4 Secrets of Grabbing the Recruiter’s Attention in your Cover Letter

With hundreds and thousands of resumes being submitted for one single job opening, the only way you can make the recruiter open your resume is by having a smart and unique cover letter (and of course the other way is when you have a direct reach to the hiring managers). Remember that the employers are seeking the best candidate for their offered job description and it is to you how you can make yourself stand out. Here are the 4 secrets to the first step to get their attention, through your cover letter, or letter of introduction:

1.     Attention Grabber Headlines

 

Start your cover letter with bold headlines, above the greetings. Grab the attention in the first statement itself and be clear. For example:

I am seeking an opportunity to Interview for the position of ….. Job ID 123 (if this position has been advertised under a certain ID/number)

2.     List your Qualifications

 

And do not beat about the bush.

“The description of the open position as a senior software developer suits me perfectly. As you would see from my resume I qualify for all required attributes expected for this job description but I would also like to know about your other expectations on this job. I look forward to meeting with you and I hope you would be more than satisfied with my qualifications here over the past 12 years of my experience as a software developer:

… list your top experience/qualifications here … (upto 5 should be sufficient)

3.     Availability and Request

 

The cover letter should never exceed more than one page (well unless absolutely necessary) and use as many bullets and short paragraphs as possible. Follow the list of qualifications with a short paragraph on when you could be available to for a meeting; suggest something like: “I am usually available on Mondays to Thursdays between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. It would be great to meet in person and answer any questions that you might have for me. It would be great if you can suggest a time that suits you the best.”

4.     Now Ph Number and a Friendly Cyber Handshake

 

“I am looking forward to your reply to discuss the possibilities of making it as an employee of ABC (the name of the company you are applying for), it would be a privilege to be a part of this dynamic team. You may contact me at any time at my cell phone: 123 456 7890”

The secret is how effectively you can ask and present yourself in the short space you have for the cover letter. Follow these tested tips and see how you can increase your success factors of getting that important phone call!

 

More info on Cover Letters here: Cover Letters Rules and Sample Cover Letters