Hello. In this unit, we are going to introduce you to professional letter writing as the third part of the application process. In addition to a resume, job seekers include a cover letter as part of their application. There are three main reasons to write a cover letter. A written letter shows the applicant's personal style, explains the applicant's qualifications for the job and formally asks for an interview. In later videos, we will take you through each part of the cover letter, and how to write a clear and organized cover letter. At the end of this unit, you will write your own cover letter to apply for a specific job. To begin, a cover letter is a one page formal letter and there are some parts that looked the same in each cover letter. In a later video, we will talk about professional letter format or how it looks. However, the content or information in the cover letter should be a little different from each job you are applying for. The cover letter helps an employer to understand more about the applicant and helps to direct attention to certain parts of the resume. The first reason for writing a cover letter is that it shows the applicants personal style or personality. Job seekers choose very specific words to introduce themselves to an employer. This is how they show their personal style. For example, Tom and Beth are both applying for the same job as an international student advisor. In his cover letter, Tom writes, I am interested in working with international students. Beth writes, I am very excited to meet and work with international students. The word choices in these examples show us their personal styles. We see that Tom is interested in working with international student, but Beth is very excited to meet and work with international students. Beth's personality is much clearer with her word choices, excited to meet and work with. The second reason for writing a cover letter is to explain the applicant's qualifications for the job. Using our same candidates Tom and Beth, let's see how they would write a short description of their qualifications. Tom writes, I have two years of experience working as an activities director of a language school. Beth says, as a Resident Advisor, I advise students on counseling on personal, cultural and immigration issues, as well as organize professional, social and cultural programs. From the short descriptions in their cover letters most employers would want to read Beth's resume to find out more about her experience. The third reason, for writing a cover later is to formerly ask for an interview. There are different ways to make a request as we will discuss it in later videos. When applicants know the name and the contact information of the hiring manager, they may say that they will call like at a certain time to arrange for an interview. For those who do not know who the hiring manager is, they should give their phone number or email address so the employer can contact them. To review. We now know the cover letter is the introduction to the applicant's personal style and gives a summary of the applicant's qualifications which are explained in the resume. If employers like what they read in the cover letter, it is possible that the applicant will be invited for an interview. Next, go on to reading number one, which shows two sample cover letters.