# Cover letter advice, please



## vinylismycopilot (Sep 19, 2012)

I've never actually written a cover letter before and welcome all advice/criticism/suggestions.  Thank you!


"I am writing to apply for the EMT position with [company name] advertised on [website].  I am currently seeking an EMT position to gain experience and develop skills within the EMS field and believe that this position would afford me an opportunity to do so. As it has been a longstanding goal of mine to become a paramedic, I feel that working with this company will yield valuable knowledge and experience that I will be able to apply towards that objective.

As an EMT, I am strongly motivated to deliver the highest quality of care, compassion and customer service to patients; I am passionate about working with people and am particularly determined to continue developing skills working with patients and their caregivers.  With an academic background in computer science, I am detail oriented in my work and can function well in a team setting and under stressful conditions.  It is these qualities that I hope to contribute to [company name] as an employee.

Thank you for your time and consideration.  As requested in the posting, I have attached my resume and current certifications."


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## MrJones (Sep 25, 2012)

briank said:


> Hi vinylismycopilot,
> 
> If you need help with your cover letter, I have found that this site (hxxp://bit.ly/UtsTPr, replace x's with t's) provided me with some great products on how to write a successful cover letter.
> 
> Let me know how it goes and good luck with your job hunting.



Let's see - a URL alias posted by a brand new participant.

Anyone want to bet the over/under on how many of us will actually point and click it?

:rofl:


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## Tigger (Sep 25, 2012)

For what its worth our career advisory center here on campus believes that cover letters are a waste of time unless requested. They know what job you want based on you handing in the application for that job. Take time to also make sure your resume is as strong and well formatted as possible.


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## EMSrush (Oct 31, 2012)

Tigger said:


> For what its worth our career advisory center here on campus believes that cover letters are a waste of time unless requested. They know what job you want based on you handing in the application for that job. Take time to also make sure your resume is as strong and well formatted as possible.



Really? Everyone here agree with that?


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## Achilles (Oct 31, 2012)

Nevermind


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## EMSrush (Oct 31, 2012)

Achilles said:


> Nevermind



That was a meaningful post.


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## STXmedic (Oct 31, 2012)

EMSrush said:


> That was a meaningful post.



About as meaningful as this one.


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## VFlutter (Oct 31, 2012)

PoeticInjustice said:


> About as meaningful as this one.


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## EMSrush (Oct 31, 2012)

PoeticInjustice said:


> About as meaningful as this one.



Thank you for your contribution. And while we're on the subject of meaningful contributions, it's worth nothing that the OP's inquiry was never really addressed, other than with a bunch of snarkiness. Perhaps this is why his/her number of posts never increased from 1. 

I was actually quite curious as to the general consensus regarding the use of cover letters in EMS... however, like the OP, it seems that obtaining any type of meaningful feedback is challenging.


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## STXmedic (Oct 31, 2012)

emsrush said:


> thank you for your contribution.


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## VFlutter (Oct 31, 2012)

EMSrush said:


> I was actually quite curious as to the general consensus regarding the use of cover letters in EMS... however, like the OP, it seems that obtaining any type of meaningful feedback is challenging.



I would include a cover letter when applying for jobs. I am not sure about EMS but I know at the hospital they would not accept a resume without one. 

To the OP, that cover letter sounds good. It is formal, to the point, and highlights your strengths, reason for seeking the job, and future career goals. Maybe consider adding information about the company such as " I feel that it would be a privilege working for XYZ hospital due your magnet status and level one trauma designation" or something. It shows you have an interest as actually looked into the company


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## bigbaldguy (Oct 31, 2012)

Everybody take a nice deep breath and go to your happy places.


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## STXmedic (Oct 31, 2012)

OP (if you're still alive),

Overall I like it. Short and to the point. There are a couple areas that seem a bit wordy that I might rearrange, but I'm also fairly OCD with that kind of stuff.

As far as the cover letter not being important, each employer will be different. If the person reviewing your application doesn't want to read it, he'll turn the page. I'd rather have it there for him to pass up, then not have one and him be looking for it/thinking a cover letter is appropriate.

Better?


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## EMSrush (Oct 31, 2012)

PoeticInjustice said:


> Better?



Yes, I'm very proud of you.  *pats you on the head*


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## STXmedic (Oct 31, 2012)

emsrush said:


> yes, i'm very proud of you.  *pats you on the head*






I need another letter.


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## TransportJockey (Oct 31, 2012)

bigbaldguy said:


> Everybody take a nice deep breath and go to your happy places.



