Is it awkward, in a cover letter, to hint explicitly at the desire for an interview? For example, saying something like “I’d very much enjoy the opportunity to meet with you and discuss my experience in more detail than a brief cover letter allows” (but maybe more eloquently). I sort of imagine saying this as code for “hey-- I have a personality that maybe transcends the written word! I’d really like to interview!” I can definitely see, though, how this might be one of those things where your cover letter should fully speak for itself. Obviously anyone applying for a job wants an interview. What do you think?
No. IMO it is desireable for you to ask for an interview. Every cover letter I have written beyond my first, learning ones has explicitly asked for an interview.
It sounds a bit pushy. What details would you talk about that can’t be expressed in a cover letter (or the resume, for that matter)?
Yeah, my main concern is definitely sounding pushy and/or desperate. But as for the second question-- so much! I find that the concision necessary for a cover letter or resume comes at the expense of significant detail, even much of which is quite relevant but simply can’t fit in a limited job application.
“I would be pleased to meet with you to further discuss my suitability for this position.”
I don’t see anything wrong with explicitly saying you want to speak with them further. My only problem with the way you’ve written it is that you say you want to talk about you. In my experience, most companies are interested in you, but only so far as you can help them.
In other words, try,
“I look forward to the opportunity to discuss your company’s needs further,” or “Please don’t hesitate to contact me at <contact info> to set up an interview. I would enjoy the opportunity to learn more about the position and discuss with you how my skillset could benefit Company XYZ.” Or something along those lines.
I usually close cover letters with “I look forward to discussing this position with you further.”
I’ve heard that these days, most places don’t even look at the cover letter. Depends on the company, obviously, but the big corporations just throw them in the bin and scan the resume for keywords. I’ve had good luck w/ a “cover e-mail” but it’s pretty standard in my industry (advertising) to just email a resume and write an email to the person you’re applying to.
I was taught to always ask for an interview in the cover letter, and to also follow up by telephone within a reasonable time, again politely requesting an interview. Almost every non-McJob I’ve ever had worked that way.
In my experience, nothing good is going to happen in a job search unless you make it happen, including doing things like following up on cover letters and interviews. YMMV, of course.
Beautiful!
Goodness gracious! You’d hate for them to get the impression that you were looking for a job or something!
Seriously, make the ask. Nobody is unaware of what the cover letter is for. You do not send them out just to “introduce yourself to neighborhood.” You send them because you think you might be able to add value to their organization. So closing with “I’m eager to discuss opportunities to bring my skills to the XYZ Company as a Widget Designer. Thank you for your consideration.” is completely appropriate. It shows enthusiasm and it shows that you take initiative, rather than hamstringing yourself by a misguided, coquettish refusal to say “Let’s talk more about this.”
In fact, you should follow up with a quick phone call about one to two weeks after submitting your materials. Especially if you have responded to a specific vacancy announcement.
“I welcome the opportunity to further discuss (my xxxx experience) and the position with you. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide any further information.”
I thought it was pretty standard to make a polite offer to meet and discuss your qualifications, a la sandra_nz’s suggestion.
This or “I look forward to speaking with you soon.”
You can be a lot more direct.
I’m woefully shy when it comes to job-hunting but even I close with something along the lines of “I hope to speak to you soon and to learn more about opportunities at WidgetSoft.” It’s SOP, all the wordings suggested here sound great to me.