"How to Transform a Boring Note Into A Killer Cover Letter -
Part I"
"How to Transform a Boring Message Into A Killer Cover Letter -
Part I"
The AIDA formula is as old as dirt. It was taught when I was in
school over a decade ago. And it's still being taught for good
reason - it works! When you apply it to your cover letter, it
has the power to transform a regular cover letter into an
attention-grabbing "Killer Cover Letter" that'll make your phone
ring off the hook.
AIDA is an acronym. It stands for Attention, Interest, Desire,
and Action. It describes the process marketers want to take
their prospect through in order to make a sale.
In this case, the prospect is the hiring manager and you're
selling yourself in the sense that you want the hiring manager
to contact you for an interview. So I'm going to show you how to
grab the hiring manager's attention, create interest, arouse
desire, and ultimately get him or her to take action (pick up
the phone and call you for an interview).
By the way, I've tested this killer "System" so I know it works.
Ready to get started? Then let's go.
Attention
The first thing you need to do is grab the reader's attention.
You must get the reader's attention before he or she can become
interested and desirous of your offer to come in for an
interview. We're all busy and we all have several things going
on in our lives. So how do you cut through the clutter and grab
the reader's attention?
There are several ways actually. One way is to create an
attention-grabbing opening sentence or headline as copywriters
call it. Think of it like the headlines in newspapers and
magazines. You choose which articles to read by quickly glancing
at the headlines, don't you?
So why not put an attention-grabbing headline on your cover
letter? Most cover letters don't have an attention-grabbing
opening sentence so the mere fact that your cover letter even
has a headline separates you from the pack and draws attention
to your message, wouldn't you agree?
Let's say you're walking along a crowded street and you spot a
friend of yours on the other side of the street. Let say his
name is Joe. How do you get Joe's attention? You could start
jumping up and down and yelling, "Hey! Over Here!" That might
work. A better way would be to yell "Hey Joe! Over Here!" That'd
be more likely to catch Joe's attention, wouldn't it? Because he
hears his name. Personalization increases response dramatically.
Now let's take that thought and apply it to your headline.
Adding personalization to your headline is a great idea. Use the
recipient's name right there in the headline. It makes the
message more personal and increases the chance the message is
read.
Let's take that one step further. Say you're looking for a job
as a nurse and you know the hiring manger's name is Susan. Susan
is understaffed and looking for nurses. So give Susan an
attention-grabbing headline to open your cover letter.
How about this, "Susan, Finally! A Nurse Who Can Do More Than
Take A Temperature! But don't stop there. Make it big and bold.
Remember, it's a headline. Make sure Susan notices the headline.
Grab Susan's attention.
How could Susan possibly not notice that headline strategically
placed at the top of your cover letter? And you can take that
simple concept and apply it to a cover letter to any hiring
manager for any job.
So work on an attention-grabbing opening sentence and in Part II
we'll talk about interest, desire, and action.
To Your Extreme Success, Robert A Phillips