Job seekers without a flair for writing and storytelling may find it painfully difficult to put together an impressive cover letter. The most common way they start their cover letter is with words like, “I’m very pleased to submit my application.” But do you realize just how awfully stiff these words sound to employers?
Related:4 Inside Secrets To Writing A Great Cover Letter
A cover letter is your personal introduction to the employer. It has to communicate your professional journey so far, or how you acquired the skills that you've listed in your resume. In the recruitment industry, narrating a story and driving home a point is considered a “very good” practice, really. You can also mention common contacts, crack a mild joke, and carefully build the interest of the person reading it.
But before telling you how to do that, let’s find out what a cover letter is, and why it is so important:
What Is A Cover Letter?
According to the most common definition of a cover letter – it is a document sent with the resume to provide additional information about your experience and skills. It tells what qualifies you for the job and why prospective employers should hire you.
It’s your chance to impress the reader and build a connection with him or her, which is why having a readable and honest cover letter will be the window to your dream job.
3 Tips For Writing A Successful Cover Letter
When you sit down to write a cover letter, keep in mind the following points. They will help you create a nearly perfect cover letter.
1. Keep It Short
First things first, never exceed the cover letter by two pages!
Experienced recruitment professionals time and again give this advice to every job seeker – never write lengthy cover letters because no one has the time and patience to go through lengthy text that's not relevant to them.
As a general rule, larger the company, the less important a cover letter becomes. The only exception to this general rule might be when you are applying for some very senior positions at a big company.
Unless you are eyeing such posts, keep it short and sweet.
2. Write A Striking Introduction
The very first lines of your cover letter should blow the reader’s mind. If they don’t, you’re application is going in the recycle bin, and that’s for sure!
Don’t make it abstract by starting with something like, “I’m a highly skilled salesman with proven experience....”
So what? Every person claiming the position will say the same.
Instead, make it a little more striking by saying something like this:
“I see that market sales have dropped drastically in your industry. I have 12 years of experience in international marketing in the same industry, and I’ve been able to increase sales at the last two companies where I worked.”
Now that’s a killer opening for the employer. You’re making the same claim as above, but it sounds to be true.
Alternate Way Of Starting The Cover Letter
Not everyone will have prior experience or an experience to brag about.
Statistics have proven that less than 10% job seekers get selected by responding to Internet ads. Most of us get jobs through personal contact. Maybe you went from company to company on your own, or your friends and family recommended you a position.
If this is the case, begin your cover letter by saying something like, “XYZ recommended I get in touch with you about the sales job at your company....”
Again, you’ve given it a personal touch, and chances are you’ll be recognized for that.
3. Write A Career Summary That's Tailored To The Job
Now that the biggest hurdle of introducing yourself is past, you may elaborate more upon your skill set and career path.
After the introductory lines, write a small summary about your career, tailored to fit the needs of the company you’re approaching.
In the next paragraph, lay out your accomplishments (again only the ones relevant to this job).
And, in the last paragraph, say when you’ll get in touch, or ask for an appointment or interview dates.
This is a guest post.This post was originally published at an earlier date.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.