How to Write a Cover Letter

How to Write a Cover Letter

Whenever you apply for a job, it’s important to craft a professional cover letter that highlights your key achievements. Most times people focus entirely on their resumes and overlook cover letters. These people eventually make a turnaround at the last minute, lacking enough time to include their most relevant information.

A cover letter is your first impression. It should be the first thing you sit down to create as it sets the foundation for any future job interviews. Simply put, your cover introduces you to potential employers. This piece of document gives the HR managers an insight into the personal and professional sides of you. Not every job applicants gets summoned for interviews which makes cover letters more important if you want to make the first round of selection.

In this article, we will describe to you what a cover letter is, how purposeful it is, what it’s relevant for and finally, how to write an effective cover letter.

What is a Cover Letter?

A cover letter is an introductory letter that reworks the information in your resume to make it more personal. It is your responsibility to make your cover letter as memorable as you can, in a positive way. Cover letters allow you to expatiate on information provided within your resume, making them great resume boosters.

What Makes a Cover Letter Relevant?

You’re probably wondering, “Do I need a cover letter when I already have a resume?” You do; because a resume is a pretty bland overview of your accomplishments while a cover letter gives the much needed context of that overview. A cover letter tells the employers what type of position you seek and shows how qualified you are for the job.

A cover letter can explain information that a resume’s structure does not allow. For instance, where you have gaps in employment history or taking on a career change, a cover letter can give reasons why in a positive way.

On the part of the recruiters, a cover letter lets them tell apart two applicants with similar qualifications. A well written cover letter will definitely make you one of the few outstanding applicants, so don’t take it for granted. That being said, your cover letter must be unique to the job applied for.

The best practice is to include a cover letter, unless the job advert specifies otherwise.

What’s the Purpose of a Cover Letter?

When writing a cover letter, it’s important to keep its purpose in mind. A cover letter must be purposeful else it’ll become detrimental to your chances of getting the job. The purpose of a cover letter is as follows:

• An introduction of self
• A mention of the type of job you’re seeking to apply for
• A show of skills and experience that match the criteria of the job position
• A call of action that requests an interview or meeting
• A contextual document that encourages potential employers to consider your resume.

What is the Typical Length of a Cover Letter?

A cover letter is merely a summary of your resume. It should fit in one page. Keep it short.

Making Unique Cover Letters for Different Jobs

You should always use a different cover letter for every job you apply for. Why, because your cover letter has to revolve around what the job involves and what the employers are searching for. Everything you include in your cover letter must be specific to the open job position in question.

To make unique cover letters, you have to write around your skills and qualities. You also need to show that they match the criteria of the job or the organisation. We’ve outlined simple ways to make your cover letter specific in the best way possible:

Know who to address it to: The phrase “to whom it may concern” is a major turn off for employers. Before you address your letter, discover the name of the recruiter who will read your application. You can start with the organisation’s website or newspaper ad. Most times, you’ll find the name of the employer in the ad. If you don’t see a name, contact the organisation to find out whom to address your cover letter to.

Keep it formal.

Make research on the nature of the job: You should take advantage of your search on whom to address your application to. We recommend that you ask questions about the nature of the job to better get an idea of how to create a matching cover letter (and resume). You should ask questions about the nature of the job like what it involves, if it’s a team or individual work and who you’ll be reporting to.

Know more about the Organisation: The information in your cover letter also covers the organisation as a whole. So you’ll need to make some valuable research about the company. For starters, you should know the name of the company, the website (read their about us page) and the organisational chain, if necessary.

Tips on Writing Your Cover Letter

Without further ado, here are the things you should include when writing your cover letter:

Start with Your Name and Contact Details: At the top of your cover letter, your name and contact details should be totally visible. A postal address isn’t necessary but you do have to include your phone number and email. Please note that your email must be professional and not lousy like hotdude247@gmail.com.

Address the Employer: After your name and contact details, you should include details about the employer such as their name, contact details and position in the company. Never use ‘to whom it may concern’—never.

State the Job Position: A cover letter begins with a paragraph stating the job you’re applying for. A simple line would do. For instance, you could write something like ‘regarding application for Accounting position.’ Or ‘I am writing to apply for the recently advertised Accounting job position’.

List out Your Relevant Skills and Experiences: A short bullet list showing your skills and experiences that match the description is totally acceptable. You also need to explain how your skill or an experience relates to the job and how it has helped you in the past. Make them see why you are rightly suited for the job.

Request for an Interview: There’s nothing wrong in asking your employer to contact you about an interview. A simple closing line at the end of your cover letter would do fine. Try writing something like, “Inside this letter is a copy of my resume. I look forward to hearing from you about the available job position.”

Remember to…

• Check for typos and grammatical errors
• Include resume in cover letter

Don’t

• Use the ‘I’ pronoun too much. The job isn’t about you; it’s about how you can provide value to the employer
• Mention other job applications.