Cover Letters
First impressions are important in the job-seeking process. The cover letter offers a brief glimpse into the applicant’s professionalism, communication skills, job experience, and organization. Cover letters are like an advertisement created to draw the employer into considering the applicant for the job. Writing this “advertisement” can be tricky as it involves planning and organization, clear expression of ideas, and recognizing what the employer is looking for in an applicant. It can be helpful to the student to discuss why a cover letter is important and to work through various drafts of their letter. They can then create a cover letter that will be an effective advertisement for their job skills.
Teaching Ideas
Click on the icons below for detailed information on how to teach this skill.
Guiding Questions
- Does the student understand the purpose of a cover letter?
- Does the student struggle to adjust his writing style and content depending on the intended audience?
- Does the student need support to connect the relevant details of his experiences to the position for which he is applying?
- Does the student struggle to express his ideas in a clear, succint manner and without straying away from the central focus?
- Does the student use any strategies to proofread and edit his written work?
Visual Supports
The to-do list (also referred to as a "work system"or "activity system") visually clarifies a series of activities that a student is to do.
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Graphic organizers can provide a student with a way to represent and organize concepts, thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and potential outcomes.
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Social narratives are a set of tools that visually represent social situations and appropriate social behaviors. The social narrative connects the important details of a setting or social situation to support the student in understanding the social context and in developing a new social skill.
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Visual Cues are learning materials that students can keep with them to help guide them through real life situations.
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