How To Write The Perfect JOB COVER LETTER? In this blog post, you will find everything you need to know about a CV.
According to a CareerBuilder study, over 49% of HR managers consider
a covering letter the second-best thing to give your resume a boost, number one being customizing your resume. A cover letter is important as about 26% of recruiters consider them critical in their decision to hire.
Another study on employer preference suggests that 56% want applicants to attach a cover letter to the resume. The recruiter or employer will notice right away if you have put some
effort into your application or not. They will see straight through the transparency if you use the same standard application documents for multiple employers.
Your cover letter will feel like an impersonal and general job application.
An employer will not spend time reading this is the type of application. If
you really want the job, you need to go all-in and adjust your documents
according to the requirements of each job position. Show that you are genuinely interested in their company, particularly this open position you are applying for.
You have a lot to win if you work through the content, language, and
layout. In this session, you will learn how to create your cover letter step
by step. As stated above, a cover letter should always be adapted to the
job that you are applying for.
What is a Cover Letter?
Prospective employers use your resume to learn about your education,
skills, and work history, as well as who you are and how to reach you. But
that is mostly your past. Your cover letter has a slightly different purpose,
it is more about your future and your abilities.
But what is it we really are offering an employer?
You are going to sell the synergy between your skills, attitude, and
knowledge = your ability.”
As the name implies, a cover letter is a document that introduces you
and accompanies your resume (your work history). It is what a hiring
manager will see first. That is why it is important. It will be the text that
will entice the employer to look further into who you are and what you
can do for them.
In today’s competitive job market, hiring managers may get hundreds of
resumes for only one position. Going through all of them is very time-consuming. To alleviate the time strain, most hiring managers will quickly read over or scan cover letters to decide which resumes to read more closely.
Another very important knowledge is that the hiring manager or recruiter
normally only sees a maximum 1/3 of your cover letter in their list of
applicants on their computer, the beginning of your letter. The cover letter is your opportunity to attract.
You will be able to demonstrate:
• Why you are interested in the position.
• Why they should be interested in you, highlight some of your top skills.
• That you have knowledge about the organization in question.
• That you have done your research.
• That you understand what is expected for the position.
• That you can express yourself.
• That you are grateful for their time and consideration reading your
application.
In the first third of your cover letter, you must show that you are the
perfect fit for the job. Find out what the most important skill is the employer is looking for and make sure that you have that and write it in the beginning. That gives the
reader the incentive to read more.
What are the different parts of a standard cover letter?
A cover letter is basically a formal business letter that acts as an
introduction to your resume. Because it is a formal business document, it
should be in block business letter format. In this format, the text is left justified (aligned on the left-hand margin).
• Date: This is the date the letter is written. I recommend using the Month Day, Year format, such as December 7, 2021. That works in most countries.
• Address: For the address, you should provide your home mailing address followed by the physical address you want to submit. If you don’t want to write a physical address, write just your city and country.
• Greeting: The greeting is an important part of your cover letter. It establishes who you are sending the resume and cover letter to. I recommend that you try to find the name of the hiring manager to use here. If you can't find a name, use a generic term like Staff Selection Team or Hiring Manager.
• Body 1: The body should be divided into three sections. The first section is the intro and the part that needs to attract interest for the reader to continue through the full extent of the letter.
• Body 2: The body 2 is the main part of your cover letter and presents you as the best possible candidate for the job (what you can do). Most of this part can be reused for all your cover letters, regardless of which company you are applying to.
• Body 3: The ‘send off’. Where you have a statement that shows that you have read their homepage and the ad carefully. This needs to be a rememberable statement.
• Close: Use a polite and professional phrase here, such as Sincerely, Respectfully, or Kind Regards.
• Signature: This area should contain your name, a written signature in addition to another
way to contact you (such as a phone number or email address).
• Enclosure line: Use this line whenever you include a separate item in the same envelope or email message. It will tell the recipient to look for the enclosed attachment, which will usually be your resume, but could also be samples of your previous work.
If you're sending a cover letter via email, you don't need to include
the date, return address, or mailing address at the top of the page. Just
include your own address and other contact information, such as your
email or phone number, below your name in the signature area.
The opening – the most important part | Write a Catchy Opening Paragraph when you apply for a job.
Here’s the brutal truth:
These few sentences at the beginning of your cover letter will determine whether the hiring manager will read on. The attention span is very short, remember that this person has hundreds of applications to go through. You need to make your cover letter attract and hold the hiring manager’s interest.
What is it the reader is looking for? To find an applicant that fits what they are looking for as quickly and effortlessly as possible. Let’s help them find you. You need to get the hiring manager exactly what she is looking for. You must show that you are going to satisfy the company’s specific needs. And all of this needs to be included in the first third of your cover letter.