Pssh bashing newbs is my happy place  Seriously though, I'm glad this got posted, since I need to write a CV soon for the RFP for Afghanistan that got posted


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## EMSrush (Oct 31, 2012)

PoeticInjustice said:


> I need another letter.



I had thought about giving you two letters, earlier.... lol


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## STXmedic (Oct 31, 2012)

EMSrush said:


> I had thought about giving you two letters, earlier.... lol



:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


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## lightsandsirens5 (Oct 31, 2012)

Alright folks. Please let's keep on topic and can the rudeness and off topic-ism.

Thank you.


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## Christopher (Oct 31, 2012)

Tigger said:


> For what its worth our career advisory center here on campus believes that cover letters are a waste of time unless requested. They know what job you want based on you handing in the application for that job. Take time to also make sure your resume is as strong and well formatted as possible.



Old post, but we don't read (or even see) cover letters on our hiring teams. Granted this is software engineering at a Fortune 5 company, but that should give you an idea.

We can glean better information through a 20 minute phone call, which helps establish two things:

You're understandable
You're not a sociopath


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## Handsome Robb (Nov 1, 2012)

firstshirt said:


> OK, but why did you (or whoever) remove BrianK's fairly obvious link bait but leave my (IMHO reasonable) response standing? It would have made more sense to axe them both.



Did you miss the instruction to stop posting off topic posts? How does your post further this thread at all? It doesn't. How about we jut drop the subject, stop questioning the moderators and their actions and go back to answering the OP's original question? Sound good? Awesome, thanks. 

OP I think you're cover letter sounds good. I agree with Chase about adding something to personalize it towards the company and why you chose them outside of "I applied to any and every open EMT position I could find". Hey you may even get lucky and get this company to pay for medic school when you decide to take that leap!

Also, I'm a firm believer that cover letters are an important part of your application packet. It's not going to hurt you, it can only help, unless you make yourself sound like a fool in said cover letter. Like Poetic said, if the person reading the packet doesn't want to read it they can just flip past it. With that said, I'd definitely keep it under a page. Half to a full page is more than enough to relay your intentions. 

Lots of companies are moving towards electronic applications. If they have a spot for a cover letter I'd personally say that the fact there is a spot to attach it implies that they'd like to see one. Plus it really isn't difficult to write one then edit it to taylor it towards individual companies.


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## FUNKYBASS (Sep 27, 2013)

I realize this is an incredibly old thread, but nonetheless, i would like to continue on with it as some of the tidbits helped me as i am sure are helping others even still.

this is my overly wordy cover letter to DFD. i chose to be more frank and less professional because id like to grab their attention with my cover letter since my resume is very... shall we say... "entry level." Im still working on trimming the fat and straightening out some of the run on sentences, but overall i think its pretty decent. let loose the trolls!


 "I was recently delighted to be informed by a DFD-EMS employee that Detroit Fire Department’s EMS Division may have an opening for some new talent, thus I would like to take this opportunity to humbly request that you consider my application to join your illustrious ranks. I am currently a Nationally Registered Paramedic, Licensed EMT-B, and volunteer Fire Fighter where I reside in Avoca, MI. 
I believe that I am an ideal candidate for an entry position with the City of Detroit. From a young age I have had an undying fascination with the field of medicine and a seemingly unquenchable thirst for knowledge. I am an exceptionally fast learner, with a strong background in science. I am the type of person who is constantly striving to better myself, doesn’t shy away from adversity, and approaches obstacles with an open mind so as to find the best solution. These traits are paramount to EMS, where commonly accepted practices are ever changing as new and better science reaches the street.
  	I was fortunate enough to have received an exceptional education through my local community college. My instructors were some of the strongest advocates for student education I have ever seen or heard of. My fire academy was run by seasoned veterans of the Detroit FD. My EMT-B and Paramedic academy instructors knew the importance of exposing us to real world experience to compliment and cement the inundation of new information and make it real to us. I certainly reaped the benefit of my experiences with St. Johns Main, Mt. Clemens Regional, Medstar Ambulance, and Madison Heights Fire Dept. 
Working in EMS is a highly demanding field regardless of where one practices, but Detroit is a city that presents its own unique set of challenges. You don’t need merely capable people on staff, you need dynamic and creative people who are able to adapt and grow to meet the ever changing demands of city in which even routine calls can be anything but routine. I am far more than merely capable. I cannot think of a more important job than helping those in their hour of need, I only ask for the opportunity to prove it to you."


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