Our group accessed samples mainly via online hiring sites and NUCareers. For variety, we analyzed 12 different samples from varying disciplines in order to create an overarching or “average” template. The samples we selected were relevant to us in that they either dealt with job listings within our disciplines or they were in response to openings for a co-op position. To broaden our scope, we also obtained general cover letter advice from co-op advisors in the form of verbal or written tips, as well as formal documentation describing cover letter production.
We began studying the situation by discussing our previous co-ops and interview experiences. One of us also met in person with a co-op advisor to discuss their experiences with the dos and don’ts of cover letters. We decided this would be the best course of action to take because personal experiences are much more valuable than online samples and models. Furthermore, we also wanted perspective from readers of cover letters rather than just writers. We entered the scene by broadly reviewing cover letters from an array of jobs and disciplines. We then compared the similarities and differences between the cover letters from those positions. While we saw many variations in content, we found that most cover letters have many similarities in structure regardless of the job they are in response to.
As a whole, our genre followed a very predictable and repetitive pattern. The basic outline of cover letters was a greeting followed by three major sections addressing purpose for applying, applicant’s background, and why applicant would be a good fit (in that order), followed by a cordial closing. This is similar to a business letter format. Also similar to a business letter, cover letters tend to have reasonably simple and professional sentences that are word efficient. This format along with the fact that cover letters were less than a page made for a concise and well flowing document. The main purposes of a cover letter is to take the sterile facts and numbers found on a resume and convert them into a flowing and easy to read form that ties everything together.
Focusing on the more technical disciplines, such as engineering and computer science, we noticed that cover letters are more concise and filled with quantifiable information; though that does not mean that they were necessarily shorter. For example, a cover letter for a social work position included information about the writer’s passions as opposed to simply talking about their qualifications for the position. However, our engineering co-op advisors emphasized that a cover letter is used for a hiring manager to get to know the applicant and how his goals align with the job along with his qualifications. This provides some insight into the engineering discipline, and shows that it is not simply concerned with factual, quantifiable information when making hiring decisions. This also means that the cover letter is an uptake of both the job description and also the attached resume.
In our research of various cover letters we found that the rhetorical situation strongly affected the composition and elements of the cover letter. Cover letters would be structured differently depending on which discipline it was associated with, or simply if it was in the form of an email rather than an independent document. This discipline-specific format was reinforced by the information we received from our co-op advisors. Due to these large differences, we decided to base our genre model to a rhetorical situation most useful to us; our genre model is based on a cover letter written for a job in the engineering discipline, by an applicant with previous work experience, and with the intent to be sent as an individual document preceding the resume. We left the elements and attributes generally stated, and added some optional attributes that would allow for anyone of any discipline to fill their cover letter with content important for their field.
We used the example resumes we analyzed to decide what attributes were absolutely necessary in all cover letters, and which ones would only sometimes be relevant. We had to acknowledge that there is still a good amount of variance in rhetorical situations within even our own discipline. This simply meant that we included some optional elements that would be nice to have in some situations, such as a sentence about how the applicant learned of the opening, or what connection he or she may have.
One aspect we did not include in our model was some sort of indicator of whether or not the cover letter has information that too closely resembles the resume it precedes. We learned from our analysis that the cover letter should not be a reiteration of the resume, though that is challenging to indicate in an xml file, especially if we do not have a defined model for a resume.
Update: After going through the peer review process, we decided on several changes regarding the format of our schema. One of these changes included general writing formatting, such as spacing and line breaks. We added room for 2 lines in the address section so it would be displayed like a normal address (street on the first line and city/state/zip on the next). We also created an option for a line break within the last paragraph between the compatibility and next step elements. This option could be used at the writer’s discretion depending on the flow of their letter. Furthermore, we added acknowledgement as an optional sub-element under closing statement element since we noticed a thank you statement was fairly common in many of the cover letters we read.
From our peer review, we also found that the background paragraphs were usually the part of the cover letter that needed the most edits. However, we concluded this was not due to how we modeled the schema, but simply due to the fact that this is the hardest part to produce. Any additional clarifications or restrictions to this section might seem constraining since this is the section that more directly responds to job descriptions which can vary significantly. As a compromise, we decided to add sub elements that could be used to call out highlights under experience paragraphs. We added languages, skills, certifications, and programs as optional sub elements to work as a list of possibles to include inside this section. The hope is that this would help the writer to generate ideas for what to include in this section and keep the letter focused.
