Attention:
One way to grab someone’s attention is to come up with a quick one line sentence that will make that person stop and look at the message that you are sending. Our book talks about when a reader is “hooked” they will then continue to read past the first line and “with an attention getting statement, you capture your readers’ attention” (Roebuck, 2006, p. 103).
The first line of your cover letter or resume has to hook your reader so they will continue to read if you lose the readers interest too soon it will go on the pile of I will read it later… It is just as important to choose a font and a color that will be easy for your reader because sometimes people want to use fancy fonts in their signature that is very hard to read and is annoying to the reader.
When you read a good book what is the first thing that you look at? The title or the picture on the cover or do you flip to the back of the book and read what the story is about. I do all three and I find my favorite author’s website so I will be able to make a list of what other books she has written.
Interest:
How do I maintain someone’s interest? I make sure what I write makes sense to both myself and the reader and this is where I “introduce my main selling point by stating a benefit, filling a need, or showing distinct advantage” (Roebuck, 2006, p. 104). People want to read something that is exciting, short, to the point and if there is a common interest than that person is more likely to feel more interested in reading the memo or cover letter. If I am writing a memo for cyclists in my club or an article for my clubs publication called Pedal Talk, people already have an interest in cycling and they know my style of writing is upbeat so they will want to read what I have to say. No matter what the topic is I can draw any reader to what I want to say because I do not sound snooty or use words that will make me appear to be arrogant. Confidence and arrogance are two separate things wouldn’t you agree?
Desire:
What makes the reader want to continue reading my memo or cover letter? What is in it for them, what service can I provide, will I be the better candidate, did something catch their eye with the layout of the memo? Desire takes them to the next step which is action.
Action:
Action is the goal of the memo or my cover letter. Contact information is given in this section and if it is a memo the information could pertain to an event, meeting or an appointment, it is a special reminder of something that person needs to do and depending on how the memo is sent that person can hold on to it to refer back to. For a cover letter the action can be the information that is given for the employer to contact that person and sometimes the applicant will put in a date that they will follow up with the potential employer.
Roebuck, D. B. (2006). Improving business communication skills. Upper Saddle River,
N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
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