Letters of Interest vs. Cover Letters
Looking for a job can take time and patience. When a position is available, you may have to compete with many other applicants. On the other hand, when no vacancy is advertised at a company where you would like to work, it may seem fruitless to approach the employer and ask for an interview. If you want to grab the attention of an active recruiter or a company that may not have a current opening, writing a letter of interest or a cover letter is one way to be noticed.
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Letter of Interest
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If you are interested in working in a specific position for a particular company, but there has not been a job announcement, a letter of interest introduces you and your desire to work for that employer. Highlight the reasons why you are looking for a job in that field and why the company would make an ideal employer. Explain the benefits that you bring to a position and how both of you may be enriched if you worked there. Your goal is for the employer to think of you when a job opens or to inform you if one currently exists but has not been announced yet.
Cover Letter
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Use a cover letter when sending your resume to an employer with a current job opening. The goal of a cover letter is a job interview for the vacancy. This can be accomplished by highlighting how your qualifications match the requirements posted in the job announcement. Tell the recruiter that you will follow up with a telephone call to ensure that your cover letter and resume were received. At that time, personally ask for an interview. Cover letters are meant to help you stand out from the many others who are applying for the position.
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Similarities
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Both a cover letter and letter of interest should be addressed to a specific person and not a generic position within the company. This might take some research, especially for a letter of interest to a company with no posted job opening. Also, a resume should be attached to each letter. The details of your education and experience are contained in a resume regardless of whether or not a position is available. In addition, the letters will not simply reiterate the information on your resume. Both a cover letter and letter of interest should provide more details than your resume regarding certain aspects of your background, yet neither one should be more than a page long.
Differences
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A cover letter names the position for which you are applying and discusses how you heard about the opening. Since there is no known job available when sending a letter of interest, the position you desire should be included in the opening paragraph, but you will not reference a job announcement. Also, a letter of interest will highlight your education and experience, but cannot relate them directly to the requirements for a job with that employer because you may not know what they are. A cover letter, on the other hand, directly relates your qualifications to those for the opening.
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