Please help me with my cover letter.

[NurseBeal]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new grad and i found a great opening in the OR of a local hospital. I don't want to mess this up so please help. Let me know how this cover letter looks so far. I am very nervous about it. I have not put the last paragraph on yet saying how I appreciate them looking at my resume and hope to hear from them. Please let me know what you think and be brutally honest. Thanks so much!

My name, RN, BSN

My address

November 29, 2012

Hospital name

and address

I am eagerly applying for the Clinical Nurse II-Operating Room position that is open to new grads. I found this opening on your website and feel that I would be a great candidate for this position. I have always considered HOSPITAL to be a great hospital and I have high aspirations of being an OR Nurse.

I recently graduated from the University of AWESOMENESS in May 2012 and passed the NCLEX in September 2012. As a consistently detail-oriented person with the strong ability to multitask, I feel that the operating room would be a place where I could thrive. I believe my educational experiences have given me the skills needed for this entry level position. My practicum was completed in the ER of PRACTICUM HOSPITAL in CITY and I quickly learned how to identify potential crisis situations while triaging patients, prioritize which patients to see first, and delegate tasks to other members of the team. I also became quite proficient at IV starts.

Through my clinicals and time spent at the HEALTH CLINIC I have learned and demonstrated application of evidence based knowledge, theory, practices, principles, and processes of professional nursing. My time spent as a waiter in a busy CITY restaurant has only enhanced my abilities to multitask, prioritize, delegate, and critically think.

[Rhi007]

Well for starters never use contractions for application letters (you do know what a contraction in the English language is right?) you need to compose said letter like you were writing to someone that doesn't know what a 'grad' is.

Always use capital letters for names and places so instead of 'operating room' make it 'Operating Room'

Always do your research or make phone calls to find out the name of the person the application letter is going to so it can be addressed correctly eg:

To Jane Fry; Human Resources Manager,

Always introduce yourself eg:

My name is Fitted Sheet and I am eagerly applying for .

Remember a cover letter is the first thing potential employers read, always limit your resume to 2pages unless otherwise specified in the ad

[tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN]

Moved to Nursing Resume Help for more response.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

Personally, I feel a cover letter should be briefer and more succinct. HR people sift through hundreds of resumes, and I suspect that any big blocks of paragraphs run the risk of being skimmed or overlooked completely. I dug up the cover letter I used to get my first nurse

job and pasted it:

Dear Mr. Smith,

I am interested in the Licensed Practical Nurse position advertised on your website. My resume detailing my relevant experience is enclosed for your review.

Given my related experience as a nursing assistant for , I would be able to make a direct and immediate contribution to your facility.

I would appreciate your consideration for this job opening. My skills are an ideal match.Please let me know if you are interested in arranging an interview.

Sincerely,

Brandon Xxx, LPN

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

Where you went to school, the fact that you passed the NCLEX and detailed prior job experience will all be in your resume. I think putting all that in the cover letter makes it too wordy. Just my opinion. Good luck.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

Oh, and avoid "passive" or "weak" sentence structures like "I believe my education...." or "I feel I would be a good candidate". Basically, leave out all the "I feel" and "I believe" at the start of sentences.

[RockinChick66]

I would def leave out the last sentence about the restaurant. Ive worked in that setting and IMO it does not provide experience in critical thinking. I would close the letter with a thank you for consideration......

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

You need a closing paragraph and I agree with removing the line about being a waiter.

In closing: "Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for considering my application for employment. I look forward to hearing from you and can be reached by email or phone at your convenience."