Your cover letter should complement your resume and be used to explain why you are a suitable fit for the company that is hiring. However, there has been a lot of debate recently about whether cover letters still have a place in recruitment, or indeed, whether employers actually read them.
Below, we explain this in more detail and cover off how the cover letter relates to your resume, what information it should contain and why you should take just as much care crafting it as you do with the rest of your application.
Is a Cover Letter Necessary?
Some recruiters and employers expect a cover letter and will read through them thoroughly when assessing your application. Others do not and may discard this document altogether. In many cases, it will be specified in the job description whether a cover letter is necessary. But if it doesn’t, your safest bet is to send a cover letter with your resume. Look at it as a chance to strengthen your application.
What are the Key Differences Between My Resume and Cover Letter?
A cover letter will use paragraphs, and the tone is much more personal than a resume. It’s great to let your personality shine through, and you should focus on how you can meet the employer’s needs. You should to select the most relevant, persuasive parts of your resume, emphasize them and provide additional detail.
Alongside this, it enables you to expand on any points that are hard to cover in sufficient detail on your resume. For example, if you’re relocating to another area, returning to work after a career break, or looking for temporary work.
The resume, on the other hand, should be all about you, written in the third person and contain cold, hard facts. It will normally be written in bullet points and provide a general overview of your accomplishments.
How are a Resume and a Cover Letter Similar?
Both your resume and cover letter can build your personal brand and create a professional impact from the moment they land on a hiring manager’s desk. Try to duplicate the header from your resume onto your letter and ensure you use the same font and style in both documents to ensure consistency.
Similarly, both documents will need to highlight your key achievements, skills, and strengths, even though they will be worded differently.
What Should I Include in My Cover Letter?
After the addresses, date, and greeting, begin with the title of the job you’re applying for, the reference number (if applicable), and details of how you heard about the job posting.
Next, add a short, high-impact statement to introduce yourself. This will include your key selling point in relation to the advertised role, whether it be your degree, your industry knowledge, or experience in a similar position.
Now explain how you meet the main requirements of the advertised person specification. This is the section most likely to overlap with your resume. Don’t simply copy and paste phrases – tailor the letter precisely to the role.
Try to support your claims with achievements and figures if possible. This builds your credibility and demonstrates exactly how you can contribute to the company. Make it evident to the employer that your skills, knowledge, experience, and qualifications align exactly with what they need.
The letter should also include a paragraph explaining why the role interests you and your motivation for applying to that company. This detail certainly won’t be on your resume, but it’s worth putting some effort into researching the company and examining the job description as it shows the employer that you’re committed to the application.
At the end of the letter, it costs nothing to thank the reader for considering your application. You should also include a call to action, encouraging the reader to refer to your resume, contact you with any questions, or schedule an interview.
Some Handy Cover Letter Tips
Length
Four or five paragraphs should suffice for a strong cover letter – you certainly don’t need to exceed a page.
Salutation
Aim to address it to the relevant person – if there’s no name on the advert, look at the company website or LinkedIn page to find out who you should be writing to.
Requirements
Try to cover every requirement specified in the advertisement, for example, some will ask you your notice period, whether you’re willing to travel or if you have a driving license. It’s easy to add a sentence confirming this, and it eliminates any doubt a employer may have about your application.
If you’re emailing your letter, break the text into short paragraphs. You can still address the same points; it’s just that long paragraphs can be harder to read on a screen than on paper.
Originality
Be original! A bland cover letter isn’t memorable and is unlikely to impress the reader. Inject your personality into it and show the reader the individual behind the application.
Together, the resume and cover letter give you two chances to impress, so if you really want to secure that job, it’s certainly worth taking time out to write a high-impact letter to complement your resume.
About the author: Jen David has been a CV Consultant since 2010 and currently works for CV Knowhow, the UK’s leading career and CV writing consultancy. She has written CVs for thousands of job seekers from all industries and at all stages in their career, from students to senior executives. Jen aims to add value to CVs, enabling her customers to increase their chances of securing an interview and progress in their chosen career.
