Cover Letter Creation Project

Cover Letter Creation Project

Goal: To learn how to create professional cover letters for potential employers, personalize them using mail merge, and create mailing labels for physical submissions. You will also document your process and AI enhancements in OneNote, reflecting on the impact AI tools had on your work.

Software Note: You should complete this task using the full version of Microsoft Word and Excel on your local PC, as it provides all the necessary features for creating a list and mail merge processes. Avoid using web-based or limited versions of Word or Excel. See the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) topic in this Canvas course for more information on a full version install for Microsoft Office.

Step 1: Organize Your Work

1. Create a new folder in OneDrive named lastname_firstname_cover_letters. This is where youll store all deliverables for this assignment.
2. Open your OneNote Job Preparation file from the Job Research project and navigate to the Cover Letter section.
3. Create a new page called Cover Letter Resources. You will use this to document your process and AI enhancements later in the assignment.
4. Add the following web links (URLs) to this page:
5. From the CareerOneStop web site, add the following links
6. Resume and Applications
7. Resumes
8. Cover Letters
9. Cover Letters Sample
10. From the OnetOnline web site, add the following links
11. Job(s) that are of interest to you
12. From the job(s) you chose on the OnetOnline web site, copy the information from the OnetOnline “Occupation-Specific Information – Tasks” section to your OneNote page. NOTE: Be sure to expand the tasks list to include all of them.
13. Save your OneNote file.
14. Create three new pages called Letter Draft, Letter AI, and Letter Reflection. NOTE: Later you will be reflecting on the AI experience in this section.

Step 2: Create Your Employer List

1. Use the five (5) jobs you researched in the Job Research project for the basis of this project.
2. Create a new Microsoft Excel file named lastname_firstname_employer_list.
3. Include the following columns in your employer list:

• Employer Name
• Address
• City
• State
• Zip
• Contact Information (if available) – if not, use “Hiring Manager” as the contact.

1. Add the employer information from your research into the Excel File.
2. Save this file lastname_firstname_employer_list in your lastname_firstname_cover_letters folder.

Step 3: Write Your Cover Letter

1. Open Microsoft Word and create a cover letter to showcase your interest in the jobs. NOTE: You will be creating one cover letter for this “source” document. If your jobs are varying, you can add a column to your Excel Employer List and include a sentence unique to each job and use that when merging your jobs.
2. Use block-style formatting. For help, research cover letter block style formatting online.
3. Use the Cover Letter Sample from your research from CareerOneStop to guide you through writing a cover letter.
4. Your cover letter should be no more than one page and include a paragraph for each of the following:

• An introduction explaining why you are applying.
• Specific skills or experiences that make you a strong candidate.
• A closing paragraph that expresses enthusiasm and invites the employer to contact you.

1. Save the file as lastname_firstname_cover_letter_source in your lastname_firstname_cover_letters folder.

Step 4: Use AI to Review Your Cover Letter Source Document

1. Use an AI tool to review your cover letter source document for:

• Grammar and spelling errors.
• Improvements in tone and professionalism.
• Suggestions for clarity and conciseness.

1. In your OneNote notebook AI Reflection, include the exact AI prompt you used and briefly explain how the feedback influenced your revisions. This helps demonstrate how effectively you are using AI as a professional writing tool.
2. Make necessary edits to improve the overall quality of your cover letter based on AI feedback.
3. Save the updated document in your lastname_firstname_cover_letters folder with the same name: lastname_firstname_cover_letter_source.

Step 5: Personalize Your Cover Letter

1. Use mail merge process in Microsoft Word to personalize your cover letter for each of the five employers on your list. NOTE: Your source document should be one page in length.
2. Insert fields (e.g., address block, greeting line, etc.) from the employer list into the letter template.
3. Preview the merge to ensure that everything looks accurate.
4. Turn off the Preview Results so the mail merge files are showing in your source document (e.g., <<Address Block>>).
5. Save the updated source document in your lastname_firstname_cover_letters folder with the same name: lastname_firstname_cover_letter_source.

Step 6: Create the Merged Document

1. Complete the Mail Merge by merging the document.
2. Save the merged file as lastname_firstname_cover_letter_merged. Note: This merged file should include a separate page for each employers personalized letter so if you have 5 employers, you should have 5 pages in your merged document.
3. Save it in your lastname_firstname_cover_letters folder..

Step 7: Create Mailing Labels

Standard US Domestic Mailing Label Format

Line 1: Recipient Name

Line 2: Street Address, include Apt Unit Suite if applicable

Line 3: City State ZIP Code NOTE: one space between each and no punctuation

Example

John Doe

1234 Elm Street Apt 5B

Springfield IL 62704

1. Create mailing labels in Microsoft Word by creating a new Word document named lastname_firstname_mailing_labels. Use the information in the Employer List for the labels.
2. Use US Avery Letter for the Label Vendor in the Label Options dialog box.
3. Select 5160 Address Labels as the Product Number in the Label Options dialog box.
4. Use the mail merge process in Microsoft Word to create the mailing labels for each of the five employers on your list.
5. Insert the mail merge fields for the Address Block (or the individual Employer Information address fields) from the employer list into the label template.
6. Preview the merge to ensure that everything looks accurate, and the lines are set for single spacing (especially if using the <<Address Block>>. NOTE: If you are only seeing one mailing label instead of multiple, be sure to click “Update Labels” to see one label per employer.
7. Turn off the Preview Results so the mail merge files are showing in your source document (e.g., <<Address Block>>).
8. Save the file as lastname_firstname_mailing_labels in your folder.

