4 - agree, 3 - neutral, 2 - disagree and 1 - strongly disagree) their agreement with the statement.
- Students will submit their cover letters for review to the Career Counselor and will be evaluated on this outcome utilizing a rubric developed by the Director of Career Services (planned implementation in fall 2007).
Questions regarding the programs and outcomes outlined in this section should be addressed to Paula Verdugo, Director of Career Services, (909) 593.3511, Ext. 4430 or verdugop@ulv.edu.
