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Job-Friendly Cover Letter Tips
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In my first article
in this series (part-1) I disclosed the importance of cover letter and some
valuable tips on how to write it effectively. Now in the second part of this
series I’m going to testify what virtual thinking, points of attention and
professional standards are required before writing a cover letter that makes
you an alpha candidate before the interviewers.
Need not to say cover letter
is your door opening tool that should be ready, handy and versatile with the
line of reasoning. Here are some facts that can hardly be ignored.
1. Become a
sales person
Think
of yourself as a sales person when you are writing your cover letter. Think
about it as your sales letter, in which you need to convince someone to buy a
product. The product here is you, and if you focus on the benefits that they
can enjoy in hiring you, then you can increase your chances of being selected.
2. Imagine that
you are the employer
After writing your cover
letter, set it aside for a couple of days, and research more about your
potential employer. When you read it again, try to pretend that you are the
employer, and see if the letter would be able to impress you. If it can, then
it is a sign that you can submit it for the job application soon.
3. You
cover letter should be addressed to a specific person.
Starting your cover letter with
Dear Sir or Dear Manager is not something that can impress the employer. With
that, you have to do your best to find out about the name of the person that
you should address it to. By doing that, you are making it more personal, which
can score some great points with your employer.
4. Do not
forget to use a good introduction
The first sentence of your
cover letter should be something that can grab the reader’s attention. Keep in
mind that your employer can be reading hundreds of resumes and cover letters
each day. Thus, if you can’t grab his attention through your letter’s first
sentence, then he may not be able to give your letter and your resume a closer
look.
5. Let your
employer know what you can do for him
Do not forget the fact that an
employer is looking for someone to hire, in order for that employee to provide
something to the company. In other words, you should let him know how the
company can benefit in hiring you, so that you can have the chance of being
hired. Do your research, and indicate what skills and talents you have that the
company can benefit from, so that you would improve your chances.
6. Be aware
of the common mistakes of generic cover letters.
When you have a generic form of
a cover letter, in most cases, you only need to edit certain details to it,
such as the date, the name that you are addressing it to, and such. However,
this is actually one of the things that can make you commit a mistake in
submitting it. If you forget to change these details, then you cannot expect
your potential employer to call you for an interview. Thus, you should refrain
from using these types of cover letters, so that you can prevent such mistakes
to happen.
7. Express your
long term interest in the job you are applying for
In
preparing your cover letter, you need to let your potential employer get the
idea that you are interested in working for him for a long term engagement.
Keep in mind that most employers do not want to go through a hiring process all
the time. Thus, if you can subtly express your long term interest, then you
would be able to improve your chances for it.
8. Imagine
what your employer is thinking
In order to have a very
effective cover letter, you should imagine what the reader is thinking when you
are writing it. In most cases, your employer would be thinking about why he
should be hiring you. Thus, make sure that your letter provides him the reasons
to hire you, so that he would do so.
9. Your
unique selling proposition
Some people have no clue about
the most important thing that they have to include in the cover letter. It is
actually your unique selling proposition. This is where you need to let your
potential employer know why you are a better choice for them to make, than the
other applicants for the job.
10. Leave
the ball in your potential employer’s court
In writing and submitting your
cover letter, think of it as your action, in which your reader would have to
react to. With that, you should come up with a letter that has a call to
action. In other words, before ending it, state that you are requesting for an
interview. Aside from that, you can also be proactive and state that you are
going to make a follow up by giving them a call.
What do you think your talent
or your personality should
be focused on cover letter?
