1. There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says ‘Morning, boys. How’s the water?’ And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes ‘What the heck is water?’

2. Patient Trust
Above all, trust in the slow work of life We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability— and that it may take a very long time. And so I think it is with you; your ideas mature gradually—let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undue haste. Don’t try to force them on, as though you could be today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow. Only time could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be. Trust in the benefit of believing that hands are leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete. ― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ

3. Agenda – Cover Letter Writing
Intro’s and Icebreakers
Intro to Cover Letters
Cover Letter Development

4. Challenge

5. Cover Letters Why write a cover letter?
It’s an “introduction” to your resume.
It shows professionalism and demonstrates your communication skills.
It allows you to provide specific information sometimes requested in job ads (salary history).
It allows you to tell a story: you can highlight specific examples of your skills and accomplishments.

6. Cover Letters What is included in a cover letter?
A basic cover letter includes:
AN OPENING (Dear Hiring Manager; Dear Mr./Ms.)
An introduction that states what position you are writing about
A paragraph that matches you to the position
A closing (thank you for your time; look forward to hearing back, contact info)
Your Signature

7. Activity: Cover Letter
UPS
morgan park
5550 n basin ave
portland, or
Dear mrs parks,
I am write to express my interest in your Customer Service positon. I have pervious work experience including 9 months of costumer service in a retail. I recentely completed ATA from NAFY & got an award for my proffesionalism during the class. I also received a “Perfect Attendence Award” in high skool for 2 years. If you have any questions /can schedule an interview you can call me
thank you for your time.
sincerely, sponge Bob S Pants

8. Example Ad to Respond To
Front of house/cashier/barista (SE PDX - Sellwood)
Date: , 9:14AM PST We are looking for an extremely detail oriented person to join our team for the front of house/cashier position. This position can work into a barista position as well. We take our jobs seriously here, and our team is fun loving, customer centric, and get along great together. The jobs includes all front of house duties, including cleaning, stocking, bussing, cashiering, and back of bar duties; and can grow into a barista position as time and experience are gained. We will train all new hires to our standards, regardless of previous coffee experience. Show us that you have experience working under pressure and know how to thrive in a multi-tasking and fast moving work environment. This position offers hours per week. Open availability, including weekends and afternoons are mandatory. Our hours of operation are 6:30am - 6:00pm daily If you are interested, please respond with your cover letter and resume. Include the job posting ID in the subject line. Absolutely no phone calls will be accepted. Location: SE PDX - Sellwood
PostingID:
Underline/circle/highlight the most important skills and duties

9. Example Cover Letter Response
Joe Jobsearch
October 22, 2014
Hiring Manager
Kangaroo Coffee Roasters
7901 SE 13th St.
Portland, OR 97202
Dear Hiring Manager,
I am writing in response to the open front of house position that you posted on Craigslist (Posting ID: ). I believe I am an excellent candidate for this position.
I have been working in food service for six months and really enjoy interacting with people, both on a team as well as with the many customers that I meet every day. My general duties include bussing, cleaning, and food preparation; however I like to learn other duties so that I can be available to jump in when it gets busy. For example, several months ago I asked my supervisor for instruction on how to use the cashier system. During slow times, she taught me how to process different kinds of transactions and now I am regularly called upon to help out during the busy times of day.
I have included my resume with more information on my various skills and experiences. I would love the opportunity to talk with you about the position. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call at or you can reach me via at
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,

10. Example Cover Letter Response
Joe Jobsearch
314 SW 9th Ave.
Portland, OR 97205
March 28, 2016
Hiring Manager
Kangaroo Coffee Roasters
7901 SE 13th St.
Portland, OR 97202
Dear Hiring Manager,
I am writing in response to the open front of house position that you posted on Craigslist (Posting ID: ). I believe I am an excellent candidate for this position.
I have been working in food service for 6 months and really enjoy working with people, both on a team as well as with the many customers that I meet every day. My general duties include bussing, cleaning, and food preparation; however I like to learn other duties so that I can be available to jump in when it gets busy. For example, several months ago I asked my supervisor for instruction on how to use the cashier system. During slow times, she taught me how to process different kinds of transactions and now I am regularly called upon to help out during the busy times of day.
I have included my resume with more information on my various skills and experiences. I would love the opportunity to talk with you about the position. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call at or you can reach me via at
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,

11. Activity:
Identifying KEY WORDS– skills and qualities the employer is looking for that YOU HAVE
Print a posting and/or description of the key skills and qualifications that are needed for the type of position you would like to apply for

13. Indeed
Craigslist
Monster

14. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
Formatting
Conventional font types are Arial, Calibri, TNR.
Conventional font size is 12
Margins are generally 1” around.
Single space text.
In business writing, do not indent paragraphs.

15. Activity: Write a cover letter!
Start writing!
Re-read and edit!
(When you finish, have someone else take a look at it. It’s always better to have two sets of perspectives than one!)

16. Meet the PAVE team! Employment Specialists Kat La Shawn Lindsey
Dakotah
Career Development Specialist- Kim