It’s application season. First-semester students past the first shock of grad school are looking (or should be by now) for summer internships and scholarships. Soon-to-be graduates are seeking fellowships, further internships, actual jobs or, in the case of international students, optional practical training under their F-1 visas. So perfecting their resumes and cover letters is a high priority.

As the J-school’s career services department states in its excellent guidelines on cover letters and resumes, “First impressions count.” A cover letter is that first impression — your chance to sell yourself, to stand out from the competition for whatever limited resource you want. And as the saying goes, “You get only one chance to make a first impression.”

Paula Moura, a third-semester student from Brazil, has been writing a lot of cover letters lately. She graciously agreed to share one so I could walk other international students through the process on drafting an American-style letter. Here’s her raw copy:

Dear Kendra Beato:

I am writing to apply for the Spring CS Monitor Internship. I have been a journalist in Brazil for a decade and since last fall I’m a master’s degree candidate at the Craig Newmark CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

In the last few years, I have worked as a stringer, fixer and translator in Brazil for international media outlets including The New York Times, National Public Radio and The Washington Post. I also worked for local major news organizations.

One of my goals at CUNY is to improve my international reporting and analysis skills and the experience at CS Monitor would be a way to do that, as well as deepen my knowledge on covering U.S. matters. When I worked at a major Brazilian newspaper called O Estado de S. Paulo I used to select Monitor pieces to translate for Brazilian audiences and I always admired the sharpness and well thought works.

I am eager to develop greater writing skills and also contribute to the podcasts. Audio and podcast have been one of my focus along international reporting. In my summer internship at Nashville Public Radio, I reported on Latino and African immigrant communities about immigration, affirmative action and genital female cutting. At CUNY, I have been reporting on immigrant communities such as the Hondurans and Mexicans in the South Bronx.

My early life in rural Brazil shaped my understanding of the world, but I wanted to see that world beyond the mountains that circled by hometown. I was immediately attracted to international news.

In 2008 I worked in Japan, where I learned to translate local culture for Brazilians. My work after I returned home focused on how the world sees Brazil and how Latin America’s biggest economy affects the region and beyond.

I would bring to CS Monitor my international background, plus the flexibility I have developed covering a variety of beats and perspectives. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Paula Moura

Not bad — but not the best salesmanship I’ve ever seen.  Let’s pick it apart. First:

Dear Kendra Ms. Beato:

This is one of the most common mistakes I see in cover letters (or any kind) from international students. In the salutation (greeting), Americans do not use the full name of the person to whom the e-mail its addressed. Instead, we drop the first name and use the appropriate courtesy title, such as Ms., Mr., Dr., etc.  Note that the salutation in formal or business e-mail ends in a colon, not a comma. (If you don’t have the name of a specific person, I favor using no salutation at all — certainly preferable to To whom it may concern or the impossibly outmoded Dear sir or madam.

I am writing to apply for the Spring CS Monitor Internship. I have been a journalist in Brazil for a decade and since last fall I’m a master’s degree candidate at the Craig Newmark CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

Always make clear exactly why you are writing high in a cover letter. (Many people start out simply describing themselves without giving any hint of why they’re writing or what they’re applying for. They seem to assume the recipient knows.) But this opening, while straightforward, is hardly scintillating. Think of your opening as the lede of a story — the part where you grab the reader’s attention. That’s what you want your cover letter to accomplish. Your reason for writing? That’s your nut graf.

So I looked further in Paula’s letter for something that might make a stronger lede and found this:

When I worked at a major Brazilian newspaper called O Estado de S. Paulo I used to select Monitor pieces to translate for Brazilian audiences and I always admired the sharpness and well thought works.

Through the magic of cut-and-paste and a little polishing, Paula and I came up with a lede that would immediately establish her longstanding interest in The Monitor, and thus make a connection with her reader:

When I worked at O Estado de S. Paulo, a major Brazilian newspaper, I used to select Christian Science Monitor pieces to translate for Brazilian audiences. I always admired their sharpness and logic. That is one reason I am writing to apply for the spring internship at The Monitor.

(Paula might have added a phrase telling how she heard about the opening — an online posting, a personal referral, whatever. Employers really want to know; it helps them target future postings.)

We moved on to her self-introduction and qualifications:

After a decade as a journalist in my native Brazil, I am now in my final semester of  a master’s degree program at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. In the last few years, I have worked as a stringer, fixer and translator in Brazil for international media outlets including The New York Times, National Public Radio and The Washington Post. I also worked for major local news organizations.

Notice how concisely she summarizes the highlights of her work experience. A cover letter should not repeat your resume, but rather serve as an introduction to it.

Next came what she hoped to learn from the internship and the most important part of any cover letter: what she would bring to the operation:

One of my goals at CUNY has been to improve my international reporting and analysis skills. I am also eager to improve my writing and to contribute to The Monitor’s podcasts. Audio and podcasts have been one of my focuses. In my internship this summer at Nashville Public Radio, I reported on Latino and African immigrant communities, producing stories about immigration, affirmative action and genital female cutting. At CUNY, I have been reporting on immigrant communities, including Hondurans and Mexicans in the South Bronx.

To paraphrase President John F. Kennedy: Ask not what the employer can do for you; tell what you can do for the employer. Paula then substantiates her potential by detailing her relevant experience and accomplishments.

She continues by humanizing herself through her personal story, incorporating a more rounded picture of her international experience:

My early life in rural Brazil shaped my understanding of the world, but I wanted to see that world beyond the mountains that circled my hometown. I was immediately attracted to international news.

In 2008 I worked in Japan, where I learned to translate local culture for Brazilians. My work after I returned home focused on how the world sees Brazil and how Latin America’s biggest economy affects the region and beyond.

She concludes by reinforcing what she can do for the Monitor and signs off by expressing gratitude for the reader’s attention.

I would bring to The Monitor my international background, plus the flexibility and persistence I have developed covering a variety of beats and perspectives. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Paula Moura

This is only one of many possible ways to write a cover letter; other people have hit the jackpot by telling their war stories or beating their drum as the best hire ever. But as a template, Paula’s letter hits all the major points:

• Who you are
• Why you’re writing
• Why you’re qualified
• What are your goals
• And, above all, what you can contribute.

If you need help drafting cover letters, don’t hesitate to ask the writing coaches. Obrigada, Paula!