Prior to beginning work on this discussion, review the 

Cover Letters PDF  (Links to an external site.)

 provided by the Ashford University Office of Career Services and the 

What Is a Cover Letter?  (Links to an external site.)

 and 

Writing the Dreaded Cover Letter  (Links to an external site.)

 online resources. It is recommended that you also review the e-book by Noble (2004) and the

How to write cover letters (examples) (Links to an external site.)

video which include more information and a number of sample cover letters to assist you.

For this discussion post, you will use the knowledge you have gained about personality, the career specific reports you have created in the previous weeks’ discussions, and assessments associated with various fields of psychology you have studied to help you to choose and develop a cover letter for a job in the human services sector. To begin, determine what type of job within the human services sector related to personality psychology is of interest to you. Using career websites, including those listed on the 

Ashford Career Services Job Search (Links to an external site.)

website, and/or other third-party search engines such as the American Psychological Association’s 

PsycCareers (Links to an external site.)

 website, 

Monster.com  (Links to an external site.)

, 

Indeed.com  (Links to an external site.)

, and

SimplyHired.com (Links to an external site.)

. Once you have found a suitable job posting, carefully review the requirements and note these for inclusion in your cover letter. Before you begin designing your cover letter, review the required readings, videos, and websites to help you determine how best to formulate it. Within the letter, you will address the person or title of the person that is listed as the contact for the job in the job posting. As you draft your cover letter, consider the elements within the job post and use your knowledge of personality theory to make yourself appear to be the best candidate for the job. Assess the various types of personality measurements that might be most effective in the position listed and mention how you might use these on the job. Once you have developed your letter, save it as a document and attach it to your discussion post. In the discussion post itself, copy and paste the link to the job posting for which you wrote your cover letter. Describe your experience(s) writing the cover letter including the ways in which you may have attempted to manipulate the reader to get the best response. Analyze and describe any ethical issues that could be associated with this process.

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Cover Letters
The purpose of a cover letter is to communicate to a potential employer why you are the best
Candidate for the position based on your skills, education, and experience. Cover letters are
generally three t o four paragraphs long and should be tailored to the position you are seeking.
Some employers use cover letters to determine your ability to write.

Please follow the steps below to prepare for writing your cover letter:

Step 1
Review the job description and highlight
important skills and qualifications the
employers are seeking.

Step 2
Write down the skills you possess that
match the skills they are seeking.

Step 3
Pick 3 to 4 skills you possess that the
employer is seeking and emphasize them
in the cover letter.

Step 4
Give an example of where you used or
obtained your three skills from yo u r re sume .

Sample
Cover Letter

1. List your contact information.

2. List the information for the
employer you are contacting.

3. Address a person by name
whenever possible.

4. Tell them why you are writing
and demonstrate some knowledge
of their company .

5. Using your three skills and
examples, tell them wh y you are
qualified for the position.

6. Thank them for their time and tell
them what you want to happen next.

Your na me

Address

Today’s Date

Company Name

Address

Dear (Name of Recruiter/ Hiring Manager),

I am excited to apply to the Association Membership Administration pos ition with XYZ company, which was

located on Indeed.com. It would be an honor to work for an organization that is so dedicated to improving health

care and staying abreast to the latest research. Given my health care education and background, I feel I can make a

positive contribution to XYZ organization.

In 2010, I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Care Studies fro m Ashford University. Through my

undergraduate experience, I was able to obtain a tremendous amount of knowledge regarding the US health care

system and current obstacles and challenges the Health care industry is facing.

As the Program Coordinator at Memorial Hospital, I regularly built relations hips with both internal and external

customers. In addition to relationship building, I honed my database management skills w hile serving as an

Administrative Assistant at GE. In this role, I utilized PeopleSoft to manage clients’ infor mation.

I would like the opportunity to discuss this position and my qualifications in further detail. Thank you in advance for

your time and consideration.

Best Regards,

Jane M. Doe