It's true that not all employers read them, and if your resume doesn't impress the hiring manager, the contents of your cover letter won't make a difference in getting you an interview. However, consider the situation where two equally qualified candidates apply for the job, and only one of them has included a professional letter introducing themselves and expressing their enthusiasm for the position. Which candidate now has the advantage?
When competing to get hired for jobs, you want to use every tool at your disposal to give yourself the edge over rival candidates. Writing an effective cover letter can be a powerful one of these tools.
So, how do you get started? What goes into a cover letter that impresses potential employers? Here are some tips for writing a cover letter for your job application, step by step.
Address the hiring manager. As with any professional correspondence, your cover letter should open by addressing the person you are writing to. You'll win points here and boost your chances of having your letter read if you can address it to the name of the person who will be reading it. So, do your research. Scour the job posting for clues. Check out the company website and online profiles to find out who the decision-maker is for the job you are applying for.
We'll follow up with a separate, in-depth piece on how to fully research this information when it is not easy to find. [Cross link to forthcoming related article: "How to find the name of the hiring manager when applying for a job."]
Introduce yourself.
Open with a sentence explaining who you are and how you are a qualified professional in the field of the job you are applying for. This should let the reader know right off the bat that you are a serious contender for the role.
For example:
I am a professional sales leader with over a decade of senior management experience heading up successful sales teams for some of the industry's best-known brands.
Express your interest in the position. Next, tell the hiring manager how you heard about the job and why you are especially motivated to be hired for it.
For example:
I am writing to apply for the Sales Manager position that you posted on Talent.com. I have long admired your company and management style, and I would be a passionate ambassador for your brand and products.
Explain why you'd be great at it. This is a key selling point that you bring to the table. Ideally, this would be in addition to the experiences and achievements highlighted in your resume. However, if all of your best accomplishments and credentials are already in your resume, and you really can't think of anything new to add to your cover letter, then at least describe it differently. If all goes according to plan, the employer will be reading both documents, and you don't want them to see that you've simply cut and pasted from one to the other.
One of the subtle messages the cover letter sends to employers is that you are motivated and willing to go the extra mile to impress them. So, don't dilute that message by making your cover letter seem lazy.
For example:
In my attached resume, you'll read that I launched a new initiative at ACME Co. that delivered 125% of quota in its first year of operation. This was done by leveraging the client management strategy and CRM technology I have been putting to increasingly effective use throughout my career.
Sign off. Thank the employer for their time and say that you are hoping to have the opportunity to discuss your candidacy further in an interview.
For example:
I would be happy to explain my sales management methods and discuss how I could potentially help your team accomplish their goals for the coming quarter. I believe I could be an asset to the team. Please look over my resume and let me know if you have any questions or if there is any more information at all that I can provide you with to advance my candidacy.
Thank you very much for considering me.
And that's it. Your cover letter doesn't have to be a long formal piece of correspondence. In fact, it's far better to keep it brief. Many employers are reluctant to read cover letters, preferring to simply scan resumes for the most relevant skills and work experience to decide whether or not to shortlist a candidate. Seeing a page full of long, dense paragraphs will only further convince them to skip it.
Introduce yourself, explain why you would be great at the job and how motivated you are about the role, and politely end the letter. With those few sentences, you'll have given yourself a leg up over any rival candidates who didn't bother to submit a cover letter with their application.