Let us break it down and simplify this.
Address the cover letter directly to the hiring manager. If the person’s name is not stated in the ad, call up the company and ask.
Dear Catherine,
Dear Miss Adams,
Dear Ms. Adams,
Dear Mrs. Adams,
Miss: Use “Miss” when addressing young girls and women under 30 that are unmarried.
Ms.: Use “Ms.” when you are not sure of a woman’s marital status, if the woman is unmarried and over 30 or if she prefers being addressed with a marital-status neutral title.
Mrs.: Use “Mrs.” when addressing a married woman.
Mr.: Use “Mr” for a male of unknown age and status.
Sir.: Use “Sir” to be correct and show respect.
In this case, it is difficult to know the age or status of the person to address. We use her first name instead since the overall feeling in the letter gives away that it is ok – “small dynamic team”, “care about their collogues”. “Dear Catherine,”
• Personalise your introduction to the company and the job position.
• Introduce yourself and identify the job for which you're applying.
You have now used up the first important sentences. By using the name of the hiring manager, you have already made this personal.You continue by having a very short, personalized introduction and show that you have taken to heart what position it is and what is required, the highlights.
Here is the challenge – introduce yourself as the perfect candidate. That can be your headline if you like.
“Highly experienced and skilled marketing expert applying for the position as Marketing Manager.”
What you have done is acknowledged the job position, “Marketing Manager”, and also showed that you have what it takes to fill the position, “Highly experienced and skilled marketing expert”. By doing so you have already in the first sentence showed that you
are a person of interest. You haven’t wasted their time. And you continue in the same manner.
• Mention your most relevant work experience that makes you a good candidate. After analyzing the ad, you know exactly what words to use. You state your abilities by using words from their ad and applying them to yourself.
“After working over 10 years with brand development, marketing and sales strategies plus growing a company from no 40 in its market till no 1, it’s time to take the leap and make the journey once again. These are areas of interest I am passionate about: growth, communication, and organisation.”
• Show them you are enthusiastic and excited about the chance to work with them.
• Be sincere and direct.
• Don’t waste their time with irrelevant sentences.
In this example, we have created an opening that gives the reader incentive to read further. We stated the necessary fact already in the headline and then in the first paragraph.
This opening model can be applied for all kinds of positions and branches.
The cover letter can successfully be divided into three sections, and we have just covered the opening.
We now move on to the middle section which is the part where you can elaborate more around your experience and what you want. This part can be more or less unchanged, constant, throughout your different cover letters. For that reason, you write it in more general terms.
We started with the heading, salutation, and opening paragraph that was to get them hooked and make them read more. The second paragraph is where you write why you are the perfect fit by explaining more about your background and experience. This paragraph should be mostly about how your previous experiences will help your future employer press ahead with their plans.
Job seekers impress employers by identifying transferable skills related to new positions. People often apply to new positions, so it’s likely you’ll not have the exact experience requested. But employers would rather know how your past experiences will inform future decisions.
Here you can also say something about what you hope for in the future. Let them get to know you a little bit more. You end this paragraph by explaining why the company is a perfect fit for you. This specific part you customize for each cover letter.
Lastly, you write your send-off, the closing paragraph.
Your cover letter shows that you have relevant skills. You’ve explained your motivation and abilities. What could possibly go wrong? Well, you can mess up the last section, the sendoff. And it’s the decisive part.
It must amplify the general impression you’ve made with the previous paragraphs. It must make the hiring manager excited as she starts reading your resume. This you do by providing value.
Tell the hiring manager or recruiter that you’re looking forward to meeting in person (or on digital meeting) and discussing how your experience and knowledge can help your future employer in fulfilling their goals.
Example:
“I would welcome the opportunity to further discuss your digital marketing objectives and show you how my success at my previous employer can translate into digital and online marketing growth for Gate Advisory”
The only thing missing now is the formal closing at the very end. Write “sincerely” and follow it with your full name. Adding your handwritten signature is optional, but it’s recommended for more formal cover letters. You can add your signature in a digital version, since 98% of the applications are sent in a digital format.
If you’re not a fan of the well-worn, “sincerely,” feel free to use any of the following synonyms: Sample cover letter signoffs:
Sincerely or Sincerely yours
With best regards, Best regards, Kind regards
Thank you
Yours truly
Thank you for your consideration
Respectfully yours.
It’s a good idea to repeat your basic contact information, such as your LinkedIn profile, email address, and telephone number below your sign-off.
Interested to learn the other 12 Steps on How To Find Your Dream Job?
We released a comprehensive online course that teaches you everything you need to know to find your dream job or career.
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact us, we can help you.
Your coach can deepen your knowledge and train you.
댓글