• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • College Loans
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • College Loans
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise

You are here: Home / Career / Harry Potter’s Guide to a Kickass Cover Letter

Harry Potter’s Guide to a Kickass Cover Letter

May 14, 2015 //  by Melissa Cremades//  Leave a Comment

Shares11FacebookTweet

While some of us are still waiting for our acceptance letter into Hogwarts, the rest of us just graduated from a Muggle university and are being shoved into the real world. Sometimes I wonder if facing off death-eaters would be easier than applying for jobs.

Bottom line: real world is terrifying.

It means it’s time to send out those resumes, job applications, and such. One of the most intimidating things in that process is making a cover letter that will make you shine. However, College Magazine has put together a guide that would even help even the most powerful of unemployed wizards. Anyone applying to be an Auror?

Listen to the Harry Potter Sorting Hat…and don’t beg to not be in Slytherin

giphy.com

More often than not, new graduates send out countless resumes and cover letters, without thoroughly checking the company and position. This is a huge “no-no,” an unforgivable curse, if you will. By sending out a generic application to multiple places, you fail to choose a place that is right for you. It’s important that you not only meet their standards but also that they meet yours. Even the University of Florida’s Career Resource Center Advisor Chelsea Oguagua said, “Don’t just do it for the check or the prestige. Company climate is important.”

This is your career, after all. You want to find a place where you can grow and progress with the company, sort of like Harry Potter throughout his Hogwarts academic career. Find your Hogwarts house and make sure you like what it stands for and what it aims to achieve. You don’t want to end up as a “should be Hufflepuff” in Slytherin.

Research the company like the HBIC Hermoine Granger would

giphy.com

Know your shit (ingrain this into your brain). Once you find the company that you feel fits you, you should know everything there is to know about them and what they do. Employers can tell when someone has done their research and when you truly know the company. “Researching the company shows your knowledge on the company. It shows that it’s more than just wanting a job for you,” said Oguagua.

A few glances at their website won’t do. Make sure to find out how the company started and where they’re headed in the future. It’s especially important to find out what’s expected of you, as an employee in general but also for your specified position. Hermione Granger didn’t become a brain overnight; she studied long and hard to become the brightest witch of her generation.

Address your cover letter as accurately as Hedwig flies his mail routes

giphy.com

It’s much more enticing to read a cover letter that is specified toward someone directly rather than “To Whom It May Concern.” If possible, find the person you should be contacting about your desired position and learn a bit about them. Use this knowledge to your advantage.

If you happen to share something in common, or find something that can help break the ice, take note of that. The subtlest of things can really make a difference. “The point of a cover letter is to tie yourself into the needs of that one employer or company,” said Oguagua.

Try to make them feel as comfortable as they can with you. People want someone that’s hardworking, but they also want someone they can be at ease with, like Harry is with Hedwig.

Follow the rules of Quidditch…and stay on your freakin’ broom

giphy.com

The proper format of your cover letter is essential. It alone already shows whether you’re experienced and organized. “Cover letters are very short in nature. No longer than four to five short paragraphs,” said Oguagua. The Career Resource Center at the University of Florida provided us with this helpful format:

Include all of your contact information at the top and the company’s information below yours. Next, break up the cover letter into four paragraphs.

The first paragraph should give the contact an idea of who you are and why you’re applying for this position.  You want to highlight your education, skills, and experience tailored to what the position entails. Then, show off your skills and strengths related to the job. Describe achievements and experiences that can then be brought over to the position you’re now applying for.

After that, discuss yourself and your role with the company. Really stress how your experience can help you accomplish goals within the organization.

It’s important to wrap up by restating any important, reoccurring themes in an organized way. Let them know the best way to contact you and close with enthusiasm as you look forward to their response.

giphy.com
giphy.com

Cover letters can be as torturous as Azkaban prison but once you’ve got the formula down, they start to become easier. It’s important to really knock it out of the park because it’s the quickest way to sell yourself and let employers get to know you. Just follow the Quidditch rules, and you’ll catch the snitch in no time (hopefully not with your mouth).

Shares11FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Career Cover Letter How to Write a Cover Letter

About Melissa Cremades

Melissa is a senior Telecommunications major at the University of Florida. She enjoys reading, writing and making music.

You May Also Like

How To Become A Nurse

10 Most Irresistible Moments at the Amy Porterfield Entrepreneur Experience

Knowing yourself is the start of wisdom

10 Ways to Incorporate Soft Skills into Your Personal Brand

10 Majors to Tackle Climate Change as a College Student

10 Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Avoid Google Analytics like the Plague

How to Write a LinkedIn Summary That Sounds Legit

Buy Low and Sell High Into a Stock Market Success

Dress to Impress: Nailing Down Women’s Business Attire

15 Ways to Battle Through Your Quarter-Life Crisis

major

CM’s Guide to the International Business Major

letter to myself

How Rejection Has Prepared Me for My Future

CM’s Guide to the Botany Major

unsplash.com

10 Jobs in Fashion Media You’ve Been Overlooking

lawyers without borders

CM’s Guide to Lawyers Without Borders

museum job

Advice From the Pros: Earning That Museum Job

inspirational bloggers

Meet 12 Inspirational Bloggers to Feed Your Mind, Body and Soul

soft skills

Soft Skills 101: A Guide for Every Job Search

jobs in politics

10 Jobs in Politics That Don’t Require a Campaign

NAMM foundation

How the Innovation Award Elevated My Music Career Journey

unsplash.com

10 Best Summer Jobs for College Students

women in medicine

The Unique Challenges that Face Women in Medicine and How Women Overcome Them

public relations

How to Make the Most of Your Public Relations Degree

21 Ways to Actually Land a Job at Your School’s Career Fair

mentoring

10 Ways to Make the Most of Your Mentor

Previous Post: « 5 Honor Societies You Should Join – Phi Beta Kappa, HonorSociety.org and More
Next Post: 20 Ways to Be the Doug Flutie of Your BC Graduating Class »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

good books for college students
228

10 Inspiring Books All College Students Should Read

friends
31

21 Gifts for the Artist in Your Life

sue and lexie the middle gifts for college students
26

Top 10 Gifts Every College Student Actually Wants

college party
18

10 Tips for Your First College Party that Will Get You Lit and Get You Home Safe

Your guide to the best backpacks for college
14

CM’s Top 10 Backpacks for College

Featured Chapter: University of Florida

University of Florida Football Stadium

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise

Copyright © 2019 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.