A cover letter or a covering letter is an introductory letter of sorts. It is the letter that is sent to a potential employer along with your resume or CV. The cover letter helps you introduce yourself to the employer. A justified cover letter will help build interest in your resume and will also increase your chances of being called for an interview and maybe even landing the job. Unfortunately however, most people are not too familiar with the ingredients that go into the making of an impeccable cover letter. Putting together a perfect cover letter is definitely not the easiest thing in the world; however this does not mean that this seemingly difficult task is an impossible pull off. Read on to gain access to a handful of tips that’ll help you churn out cover letters that are guaranteed to provide leverage to your chances of bagging your dream job.
Tips On Writing A Cover Letter
- Before starting off on your cover letter, it is always advisable to determine what exactly your potential employer is looking for. You will have to ask yourself if your qualifications, talents and work experience match the employer’s requirements.
- Once you have determined what exactly the employer is on the lookout for, ask yourself if you are really interested in the job. The best way to find out if you are interested in the job is by judging the level of interest shown when preparing the cover letter. The amount of interest and time spent in preparing the cover letter will be directly proportionate to the desire for landing the job.
- Take the time to find out who you should be addressing the cover letter to. It is always better to address a cover letter to someone. It will only make your application look that much more professional.
- Throw some light on how you heard about the job in your cover letter. This will help a potential employer discover how the interest was generated.
- Introduce yourself in the first paragraph of the cover letter. Mention details about your current job, work experience, education, etc. A teaser of sorts is what’s required here. This is essential because the chances of an employer knowing nothing about you are as high the skies.
- An ideal cover letter is one that is short and to the point. Beating around the bush in a cover letter is passé and is simply not done anymore.
- Never, ever repeat or overstress on information that already has a place for itself on your resume in your cover letter.
- In your cover letter, do not brag about your past achievements. Instead, do your utmost to focus more on your plans and goals for the future. However, this does not mean you completely exclude your past achievements, it only means that efforts to not sound boastful are made.
- Ensure that your cover letter resonates with confidence, but still do take the time to prevent exaggeration. Remember, your confidence should shine throughout the job search process, and not just at the interview.
- Make it a point to have at your disposal a cover letter that fulfills the requirements of professionalism. Abstain from using long sentences and superfluous words.
- Going by the general rule of thumb, it is always best to not touch on compensation when preparing a cover letter.
- Use your cover letter as a ‘trailer’ for your resume. The ideal cover letter creates enough interest in an employer to actually go through your resume. It really is the best tool for self-promotion.
- Strive to make the employer believe that you are the better fit for the job, better than the thousand other applicants.
- Your cover letter should complement your resume and its format.
- End your cover letter by reiterating your desire to work for the particular company. Be subtle when going about the same, because it’s extremely important that you don’t sound too desperate for the job.
- Proofread your cover letter before sending it out. If you have the time, sleep on it and look at your cover letter in the morning, there’ll probably be a sentence or two you want to take away or add.
- Don’t let your cover letter be the reason for the rejection of your application. Do your utmost to make your cover letter ‘rejection-proof’.
- Keep a copy of your cover letter for yourself.
