Grab attention, tell them why they should hire you, be precise and clear – That’s exactly what a cover letter is about!
Here’s why cover letters are important and a must-have in most situations:
- Cover letters are a must if you want to show your future employer that you really want to apply for this position and you have done some extra effort to show why they must hire you for that position.
- It’s your chance to showcase your creativity or use an effective attention grabbing approach that might present a compelling reason for the hiring manager to have a look at your resume. That’s the goal of the cover letter – the perfect presentation that encourages the reader to open your resume. If the cover letter says nothing why you want this job, maybe there’s no reason for me to open the attachment in your email!
- For every position now thousands of resumes are pouring in and of these thousands hundreds are competently qualified to fulfill the job requirements. And there is a large probability that scores of those who applied for this job are more qualified than you are. That’s why you need an additional hook to stand above the rest – you guessed it – an impressive cover letter (but of course you must be applying for those jobs which match your skills and experience closely).
- Though a cover letter does not ensure that you would be in the must-call list for the interview but you are certainly increasing your chances of not being one of the thousands in-pile resume. Your cover letter could be the key to be chosen above many others whose resume might outshine you but their cover letter did not!
But note that howsoever awesome your cover letter may be it must always be supplemented by an equally awesome or an awesomer resume. Your cover letter is your foot through the door and your resume is the means to get an invitation to the interview room – Your second goal on the path to getting that job.
Now for some General Rules
- Cover letter is not a cut and paste of your resume. It must be customized for each and every job you apply.
- Cover letters are short and usually must not be beyond one page view of your email.
- Format – no fancy fonts, use around 3 paragraphs and not more to convey your suitability for the position.
- Use bullet points and few highlighted words and phrases – writing the usual cover letter with lots of paragraphs and wordy explanation is so boring – “everyone else does it and we don’t have the time”.
- Always include the job title or ID as it appears in the job description in the subject line of the email, you may also include it in the main text.
- At the end of the letter write your full name and contact info.
Important > Do not send your cover letter as an attachment in the email – it is best to copy and paste in the email text. Your resume may well be an attachment in word or PDF format, but your cover letter must be visible and must stand out in the reach-out email.
Objective of the Cover Letter
The main objective of a cover letter is to show your employer why you would be the best person to hire for this particular position. With the following action step to review your resume.
And a brilliant tip:
Once you know how to write effective cover letters, use similar skills to update your LinkedIn profile, which in a way must be closer to a well written generic cover letter than a copy of your resume.
Now tweak these samples to suit your needs (Note that to stand out from the rest your cover letters must be well customized and speak directly of the job you are applying for – and of course creativity always has its own charm and value!).
Since the cover letter must be relevant to the position applied, you’ll find the job descriptions listed before the sample cover letter examples here.
SMART SAMPLE COVER LETTER
Match Skills to Job Description Cover Letter
Job Description:
- Successful recruiting, hiring and on-boarding will be this position’s number one priority.
- Develop and execute recruiting plans and also coordinate and implement college recruiting activities.
- Perform day-to-day operations of the HR function and duties in employee relations, training and development, executive administration and employment, employee safety, workers compensation, welfare, wellness, maintenance of employee files and the HR filing system, etc.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree preferred; with 3+ years recruiting experience.
- Demonstrated proficiency in applicable computer software.
- Demonstrated excellence in customer/employee service; responds promptly to employee needs; solicits employee feedback to improve service.
- Demonstrated proficiency in oral and written communications.
Now match your skills and experience to the above job description responsibilities:
Dear Recruiter,
In response to the advertised position of Human Retargets Specialist (Job ID: HR32459) on your website, I present to you some strong reasons to validate my suitability for this position.
Please see how my skills and experience offer a good match to the job requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree preferred; with 3+ years recruiting experience.
I have a Masters in Human Retargets Management and with 4 plus years of experience in a 400 employee firm, I have diverse experience in recruiting, employee management and have contributed to developing college recruiting programs.
- Demonstrated proficiency in applicable computer software.
I am proficient at PeopleSoft HR software – Human Retargets, HCM Warehouse, HRMS Portal Pack, Employee Benefits and Compensation Modules and UltiPro Recruitment, UltiPro Onboarding software applications. With 3 years of expert level experience I also exhibit fast learning skills to get on speed with any new software.
- Demonstrated excellence in customer/employee service; responds promptly to employee needs; solicits employee feedback to improve service.
I initiated a smart employee feedback process at my last employment which was very well accepted and resulted in 10% increase in employee retention over a year (as compared to previous years). I sincerely value excellence in employee and customer service and have implemented in every aspect of my job so far.
- Demonstrated proficiency in oral and written communications.
I have strong communications and writing skills. In my last employment I worked with the HR director in revising the new edition of the HR manual and Employee Handbook for year 2010. Please find some writing samples links in my LinkedIn profile.
I hope you are satisfied with the skills match I bring to this position and my resume (attached here in PDF format) would highlight other abilities to present my suitability to this position.
I am very excited about this opportunity and look forward to speaking with you further about my qualifications. You may reach me at (123) 456 7890 or email me.
Sincerely,
ABC XYZ
LinkedIn profile: http://linkedin.com/abcxyz
Ph: (123) 456 7890
A cover letter that caught the attention of Wall Street – is it ‘brilliant’; some disagree. What do you say?
From: BLOCKED
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2013 1:14PM
To: BLOCKED
Subject: Summer Internship
Dear BLOCKED
My name is (BLOCKED) and I am an undergraduate finance student at (BLOCKED). I met you the summer before last at Smith & Wollensky’s in New York when I was touring the east coast with my uncle, (BLOCKED). I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to talk with me that night.
I am writing to inquire about a possible summer internship in your office. I am aware it is highly unusual for undergraduates from average universities like (BLOCKED) to intern at (BLOCKED), but nevertheless I was hoping you might make an exception. I am extremely interested in investment banking and would love nothing more than to learn under your tutelage. I have no qualms about fetching coffee, shining shoes or picking up laundry, and will work for next to nothing. In all honesty, I just want to be around professionals in the industry and gain as much knowledge as I can.
I won’t waste your time inflating my credentials, throwing around exaggerated job titles, or feeding you a line of crapp (sic) about how my past experiences and skill set align perfectly for an investment banking internship. The truth is I have no unbelievably special skills or genius eccentricities, but I do have a near perfect GPA and will work hard for you. I’ve interned for Merrill Lynch in the Wealth Management Division and taken an investment banking class at (BLOCKED), for whatever that is worth.
I am currently awaiting admission results for (BLOCKED) Masters of Science in Accountancy program, which I would begin this fall if admitted. I am also planning on attending law school after my master’s program, which we spoke about in New York. I apologize for the blunt nature of my letter, but I hope you seriously consider taking me under your wing this summer. I have attached my resume for your review. Feel free to call me at (BLOCKED) or email at (BLOCKED). Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
BLOCKED.