15 Tips for Writing a Great Cover Letter
Your cover letter, in combination with a winning resume, is your
primary self-promotional tool and should reflect your main
strengths as they apply specifically to the position you are
interested in. The following are 15 ways to ensure that your
application gets noticed!
1. Be concise. Cover letters should be reasonably short and
to-the-point. Generally 3 to 4 paragraphs will do to introduce
yourself, state what position you are applying for, and why they
should choose you. Recruiters almost always have a ton of
applications to go through and do not have time to process long
documents.
2. Be creative. You would like to make an impression, without
getting off topic. What makes you uniquely qualified for the
job? Describe your skills in a way that brings them to life.
3. Sell yourself. Show what you have to offer. Give clear
examples of your past performance and what you are capable of at
this point in your career.
4. Do your homework. Find out as much as you can about the
company, the position and the person they hope to hire, then
explain exactly how you intend to benefit their organization
using their own criteria. Show that you care enough to do this
kind of investigating ahead of time.
5. Use examples. Demonstrate how past experience and
accomplishments could specifically benefit their organization.
6. Show a little personality. You are giving a prospective
employer a glimpse of the person behind the paper; try to give
an accurate sense of who you are. How well do you fit into their
corporate culture?
7. Personalize. Try to address your letter to a real person;
find out who is in charge of hiring, and/or their title. Once
again, this kind of attention to detail will set you apart.
8. Be professional. Maintain an appropriately formal format and
tone.
9. Use a writing style that is appropriate, yet distinctive. Do
not be afraid to use humor in small doses if this reflects who
you are, or if you have a particularly relevant anecdote.
10. Customize. Write a different letter for each position, or
at least modify the details to maximize your use of pertinent
information.
11. Attention to detail. Don't skip important steps such as
proof-reading, spell-checking, and including the date, position
title, and your up-to-date contact information.
12. Show some enthusiasm. Employers want to attract employees
who will contribute positive energy to their work environments.
13. Pay attention to the flow of your letter. Try to avoid
beginning each paragraph with "I." And keep paragraphs short.
14. Show sincere interest, without excessive embellishment.
Qualify your claims, showing how past experience demonstrates
your dedication to a shared cause, etc.
15. Be honest about your experience, not overly humble or
exaggerating. You want to get the interview, but not only to
have them discover that you are not who you claimed to be.