By Natalie Rodgers
As tedious as they may seem, writing a cover letter is essential for many of the open job positions in today’s market. You want to ensure that you make a great first impression, convey all the reasons why you’re a qualified candidate and do so without over- or under-explaining yourself.
To craft the perfect cover letter for your next job, here are some tips to keep in mind:
Length
Some job positions have hundreds of applicants, many of which will have a cover letter they’ve prepared for the hiring manager. When you write your cover letter, you want to make sure that you do not exceed a single page. Writing over a page for your cover letter, unless requested to do so otherwise, could fail to catch the employer’s attention or lead to a complete dismissal of your application.
Be Concise, But Don’t Forget the Details
Because of this one-page limitation, you’ll want to make sure that your letter concisely introduces yourself, explains why you are suitable for the position and invites a way to further discuss your qualifications. If it’s helpful for you, dedicate a single paragraph to each of the points you want to hit. The first paragraph is where you can introduce yourself and some of your accomplishments, the second can describe how your skills could fulfill their needs and the third can explain why you want to work for their company.
Do Your Research
Customize your cover letter to be of interest to the company. Carefully review the job posting, visit their website and find out what values and qualifications are important to them. Then be sure to highlight these key points in your cover letter. It may also be a good idea to use specific verbiage from the job posting, should the hiring company use AI to sort through their submissions.
You’ll also want to check if the job posting specifically requires you to include certain information or write in a certain format before submitting. Failure to listen to these kinds of instructions can also result in the dismissal of your application.
Proofread
Before you submit your cover letter, proofread it. Make sure the letter is free of grammar and spelling errors, especially simple ones that can be found by hitting the spell check button. Be sure your letter makes sense when it is read aloud. It may even be a good idea to have a trusted individual read it before making your final submission.
Still Need Help? Try This Template:
As you’re figuring out what information to include on your cover letter, you may want to follow this simple template to ensure you hit all of your talking points without providing too much or too little information:
- A greeting for the specific hiring manager, company or business.
- An opening sentence introducing yourself.
- A short paragraph consisting of two or three accomplishments specifically related to your job.
- A description of the key points of the job requirements and how you can fulfill them.
- A short explanation on why you want to work for the company.
- A thank you for reading the letter and an invitation to reach out to you via email or phone number.
- A closing sign off.
Once you’ve created your cover letter in the way you like it, save it for future reference. You might not want to send the exact same letter to every employer, but it can be a great resource to craft future cover letters for other job applications.
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