A cover letter is a great tool to quickly introduce yourself to a potential employer and hint at what is to come with your resume. If not executed correctly, however, it could send your resume and your hopes of landing the job straight into the trash. Here are five tricks to craft a commendable cover letter and land that interview:
1. Make it Personal
Whenever possible, address your cover letter to an actual person. “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Mr/Mrs” immediately distances you from whomever may be reading it, and it shows that you didn’t put much effort into company research. A quick look on Google, or your search engine of choice, and you can probably find the company’s head of HR. If not, go ahead and call or email the company and ask directly. This will demonstrate initiative and help you stand out amongst other applicants.
2. Understand it’s Function
The purpose of a cover letter is to catch the attention of the potential employer and get them to want to read your resume. Listing proficiencies or work history in your cover letter that can’t be followed up in your resume is a big no-no. Instead, introduce yourself and state the job listing your are interested in, list a few key skills and experiences that can be directly applied to the intended job, and imply a follow-up at a stated time. This will give the employer a teaser of what is to come with your resume, and (hopefully) an interview.
3. Open Strong
Begin the cover letter stating who you are, what position you are interested in, and a couple of skills you have that would benefit the employer greatly if they were to hire you. Specifically, incorporate the skills mentioned in the job listing. This shows your attention to detail and interest in the position, as well as your suitability for the job.
4. Highlight your Career
Following your opening paragraph, list three to four key accomplishments in bullet form, taken directly from your resume. These career highlights should also reflect the desired skills from the job listing, as mentioned previously. This will demonstrate to the employer why you are the best candidate for the job.
5. Promise a Follow-Up
Establishing a timeframe for when you will check back in on your candidacy is important, as it gives the employer a set time in which they can consider their options and contact you, if so desired. Following up on a job application can take you from being another resume in the stack to sitting in an interview, so be sure to set a reminder for yourself to do so.
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