Tips and Advice for Writing a Great Cover Letter

Tips and Advice for Writing a Great Cover Letter Tips and Advice for Writing a Great Cover Letter Your resume is, of course, extremely important when youre applying for a job, but  cover letters  are just as key and should not be an afterthought.   Every cover letter you write should be customized for the  specific job  you  are  seeking. It must be clearly written and concise, as well as free from any typos, grammatical errors, or misspelled names. Remember, people often read your cover letter before your resume. Its your opportunity to make a good first impression and also show why you are a  great candidate for a job. Here are tips and suggestions for  your  cover  letter  that will help you stand out from the crowd and get you one step closer to a job offer. Send a Customized Cover Letter Each Time Your cover letter may make the difference between obtaining a job interview and having your  resume  ignored. Your cover letter is your first opportunity to create a relationship  with the  person  who is doing the hiring. Even if an employer doesnt request a cover letter, its helpful to send one. Target Your Cover Letter Take a good look at the job posting and make a list of the criteria the employer is looking for. Then list the skills and experience you have that correlates  to what the employer is  seeking. This is not cheating. Its simply being smart enough to target your skills to the job. Be sure to address  how your skills match the job requirements. Remember, a successful cover letter shows a potential employer how youll benefit the company. Why you want the job and why its a good fit for you are less important considerations for hiring managers. See more on  creating a targeted cover letter. Dont Rehash Your Resume Your cover letter should complement, not duplicate, your  resume. It should expand upon your resume and highlight your skills and experience and how they relate  to the job youre applying for. Format Your Letter Properly Your formatting will be slightly different if youre sending your letter through the mail, uploading it to an application portal, or sending it via email. Heres more information on how to  format a cover letter. All cover letters are structured into three basic sections. In the first paragraph, youll say why youre writing. Mention the specific job title and where you saw the posting. In the middle section, youll establish what makes you a good candidate, referencing relevant experience and skills. Finally, in the third section of a cover letter, youll thank the letter recipient for reading. You can also share details on how youll follow up. Write Simply and Clearly Write  a  short,  targeted  letter  by  getting  right to the point. No one has time for an epic novel, so keep your cover  letter to one page. Also, make sure each paragraph has no more than three or four sentences. If you want, you can opt to use bullet points to break up chunks of text. Just make sure they do not duplicate your resume.   Avoid cliches in your cover  letter,  and while  it is a formal piece of correspondence, it  shouldnt  sound  stilted, stiffor unnatural.   Personalize Your Letter If you can,  address your cover letter  to the individual who is doing the hiring. If necessary, conduct some online research to find out who the hiring manager is. SearchLinkedIn or find  the Contact  or  About  Us  section  of  a  companys website. You  could  try calling the company to find out. This  is not being pushy. The hiring manager will respect you for taking the initiative. Use Email for Cover Letters When you email a cover letter, make sure your letter is short. Include the copy in the body of the email message. Dont send a  cover letter as an attachment  unless the employer specifically requests it  in  that  format. Keep copies  of all your cover letters so you trackwhat you sent to whom. That way, if you get a request for an interview, you can look back at your cover letters to know what you  already mentioned.   Spell Check and Proofread Before  you  send  the  cover  letter,  ask someone to read  it  and  review  it  for  typos. Its  difficult  noticing mistakes in our own writing  because  we  are  so  close  to  it. If youre  alone  and need to proofread  your  own  work, you  can  try  a  few  techniques  to  catch  errors:  change the font  style, copythe text into another document, or read the  document  backward (bottom  to  top).   Always double-check that you have the company name, the job title and department, and your contacts name spelled correctly. These are particularly embarrassing errors. Follow these  proofreading tips for job seekers.   Cover Letter Examples Review  cover letters examples, both written and email, that are designed for a variety of job applications and employment inquiries.