What's the difference between cover letter and letter of interest?
[About Cover letter by Wiki]
Cover letters are typically categorized according to two purposes:
①applying for a specific, advertised opening (“letter of application”)
②expressing interest in an organization when the job seeker is uncertain whether there are current openings (“letter of inquiry”)

[About letter of interest by another web site]
If an applicant is looking to work for a certain company but is having difficulty finding any suitable and open job offerings, the letter of interest is the better option. This letter helps these job seekers figure out if there is a possibility of a job opening or not.

Does it mean a letter of interest could be a cover letter? I'm so confused between two and please help me.

Question

What's the difference between cover letter and letter of interest?
[About Cover letter by Wiki]
Cover letters are typically categorized according to two purposes:
①applying for a specific, advertised opening (“letter of application”)
②expressing interest in an organization when the job seeker is uncertain whether there are current openings (“letter of inquiry”)

[About letter of interest by another web site]
If an applicant is looking to work for a certain company but is having difficulty finding any suitable and open job offerings, the letter of interest is the better option. This letter helps these job seekers figure out if there is a possibility of a job opening or not.

Does it mean a letter of interest could be a cover letter? I'm so confused between two and please help me.

Answer

A letter of interest would be the written equivalent of running into a recruiter at a networking event and striking up a conversation (Hi, I'm Joe and have been a technical project manager for a Fortune 100 company for the past 20 years. Are you looking for any project managers at the moment?  [Recruiter] Not exactly, Joe, but we do have an open position for a product manager.  Would you be interested?)

A cover letter is when you're introducing yourself and your resume to a specific person for a specific job. (Hello Mr. Jones, I'm Joe Smith and am interested in the job you posted on your company's website for a technical project manager.  With 20 years of experience as a technical project manager at a Fortune 100 company, I am perfectly suited for the position.  Please review my resume, and let me know when we can set up an interview.  Here is my contact information.  Thank you for your time, and I look forward to speaking with you.)

[These are examples; you would need to write a more formal letter, but you get the idea.]

The letter of interest is generic, whereas the cover letter is more specific.  Since a letter of interest is generic, it would not be suitable as a cover letter, though you could use it as a template and update it so that it becomes a cover letter.  To do that, replace the generic information with the specifics of the job that you're applying for.

Good luck in your job search.

Answers · 2

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