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How to write a great Cover letter
How to write a great Cover letter

May 21, 2021

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Unless you’re brand-new to the job market, you’d know that cover letters are an important part of every job application. In fact, it is common wisdom that applications without cover letters rarely make it to the interview stage. But, why is that the case? What endows a few paragraphs with the power to make or break your candidature? Well, the answer is simple. Cover letters mark the first conversation that you have with your recruiters. Unlike a resume, a cover letter is more than a structured list of facts concerning your employability. It is the first time that you make the case for why you should be hired over all the other candidates. Simply put, cover letters add depth to your application. They give recruiters the chance to validate the first impressions made by your CV. Sounds pretty important, right? 

  

So, without further ado, let’s go over 7 tips that’ll help you write a winning cover letter:

 

Do not use the same cover letter for every job opportunity

Recruiters can smell boilerplate cover letters from a mile away. They’ve sifted through enough applications to know which cover letters are written earnestly and which aren’t. So, customisation is key. It tells the person reading your cover letter that you’ve taken the time to research the role you’re applying for. Customised cover-letters also express your individuality in a way that standardised cover letters never can. They give recruiters a sense of how you communicate and set the stage for future interactions. On the contrary, template-y cover letters that recruiters have already read a thousand times, send your application straight to the dumpster. 

 

Address it to a person

How would you feel if interviewers addressed you as “candidate” instead of your name? It would be uncomfortable, right? So, extend the same logic to your cover letter. Don’t address a hypothetical executive. In other words, let go of opening salutations like “Respected Sir”. Instead, pair the opening address of your cover letter with the hiring manager’s (or the executive who’ll view your application) first name. Doing so will help your cover letter feel more conversational and amicable. At the very least, it will grab the attention of the person reading your application. 

 

Capture your skills extensively

If you’re good at articulation, don’t just say that you’re good with words. Instead, paint a vivid picture of what sets your articulation skills apart. For example, if you’re skilled at public-speaking, validate the same with an anecdote or an achievement. However, make sure that you don’t add details at the cost of making your cover letter a snooze-fest. Your job is to describe your skills as extensively as possible with as few words as possible. As a rule of thumb, try to be like Hemingway; descriptive yet terse. 

 

Highlight your achievements without being pompous 

Though it’s vital to buff up your cover letter with your achievements, it’s a slippery slope. When you cross the line between factually expressing your accomplishments and being self-aggrandising, you hurt your application. Recruiters want to get a whiff of the value you can add to their organisations. They don’t want to know if you’re the most-qualified bachelor in your neighbourhood. So, tread accordingly. Err on the side of writing dry, purely factual statements but don’t write in a way that can be misconstrued as bragging. 

 

Use supporting numbers wherever possible

Numbers bring specificity to your claims and specificity breeds trust. So, do your best to sprinkle as many numeric markers of your achievements as possible. For example, don’t say that you helped company X achieve their revenue goals. Instead, say that you helped company X increase revenue by Y% in 3 months. You can even use this tip when editing your cover letters. Meaningly, when you only have enough space to list one of two achievements, go with the one you can back with tangible numbers. 

 

Don’t keep it too formal

The last thing a recruiter wants to read is a cover letter that feels like a technical manual. Don’t use overly complicated words when simpler alternatives do the trick. Try not to write in a robotic tone when sounding like a human being is far easier. Don’t be afraid to let your personality reflect in your writing. Like we’ve said before, anything that brings out your individuality is a befitting addition to our cover letter. However, refrain from using humour unfit for professional communication. As a rule of thumb, use humour sparingly, it at all. 

 

Conclude strongly 

The way you conclude your cover letter is critical. If you end on a powerful note, recruiters will likely remember your application long after putting it down. That increases the chances of you advancing to the next interview round. A memorable conclusion may also result in the hiring manager prioritising your application over other candidates. They may even put in a good word before you advance to the next stage in the recruitment process. However, make sure that you don’t abandon politeness. There’s a thin line between confidence and arrogance. Make sure the conclusion to your cover letter doesn’t swing to the other side of the fence. 

 

Epilogue

Half-baked cover letters pave the way for instant rejections. So, make sure that you don’t set your application up for failure with a cover letter that violates the tips we’ve discussed. 

 

This article was originally published on PERSOLKELLY blog here


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