It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Also a stressful part of the year if you are applying for residencies. Whether it is a medical, pharmacy or nursing residency, every part of the residency application counts.
Today my gift to all my followers is a recipe to the perfect letter of intent. This recipe can be used for residencies, graduate school programs or even a job.
Step 1: Create an attractive header with your name and credentials (ie. MBA, MS etc.) and also your contact information such as your address, phone number and email address.
Step 2: Include the date, name and contact information of whom you are addressing the letter to. For example:
December 25, 2018
Lisa Grant, PharmD, MBA, MS, Director of Pharmacy, Johns Hopkins, 6000 Fanin Street, Baltimore, Maryland 77389 (Note: title and address have their own separate line).
Step 3: First paragraph should be the introduction that catches the reader’s eye. First starting with writing to express your interest in their program or job and why applying is significant and important for you.
Step 4: In the second paragraph you address in more detail why this specific program or job is important to you by using unique personal examples. Try to be as personable as possible in this section. I would also include what your 5 or 10 year goals are and how this job or opportunity will help you attain those goals.
Step 5: In this paragraph you go more in detail about yourself and what makes you a good fit for the opportunity or job. This is where you highlight (humbly of course) your achievements (scholarships, publications, honor societies), opportunities (competitive internships, job experience etc.) and skills that make you a great candidate.
Step 6: The final paragraph is the closing where you tie everything together. Summarizing why this opportunity is important to you why they should consider you and then finally ending with, “I look forward to the opportunity to meet with you and your staff for an interview. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at *** or by phone at ****. Thank you for your consideration of my application.
Step 7: Then you close your letter and you are finished!
Sincerely,
(Insert a personal signature here, adds a nice touch!)
Name, PharmD Candidate
My piece of advice is to get multiple people to read over your letter to get different perspectives before submitting! Good luck to everyone applying and Merry Christmas!