What advice would you give – or better yet, did you give – last time you helped someone draft a cover letter?

My son is getting ready to apply for summer internships.  He is a college junior studying chemical engineering (with a nuclear engineering minor) and has a strong interest in energy.

At this point, he is diligently working on cover letters. Who better to reach out to for advice than the accomplished professionals that comprise our Gotham family?

So, what would you say are the top three “dos” and “don’ts” for a college student’s cover letter? What have you seen that either blew you away – or made you want to throw the cover letter away?

OK, I will start:

1. Typos, grammatical errors, that sort of thing, send the cover letter to the “no” pile.

2. Failing to connect the cover letter to the job requirements, also a problem.

3. Getting my name right and demonstrating some knowledge about the work that we do, a big plus for me.

What do you think?