Resumes and CVs should always be backed up with a cover letter. The truth is that a lot of cover letters are far from been professionally tailored. When I look at the CVs and cover letters that frequent my desk every now and then, I can’t but feel sorry for such job hunters because it would take centuries to land a job with such cover letters.
So, how do you make your cover letter to stand out and give you an added advantage? This is where the following 10 strategies will do you some good.
1. Make it easy for anyone to understand “who” you are.
Are you a sales representative, marketer, nurse, college professor, chemical engineer, restaurant manager, customer service agent, or architect? Be absolutely vivid in communicating that information at the beginning of your cover letter. Don’t make someone read three paragraphs to find this critical information. No one is going to take the time and energy to figure it out!
2. Use a unique and professional format when preparing your cover letters.
Don’t fall into the trap of using cover letter formats that have been used for years and now appear worn out and obsolete. Be innovative. Make your letters visually attractive and distinctive—not the overused “standard” formats. Good examples are the ones found in our book, A-Z of Job Interviews.
3. Highlight your most relevant qualifications.
Use your cover letters to highlight your skills, experiences, qualifications, honors, awards, and credentials that are directly relevant to the company’s needs and the type of position and/or career path you are pursuing.
4. Showcase your most relevant achievements.
Be certain to highlight your career successes, results, and accomplishments that will be most meaningful to the letter’s intended audience.
5. Include information that you know about the company or the position for which you are applying.
If you happen to be conversant of the particulars of the company to which you are writing (for example, core issues, challenges, market opportunities, products, services, staffing changes, or management changes), be sure to address those items in your cover letter. What’s more, relate specifically how your experience can help meet the company’s needs and provide solutions to its challenges.
6. Explain your interest in choosing to work for this company in particular.
Do you want to work for the company because of its reputation, financial standing, products, services, personnel, location, or market potential? Why this company? Everyone likes a good “pat on the back” for a job well done. Companies are no different. Tell them what they’re doing right that caught your attention.
7. Be sure that your cover letters are neat, clean, and well presented.
Remember, cover letters are business documents, not advertising materials. They should be attractive and relatively conservative, not “over-designed.” Left over meals /snacks must never be found on your cover letter.
8. Double-check, again and again and then have someone else check your letter to be sure that it is error-free!
Remember, people don’t meet you; they meet a piece of paper. And that piece of paper—your cover letter—reflects the quality and caliber of the work you will do on their behalf. Even the smallest of errors is unacceptable.
9. Keep your cover letters short!
Cover letters are not essays or lecture notes. We recommend a one-page letter in nearly all circumstances.
10. Always remind yourself why you are writing each cover letter and be sure to ask for the interview!
Remember, securing an interview is your number-one objective for each cover letter that you write.
So, how do you make your cover letter to stand out and give you an added advantage? This is where the following 10 strategies will do you some good.
1. Make it easy for anyone to understand “who” you are.
Are you a sales representative, marketer, nurse, college professor, chemical engineer, restaurant manager, customer service agent, or architect? Be absolutely vivid in communicating that information at the beginning of your cover letter. Don’t make someone read three paragraphs to find this critical information. No one is going to take the time and energy to figure it out!
2. Use a unique and professional format when preparing your cover letters.
Don’t fall into the trap of using cover letter formats that have been used for years and now appear worn out and obsolete. Be innovative. Make your letters visually attractive and distinctive—not the overused “standard” formats. Good examples are the ones found in our book, A-Z of Job Interviews.
3. Highlight your most relevant qualifications.
Use your cover letters to highlight your skills, experiences, qualifications, honors, awards, and credentials that are directly relevant to the company’s needs and the type of position and/or career path you are pursuing.
4. Showcase your most relevant achievements.
Be certain to highlight your career successes, results, and accomplishments that will be most meaningful to the letter’s intended audience.
5. Include information that you know about the company or the position for which you are applying.
If you happen to be conversant of the particulars of the company to which you are writing (for example, core issues, challenges, market opportunities, products, services, staffing changes, or management changes), be sure to address those items in your cover letter. What’s more, relate specifically how your experience can help meet the company’s needs and provide solutions to its challenges.
6. Explain your interest in choosing to work for this company in particular.
Do you want to work for the company because of its reputation, financial standing, products, services, personnel, location, or market potential? Why this company? Everyone likes a good “pat on the back” for a job well done. Companies are no different. Tell them what they’re doing right that caught your attention.
7. Be sure that your cover letters are neat, clean, and well presented.
Remember, cover letters are business documents, not advertising materials. They should be attractive and relatively conservative, not “over-designed.” Left over meals /snacks must never be found on your cover letter.
8. Double-check, again and again and then have someone else check your letter to be sure that it is error-free!
Remember, people don’t meet you; they meet a piece of paper. And that piece of paper—your cover letter—reflects the quality and caliber of the work you will do on their behalf. Even the smallest of errors is unacceptable.
9. Keep your cover letters short!
Cover letters are not essays or lecture notes. We recommend a one-page letter in nearly all circumstances.
10. Always remind yourself why you are writing each cover letter and be sure to ask for the interview!
Remember, securing an interview is your number-one objective for each cover letter that you write.