Step 8: Document Your Process in OneNote

1. Open your OneNote Job Preparation file and navigate to the Cover Letter section. Then access the pages titled Letter Draft, Letter AI, and Letter Reflection.
2. Document the following:

• Letter Draft: Summarize key parts of your draft, including challenges you faced while writing it.
• Letter AI: Describe specific changes or improvements made after using AI tools, such as edits to grammar, tone, or structure.
• Letter Reflection: Write a brief (250 words) reflection for each item below discussing:
• Include the exact AI prompt you used. This helps demonstrate how effectively you are using AI as a professional writing tool.
• How using AI influenced your work.
• Whether you found the AI suggestions helpful.
• How you might use AI tools in future professional tasks.

1. Confirm your OneNote file is saved in your OneDrive cover letters folder.

Step 9: Finalize and Submit

Final Steps:

1. Save (or download) the following one Excel file and three Word document files.
2. lastname_firstname_employer_list– an Excel spreadsheet file
3. lastname_firstname_cover_letter_source– a Word document file
4. lastname_firstname_cover_letter_merged– a Word document file
5. lastname_firstname_mailing_labels – a Word document file
6. Export your OneNote pages for this project. (Refer the instructions below as needed).

• You will need to export the following OneNote pages for this project.
• Letter Draft
• Letter AI
• Letter Reflection

1. 3. Zip your 1 Excel file, 3 Word files and OneNote pdf files into one zipped file. Name this file lastname_firstname_letter_files.

Exporting a OneNote Notebook to PDF

• Follow the steps below based on your version of OneNote and device.
• You will need to export the following OneNote pages for this project.
• Letter Draft
• Letter AI
• Letter Reflection

Option 1: Full Install OneNote Desktop App (Windows)

1. Open the OneNote desktop app (installed as part of Microsoft Office).
2. Open the lastname_firstname_job_preparation notebook.
3. Select the page or section you want to export.
4. Go to File > Export.
5. Under Export Current, choose Page or Section (OneNote cannot export an entire notebook to PDF in one step).
6. Under Select Format, choose PDF (*.pdf).
7. Click Export.
8. Choose where to save the file and click Save.

Option 2: OneNote Desktop App (Mac)

1. Open the lastname_firstname_job_preparation notebook in OneNote.
2. Go to the page or section you want to export.
3. Select File > Save as PDF.
4. Choose where to save the file and click Save.

Option 3: OneNote for Web

1. Sign in at .
2. Open the lastname_firstname_job_preparation notebook.
3. Go to the page you want to export.
4. Press Ctrl+P (Windows) or Command+P (Mac).
5. In the print dialog, choose Save as PDF as the printer option.
6. Click Save and choose a location on your device.

• Reminders
• You may need to export each page or section separately.
• Make sure the PDF file name clearly shows the content.
• Complete the export before the assignment deadline.
• Contact your instructor if you have trouble saving as PDF.

Deliverables (item(s) to submit for grading)

NOTE: If you are unable to zip your files directly from OneDrive, you may need to download your folder/files to your local computer and then zip them from there. Please see the Toolbox topic in this Canvas course for more information on zipping and extracting your files.

Submit Your Work:

• Upload the zipped file named lastname_firstname_letter_files to the assignment submission area in Canvas for grading.
• Your work will be graded according to the rubric for the assignment. Please review the rubric to ensure that you have completed all requirements for this assignment.

Grading

Your work will be graded according to the rubric provided in this course. Be sure to meet the expectations for:

• Employer List: Completeness, accuracy, and proper formatting.
• Cover Letter Content: Effectiveness, clarity, and alignment with professional standards.
• Mail Merge Execution: Accuracy and formatting of personalized letters.
• Mailing Labels: Correct formatting and alignment.
• Documentation in OneNote: Quality and detail of your reflection and AI documentation.
• Technical Requirements: Proper folder structure, file naming conventions, and use of software tools.

Rubric Note for Students: The following items are included in the rubric (towards the end of the rubric) to collect data on your skills, but they will not affect your grade for this project. These items are:

• Technology Literacy:
• Using tech tools effectively (GEND.1.1)
• Understanding ethical use of technology (GEND.1.2)
• Applying effective search strategies (GEND.1.3)
• Technology Skills:
• Using tools properly (GEND.2.1)
• Creating and designing with technology (GEND.2.2)
• Communicating using technology (GEND.2.3)
• Solving problems and thinking critically with technology (GEND.2.4)

These are evaluated for data collection purposes only.

What is Assessment and Why is it Included?

Assessment is a process used to measure your progress in specific skill areas. In this case, the assessment focuses on your ability to use technology effectively, ethically, and critically. These results help the college understand how well students are developing these skills and improve teaching methods and support systems. However, these points are for evaluation purposes only and will not affect your grade.