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Writing great cover letters can be a daunting task. You’ve spent hours perfecting your resume, days scoping out possible jobs, and years accumulating experience you need to summarize on ONE page! Naturally, the question is how to do this. More importantly, how to do it well. These 5 tips will help guide you in the right direction.
Don’t Just Reproduce Your Resume
Remember, a cover letter is meant to clarify why YOU are the most suitable candidate for the job. Your resume is a summary of your skills and experience but isn’t tailored to any one job. Your cover letter, however, is. It should highlight the unique skills and talents which make you perfect for the role. It’s also a great place to add any information that you couldn’t fit on your resume.
Highlight Key Accomplishments from Your Resume
We always advise adding key accomplishments to your resume. In your cover letter, you have an opportunity to select and display the most suitable accomplishments for the job you’re applying for. This outlines to the recruiter your competency in a particular area and they will more drawn to read the rest of your resume!
Stress Your Skills
Education is a necessity these days, not a highlight. The vast majority of those entering the work force have post-secondary education and many and up in fields different than what they studied. This is why the emphasis of skills is especially important. As a potential employee, they need to see what you’re capable of in a professional setting. This can include skills acquired as part of projects or co-ops you did during school, or in previous jobs.
Explain Your Motivation for The Job
Your cover letter and application can really stand it if you emphasize the motivation behind your application. You can mention what has brought you to the company and why you’re applying for the position. This should be short and precise but enough to clearly indicate your interest and intentions.
Kendall Pate, the head of HR at UK Top Writers, says, “It can be so much more attractive and engaging for a recruitment manager to read through a cover letter that tells a story, rather than generic cover letter content that every other applicant has sent. Make yourself stand out.”
Be Yourself
It sounds cliché but it’s true. If you are genuine and sincere it works to your advantage to share this passion with your potential employer. Enthusiasm in a cover letter goes a long way. Be expressive in your cover letter while customizing it to the job you are applying for.
There you have it! Five easy ways to optimize your cover letter and stand out from the swarm of other applicants. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks to help you get the job you want.
Happy job hunting!