Filling out one job application after the next can be extremely tedious. Next time you start a job application, imagine that your career is a story you are telling. Your resume is like a detailed outline of your work history, while your cover letter serves to flesh out your resume’s most important points and demonstrate how you relate to the company in question. If you want to know how to tell a story that recruiters will remember, then you need to take a look at these cover letter writing tips.
Research the Company If you are going to submit the same generic cover letter with all of your job applications, you might as well never submit one at all. Take the time to research every company you apply to so you can compose an appropriate letter for each one. You can find unique angles to write from by reviewing company materials besides the job description, such as websites and social media accounts.
Use a Cover Letter Builder Seeking inspiration is always a helpful strategy when you are having trouble getting the ball rolling. When you use a cover letter builder such as LiveCareer’s, you get access to the framework you need to efficiently build a remarkable cover letter. Working from this kind of foundation can help you proceed confidently without agonizing over the details.
Alternatively, you can simply consult a few professional cover letter examples to get a good idea of how to open and what to include in your own professional document.
Take the Right Tone Tailor the tone of your letter to the culture of the company in question. Some companies may welcome more enthusiastic or genial letters, while others may prefer reserve and formality. However, you should not attempt humor in any letter, because there is too much risk that your jokes will get lost in translation.
Be Confident, But Not Arrogant Your cover letter is a designated space to highlight your skills confidently and honestly. It is perfectly acceptable to be frank about your qualifications. However, you always need to tie those qualifications back to the needs of the company. Never exaggerate your accomplishments, and never imply that the company is in any way beneath you. These are good ways to get your application discarded.
Be Creative When Appropriate If you think the company you are applying to would welcome supplemental materials, then it is a standout move to include them. For example, if you successfully founded and implemented a community program that attracted cable news coverage, and the company you are applying to is seeking innovative self-starters, then there is a good chance that the recruiters would find the news clips impressive.
Be Succinct One of the most well-known cover letter writing tips is that you should keep your document to a single page. What you may not know is that you can make your letter even shorter if you want. Recruiters have a lot of materials to sift through, so if you can convey the necessary information in two or three paragraphs, you should.
Include the Right Salutation and Closing Remember, your cover letter is a letter and should be treated as such. You should be able to find a person to address your letter to by using the company’s social media accounts or website. It is also important to sign your letter properly. A simple closing such as “Sincerely, Your Name” is sufficient. Too much flourish could make you appear silly to your readers.
Proofread Last, but far from least, you need to proofread your work. Application errors are jarringly noticeable to recruiters, and they could cost you the job. Spellcheck and other computer programs are helpful tools, but they cannot take the place of reviews by human eyes.
Get Yourself Covered Your resume and cover letter are like the one-two punch that, when executed to perfection, can help you get the knockout job. Each of these two components must be strong on its own to properly support the other. If you have already written a strong resume, then it is time to make use of these cover letter writing tips. In no time, you will be delivering them together in stunning combination.
