Applying for a new job can be stressful. You have to update your existing resume. If you do not have a resume, you have to create one. Along with the resume, you have to draft a cover letter as well. Writing a cover letter can be an additional headache but cover letters are very important especially if you are considering a career change. Although resumes are a great way to present your experience, cover letters help you explain that you possess all the skills to do this job. The following tips will be helpful in drafting a good cover letter
1- Catchy opening line
Tell a story, ask a question, mention a time when you pulled it off so well. Don’t go for all those typical lines saying “I am good for this job because”. These lines are very old school and almost every candidate uses them. Your cover letter should consist of a story that makes you relatable with the job. Your writing should attract the hiring manager rather than put them off.
2- Introduce yourself, please
How would you like to market yourself? Imagine if you have only one minute to describe yourself, what skills will you mention?
For example, are you a number of persons who can crunch numbers and present them in a way that can help the executives make better decisions? Are you an exceptional graphic designer with technical skills and you can combine both powers to fit in the job? A cover letter is your opportunity to present your skills and stand out.
Do not over-explain. Use experience from your last job to prove that you are the best fit for this job. Use structured sentences to define all your skills in a few lines.
3- Why do you want to apply for this job
If this is your first job or a career switch, the hiring managers are very interested to know what attracted you to do this job. Why did you want to be a part of this organization? What made you leave your last job? How much research have you done about the products or services of this company? Give the hiring manager a little idea into why you are interested in this job.
4- Transferable skills
Hiring managers have a very busy schedule as they have to skim through thousands of resumes to find that one right fit for the job. So do not swamp them with irrelevant details as they will ignore your resume without even reviewing it. Make it easy for them to connect the dots and find the information that they are looking for.
Pick out 5 skills that you possess and are required in this job. Mention them in bullet points. Bullets are easy to read and try to avoid large paragraphs. Explain how your experience relates to these skills and share examples of when you practiced these skills and got the results. The easiest way to impress a hiring manager is by stating facts and numbers.
5- Summarize
The preceding paragraphs were making a case for the job. The last few lines should be the closing argument. Make sure you stick to the topic while closing your cover letter and maintain your tone showing how thrilled you are to start this job. Highlight all that you could do for the company and how you resonate with the company culture.
Sample Cover Letters
File Format: MS Word (.docs) Size – Kb | Download
