Get Your Next Assignment: Write a Compelling Cover Letter!

A good cover letter is necessary in order to summarize your experience, accomplishments and skills that are relevant to the desired consulting assignment. 

Cover letters are a snapshot of a resume; so they should be short, simple, and straight to the point, whereas a resume will provide detailed specifics about work experience.

In the training and development industry, in addition to related experience, software knowledge may also play a big role in landing your next consulting gig.  Consulting assignments may require certain software skills or tools; therefore, it is useful to state in your cover letter the software tools that you use. 

Information that may be important to the project, but not necessarily pertinent to a resume, can also be useful to include in a cover letter.  Some examples of useful information to include are the flexibility to travel to the client's location, ability to telecommute, whether you seek full-time or part-time work, your hourly rate range, and your payment status of being Corp-to-Corp, 1099 or W2 consultant.  If you anticipate ending a project within a certain timeframe, it is smart to mention in your cover letter the date that you will be available to start a new project.

Below is a sample cover letter that is a good example to follow when writing a cover letter for a consulting engagement.  

SAMPLE

Dear Clarity Consultants,

Please consider me for consulting work in the area of Instructional Design, Instructional Development, Organizational Development and Project Management.  I have extensive experience in the mortgage, insurance, financial services and real estate industries.

My experience includes designing and developing learning materials for Blended Learning, ILT, CBT and WBT.  I have also worked with subject matter experts to gather requirements and conduct needs assessments.  My software skills include Dreamweaver, Articulate, Captivate and Breeze, in addition to MS Office Suite.

My current project ends on November 30 and I am available to begin a full-time project starting on December 3.  I am open to part-time opportunities, as well.  I am able to travel to the client's location during the length of a project or attend onsite meetings during the course of an engagement.

Please contact me at (800) 330-6558 at your earliest convenience.  Thank you for your time.  I look forward to speaking with you.

Sincerely,

Name
Cell phone
Email address

If you wish to be considered for consulting engagements through Clarity Consultants, send us your resume in Microsoft Word format.  We're always happy to hear from experienced Learning and Development professionals and hope we can assist you in obtaining your next consulting engagement.

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