What is the best kind of cover letter for Law Enforcement jobs?

As I've posted before, a cover letter is a waste of time in today' job market. Unless the job posting specifically says to submit a cover letter spend your time tweaking your resume to the skills the job requires. If you're dealing with recruiters the only one who sees a cover letter is the screener; if you meet requirements your resume ONLY (without cover letter) gets sent to the recruiter and a cover letter goes into your file, probably never to be read again.

Steve, I have to agree with Dylan Raymond, I don't look at cover letters either. I've been in the recruiting realm for over 20 years, I'm a veteran, and a certified HR professional. I believe the best tool is a well written resume. Employers want to know what you bring to the table. The top 1/3 of your resume is the most valuable real estate on the page. It is there you need to capture the attention of the recruiter. Also, do not speak in terms of job duties for each position you've held, but speak (write) in terms of performance. i.e. you did a certain task which resulted in xyz. Employers want to see not just what you did but how well you did it. I am a volunteer with local organization where I mentor veterans on how to prepare their resumes and prepare for interviews. I'll be happy to look over your resume and provide some input. You can reach me at [login to see]
Nanette Carvalho, PHR, SHRM-CP

I am a police psychologist and I would highly suggest you keep it more on the professional side.

It has been my experience that most civilian LEO positions are filled via a civil service selection process (standard application, physical fitness test, screening cognitive exam, background check, polygraph, several oral interviews and a psych exam). Cover letters never enter the process.

TSGT Waide. I found that Honestly is the best Policy. Just be yourself. hey if they like you ,your hired if not, oh well. Although, you could have my problem where,everyone wants you to work and some pay, while others not as well.

DON'T EVER BE LIGHT WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR FUTURE...otherwise, don't waste the company's time and your effort! The Cover Letter should be brief, descriptive in what you do, what you want to do, what you have done... and research the company you're interested in prior to the
interview.

As a Law Enforcement Officer for over 43 years, and having served at the federal, state and local levels, as well as within the military, I would suggest that you first list all of your accomplishments, training courses, and education, especially if you have college hours and a degree. Then use the services of a professional Resume writer (I believe LinkedIn provides this service). Most LE agencies these days require a college degree, or at least 60 sem hours. Submit a DD-295 to a recognized (fully accredited) university, along with copies of your military personnel file, and they will usually award you college credit for those courses, many times it can be up to 60 sem hours. Good luck on your interview. Be sure to dress professionally for the interview. If I can be of any further service, please contact me. Sgt-Inv David Parr, Bexar County, Texas.

While I have been out of the field for quite a while, as I remember upon discharge, I applied to two law enforcement agencies. One for the city in which I lived and the other for the State Police. As I remember, neither required a resume. I got the application packets from both agencies and filled out the required paperwork. From that point it was much like my military time. Hurry up and wait. I think the main reason for the time span is to make sure you really want the position. As an honorably discharged veteran you get an automatic minimum 5 points on whatever testing is done. Above all else, be honest, if you lie it will be found out and immediate disqualification or termination. I was accepted by the State Police before the final testing for my local department. There is written testing, oral testing, physical testing and polygraph. Some local agencies may waive some of these in early stages if they are hiring quickly, but usually not. After hiring, some areas mandate an academy prior to swearing in as an officer but some agencies require the academy within the first year of duty. Be sure this is an occupation you want, it is a great job, but it has dangers, and stress that outside of combat most people will never know. At this time in our country, it has become even more dangerous and stressful.

TSgt, I am a former Army Corporal, and have been in law enforcement for 21 years and am currently a Captain on my department. I have been involved in the hiring and promotional process and the best advice that I can give you is to do whatever you can to stand out from the crowd. Be as professional as you can, and a good cover letter/resume just might tip the scale your way if you are neck and neck with another candidate. Good luck.

You didn't mention if you are in a technical field, management field or something else. Speaking as a former recruiter and headhunter, For those who bother to read a cover letter, It's the content of the cover letter, not the theme. You have to be interesting enough and qualified enough for the position you replied to to make them look further. I've been on the Headhunter end and the corporate end and I very rarely ever looked at the cover letter first. In this market a company is probably receiving over a hundred resumes or more for a good paying mid-management position in a competitive field.If I had to make book on how many they actually want to interview, It would be 5-7 tops. After I looked at the qualifications, type of companies they worked for, currently employed, gaps between jobs I would then look at the cover letter to see how it was written, NOT that it would make difference at this point since 90% of my determination has already been made. The day of mass mail outs of resumes is gone. Individual position specific cover letters for those who will read them is key. You should have 4-5 or more online with , let's say Monster type pf job boards and be prepared to customize them for specific jobs.