When you’re writing acover letter for an executive assistant position, there are several possible lines of approach you may need to consider. It is truly said that a good cover letter is a major element in any successful job application. It’s worth taking the time to make sure that your cover letter is as good as possible in this highly competitive job market.
The three scenarios for cover letters for executive assistants
There are three basic scenarios you need to consider when writing a cover letter for an executive assistant:
- A direct approach to a company: In this case, you apply for an executive assistant position to a company which you have researched and advanced. Your cover letter and resume are directly targeted to meet these skills requirements of this firm. You may also have contacted the company directly, inquiring regarding job opportunities, and have been requested to submit an application.
- Applying for an unadvertised position: This type of executive assistant position may be a temp job, seasonal work, or an internship which is offered to college students on either a formal or informal basis. Your application and cover letter will need to address the specific role of the executive assistant position (like admin, secretarial, PA, or other role) in detail.
- Applying for an advertised job: This is the traditional job application, but in this case, it is a formal application within the highly competitive job market and without any other prior contacts or other considerations.
Information quality issues for executive assistant cover letters
The bottom line for any kind of cover letter is quality of information. A good cover letter does not rehash information already contained in the resume. It provides more information and perspective regarding skills, experience, and useful information regarding areas of expertise.
This type of information is particularly critical for executive assistants. Executive assistants tend to be highly experienced specialists, managing important business for senior executives. Your cover letter should reflect your depth of experience, and show very high values in terms of areas of expertise.
The new generation of resumes have added a few positives and options when writing an executive assistant cover letter. Functional resumes, for example, allow you to include a lot of skills information on your resume, so you can devote your cover letter to developing points about your experience.
The type of work you do as an executive assistant is also critical when composing your cover letter. Employers need to know that you are able to perform in specific roles, and can manage the work without undue levels of supervision.
Best practice is to emphasize formalskills in combination with your duties. For example, if you have advanced business administration skills, you will naturally refer to your skills in context with your prior experience. This helps to map out your skills in context with the requirements of an executive assistant position.
Executive assistant skills and different levels of positions – cover letter issues
At this point, itmust be emphasised that there are many different degrees of difficulty in executive assistant positions at different levels.
- Senior executive assistant cover letters will vary considerably in scope and reflect the extremely demanding nature of these jobs, particularly in managerial roles. Cover letters therefore may include information regarding senior executive roles.
- “Staff” executive assistant roles tend to reflect areas of specialization. Cover letters at this level will reflect a combination of experience, qualifications, and core skills.
- Internship executive assistant roles are more narrowly focused, covering specific types of work rather than the broader managerial or specialist roles. Cover letters will therefore be tailored to match the needs of the internship, rather than the broader scope of professional executive assistant roles.
Writing your executive assistant cover letter
Professional resume writers and employment industry experts will tell you that “more isn’t better” when it comes to writing cover letters. Quality of information is the key to success.
These are the basics:
- Stick to a very straightforward narrative when writing your cover letter. Explain your interest in the position, emphasize your credentials as an executive assistant, and make it clear that you have the skills to do the job.
- Clearly define your prior experience, qualifications, skills, and knowledge base in context with the position for which you are applying.
- Explain your interest in the position clearly.
- Make sure that your resume accurately reflects your skills, meets job criteria, and is specifically tailored to the requirements of the job.
The letter writing process is pretty simple, but you need to get everything right:
- Do a basic draft letter first, preferably no more than five paragraphs, including an introductory paragraph and a closing paragraph.
- Cross check your information against your resume to make sure that your resume and cover letter work well together and that there are no duplications.
- Cross check your information against the job description and any other information that you have regarding the position.
- Redraft your cover letter to remove any superfluous words or information and help you manage space more effectively.
- Check for typos, grammatical errors, or any other potentially embarrassing and unwanted issues.
Need some help writing your cover letter?
OK – The big question now is “Are you happy with your cover letter?”
If you’re not, you’re not alone. These cover letters can be harder to write than they seem, particularly if you are an experienced person with a lot of skills and professional credentials.
Organizing cover letter information inevitably becomes more difficult for more senior people. The same problem can be with resume, in this case allot time to read about best format for resume. These tips will help to achieve your goal. You may wish to consider hiring professional resume writing services to help you with your cover letter content and managing your information.
There is another major advantage to getting professional resume writers on your side – You can brainstorm your application content, and upgrade your application materials very effectively. If you haven’t done a job application for a while, or if your resume hasn’t been upgraded recently, it’s a good idea to get some professional assistance anyway. You’ll find that you learn a lot, your resume is much improved, and that your cover letter is very well targeted to meet your needs.
Try to write cover letter for executive assistant now!
