You have your resume, what about a cover letter? Cover letters are often requested by employers to include with your resume on a job application as they offer additional insight into who you are. Cover letters are a great opportunity to express your interest in the company you are applying to. Even if a cover letter isn't requested on an application, you should still include one because employers will recognize your preparation and interest in the position right away.
A cover letter is the perfect opportunity for you to convince the employer you're the right person for the job. So you definitely don't want to screw it up. In order to build the best cover letter, follow these 5 pro tips and employers will definitely take notice of you.
Knowing enough about the company you are applying for is perhaps the most important part of the cover letter. Rather than filling out an application for the heck of it, actually take your time and research the company before you apply. First, make sure it's a company you actually want to apply for. Indeed.com and Glassdoor.com provide company reviews where you can learn about the company culture and benefits. Read through the reviews and decide whether you could see yourself working there based on what people who actually work there have said.
Second, understand who the company is and what they do. Study their website, learn more about their product, their social media pages, everything they're involved in. In the first paragraph, briefly explain how and why you would be a good fit and how your skills will directly benefit their mission. This will tell them up front you're a good candidate and incline them to read further. More than that, the research you do on the company will come in handy if you get an interview.
Third, find out who the hiring manager is so you can address your letter to a specific person. When you address your letter "To whom it may concern," this immediately tells the employer you haven't done your research, that you aren't super interested in the position, and gives them an excuse to not finish reading the letter and leave your application unconsidered. This is the last thing you want to do. If you can't find the name of the hiring manager, the best way to address the cover letter is "Dear Hiring Manager."
Take the second paragraph of your cover letter to talk about your skills and qualifications in greater detail. Prove to them you have what it takes to do the job right, and better than anyone else who is applying. They're looking for someone who can benefit the company in more ways than one, so show them that person is you.
If you're stumped and unsure of what to include, ask yourself these questions:
While keeping your cover letter to one page, you should be as professional as possible. This isn't the place to beg for the position or tell them "I'm the best and no one else!" You need to prove to them you are the best without strictly saying it. Keep the focus on you, and how you and your skills will benefit the company.
Close the cover letter by thanking them for their time and consideration. Then, give them an opportunity to contact you by expressing that you would be happy to speak with them more about what you've included in your resume (or other application documents.) Sign your name at the bottom and you'll be well on your way!
Final thoughts: A good practice is to keep a standard cover letter template, which you can use to edit for each company and application you submit. Once edited, save the new cover letter with a different filename (i.e. Cover Letter - Company Name) to a new folder with all of the cover letters you've created. This practice will not only help you stay organized, but offer insight into which cover letters got you interviews so you can improve for the next application.
A cover letter is the perfect opportunity for you to convince the employer you're the right person for the job. So you definitely don't want to screw it up. In order to build the best cover letter, follow these 5 pro tips and employers will definitely take notice of you.
1. Research the Company
Knowing enough about the company you are applying for is perhaps the most important part of the cover letter. Rather than filling out an application for the heck of it, actually take your time and research the company before you apply. First, make sure it's a company you actually want to apply for. Indeed.com and Glassdoor.com provide company reviews where you can learn about the company culture and benefits. Read through the reviews and decide whether you could see yourself working there based on what people who actually work there have said. Second, understand who the company is and what they do. Study their website, learn more about their product, their social media pages, everything they're involved in. In the first paragraph, briefly explain how and why you would be a good fit and how your skills will directly benefit their mission. This will tell them up front you're a good candidate and incline them to read further. More than that, the research you do on the company will come in handy if you get an interview.
Third, find out who the hiring manager is so you can address your letter to a specific person. When you address your letter "To whom it may concern," this immediately tells the employer you haven't done your research, that you aren't super interested in the position, and gives them an excuse to not finish reading the letter and leave your application unconsidered. This is the last thing you want to do. If you can't find the name of the hiring manager, the best way to address the cover letter is "Dear Hiring Manager."
2. Don't restate your resume
Your cover letter isn't the place to restate your resume. A cover letter is the place for you to expand more about things you couldn't include on your resume that apply directly to the position you are interested in. Certainly talk about your skills and qualifications you included on your resume, but explain in more detail about them and how they can directly benefit the company.Take the second paragraph of your cover letter to talk about your skills and qualifications in greater detail. Prove to them you have what it takes to do the job right, and better than anyone else who is applying. They're looking for someone who can benefit the company in more ways than one, so show them that person is you.
3. Highlight who you are
In the third and final paragraph, take the opportunity to highlight who you are as a person. What qualities do you have that make you a valuable asset to the company, in addition to your skills and qualifications? Perhaps express some of your interests and how they relate to the job you're applying for. If you're organized and perform tasks in a timely manner, include that in this paragraph.If you're stumped and unsure of what to include, ask yourself these questions:
- What can I, as a person, offer the company that no one else can?
- What are personal qualities I have that would benefit the company?
- What are other skills I have, not listed on my resume, that they are possibly looking for?
- What sets me apart from everyone else?
- Why am I the best person for the job? (Also a great question to know the answer to in case of an interview.)
4. Keep it brief and professional
A standard cover letter should be one page and no more. Keep it simple. Employers already have tons of resumes to read and adding cover letters to the mix makes them even more busy. Maintaining a brief cover letter allows the hiring manager to read through it in a short amount of time and still know enough about you that they want to interview for the position.
While keeping your cover letter to one page, you should be as professional as possible. This isn't the place to beg for the position or tell them "I'm the best and no one else!" You need to prove to them you are the best without strictly saying it. Keep the focus on you, and how you and your skills will benefit the company.
Close the cover letter by thanking them for their time and consideration. Then, give them an opportunity to contact you by expressing that you would be happy to speak with them more about what you've included in your resume (or other application documents.) Sign your name at the bottom and you'll be well on your way!
Final thoughts: A good practice is to keep a standard cover letter template, which you can use to edit for each company and application you submit. Once edited, save the new cover letter with a different filename (i.e. Cover Letter - Company Name) to a new folder with all of the cover letters you've created. This practice will not only help you stay organized, but offer insight into which cover letters got you interviews so you can improve for the next application.
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