A good cover letter should showcase how the company you can benefit from taking you on in the position you are applying for. To accomplish this, you can include all of the highlights about your skills and previous experience. We know this can be a broad set of instructions, but here are a few tips to help you hone in on the skills you need to write cover letters that will land you the interviews you want.
1. Don’t Rewrite Your Resume
Chances are, your employer has already read your resume, and we don’t want to waste precious advertisement space on your cover letter going over the same stuff.
2. Show Your Employer What You Can Bring to the Table
Your employer is going to want to know how you can benefit the company if they offer you the position. Demonstrate in writing relevant skills and experience that show you can benefit them.
3. Don’t Dwell on What You’re Missing Either
If you happen to lack some skills or experiences that would be good for the position, don’t focus on that. Stay focused on your strengths.
4. Use Concrete Proof
Stick some examples of your skills and experiences that can benefit the company. You can possibly use a story, testimonial, or numbers. Be creative and custom.
5. Use Proper Formality
Try to learn the company’s “voice” and write in a manner similar to it. Showing the company you can assimilate to their tone, language and culture can be a good way to show them that you’re a proper fit.
6. Cut to the Chase
Keep your cover letter short and sweet. Most employers will be reading tons of other cover letters. Don’t aggravate them with fluff, but do include the hiring manager’s name (if you don’t know it you can use “[the company’s name]” or “[the position’s name] hiring manager”).
7. When in Doubt…
Focus on the number one goal of STANDING OUT! Think of a resume and cover letter as an advertisement. You want to catch the reader’s eye and stand out from the rest.
See that we are missing some tips? Please comment and share below your own tricks up your sleeves!