Many people don’t realize how powerful a cover letter can be. In fact, a cover letter is, arguably, the most important part of your job application. It’s there to convince the hiring manager to look at your resume, and explain your skills and achievements in more detail.
You cover letter is your opportunity to sell yourself as the candidate they can’t do without.
What Should a Cover Letter Include and Aim To Do?
Here’s a quick snapshot of the purpose of a cover letter and the details it should include:
- Approximately four paragraphs long
- Written in a standardized, formal letter format
- Must build on your resume, not replicate
- Refer to your accomplishments that relate to the position posted
- Offer a representation of your personal brand
Types of Cover Letters
There are different kinds of cover letters. It’s important that you approach your application with the right cover letter, so it does not appear generic.
Application Letter
If you’re applying for a certain job, you will write a general but pointed application letter for the posted job. This is the most common type of cover letter.
Referral Cover Letter
A great way to gain the interest of the employer is to send a cover letter that references the name of the person who referred you for the position. It immediately grabs their attention and will help you stand out. This is especially effective if the person who made the referral is a well-respected individual at the company.
Cold-contact Cover Letter
A cold-contact cover letter is better known as a letter of interest that enquires about prospective job openings at a company. If the person who’s hiring finds your resume of value, they might just hold onto it for any future openings.
Strong Openers
You only have a few seconds to grab the hiring manager’s attention. Don’t start your cover letter with a generic sentence, such as “I am writing to apply for your marketing position that I saw in the newspaper yesterday.”
Quite simply, it’s boring to read and can be quite damaging to your application.
Instead, try a strong opener, such as “I am a marketing expert with eight years of experience in setting up strategic marketing campaigns for international retail companies.”
That is a guaranteed way to grab someone’s attention as it’s creative, snappy and supported by relevant professional information, placing you in a strong position.
Proof of Your Skills
Buzzwords will only carry you so far. Or, in the event of overuse, it will carry your application straight into the trash can. While buzzwords can be effective, they can be cliché if used incorrectly and over-zealously.
When writing your cover letter, a good hiring manager wants to see actual proof of your “teamwork,” “results-driven,” and “leader” adjectives. Instead of using generic and unsupported terms, consider adding some weight to your claims with facts.
For example, “I lead a team of 28 people to produce a cost-cutting business plan that reduced spend by 22% and prevented long-term job loss in a Fortune 500 company.”
Demonstrating your skills with actual proof and numbers is a guaranteed way to take the guesswork out of knowing what you’re made of.
Be Genuinely Interested
A cover letter should never look like a generic replica you send it to 20 other companies; it’s likely to make you look lazy and uninterested, and is, therefore, a big cover letter mistake.
Hiring managers want to read a cover letter that is full of research and customized input.
When writing your cover letter, briefly touch on what attracts you to that specific company. State some facts from their social media campaigns or recent news reports as this shows that you’re in the know.
Remember, managers want to employ people who make their jobs easier. Perhaps you read about a recent company event that you think you can help out with. Now is an excellent time to pitch your business proposal for their obstacles at hand – however, try not to offend the employer in the process!
By explaining your skills and your forward-thinking ideas, you will demonstrate that you did your research and are serious about the position posted, giving employers a reason to hire you.
What Not To Do
Some things just don’t belong in a cover letter. Try and avoid these most common mistakes with cover letters:
The Wrong Salutation
Addressing your letter to the wrong person can be very off-putting as it demonstrates a lack of attention to detail.
Typos
Poor spelling and grammatical errors are the worst. By all means, we are only human, but if you can’t get it right in the application stage, employers are unlikely to trust you to represent their brand. Always proofread your cover letter.
Poor Tone
It’s important that you balance your confidence with company need in such a way that there’s no way your manner can be interpreted as arrogance.
Too Informal
There are all kinds of companies out there, and some will be more relaxed in their interview approach than others. However, at the end of the day this is still a job application and being professional is important.
Attachment Errors
You forgot to attach the resume… The point of a cover letter is convincing the hiring manager to read your resume. Now is not the time to play hard to get.
Salary Demands
Salary discussions should only occur after an interview. Give them an opportunity to like you first.
Remember, a cover letter is the best opportunity to convince someone to look at your resume. Put a little effort into it, and you’ll instantly stand out from the crowd.
