Career Advice Series Part 5: Crafting an Impressive Cover Letter
Now that
you’ve invested your time in ensuring that your digital presence, CV and LinkedIn profile are all
in shipshape; and you have all the basics down of how to search for the perfect career opportunity,
it’s important that the hard work doesn’t stop now. When employers are sifting
through hundreds of good CVs, creating an impactful cover letter will make all
the difference in catching the eye of hiring managers and making yourself stand
out from the crowd.
Crafting an Impressive Cover Letter
A great
cover letter will go a long way towards helping you secure an interview as it
will make sure you set yourself apart from fellow applicants in a very positive
way. Although writing cover letters can be time consuming, providing one
alongside your CV will show prospective employers that you really want the job.
To make sure you have the best cover letter we’ve put together a few tips to
help you get the job of your dreams...
Tailor
to fit the job
First
off, under no circumstances should you be using the same cover letter for
different job applications. Make sure each letter is tailored to the job and
company in question, with specific examples of skills and achievements that
will be of benefit to the specific role you’re applying for, and how your
personality will suit the culture of business. Copy and pasting the same
generic cover letter for every role will make you look lazy and bore the
reader. Remember – your cover letter is your first chance to shine, so do not make
it dull!
Presentation
matters
Your
cover letter is not a casual introduction but a formal one. You should keep the
formatting style to that of a business letter and make sure you include your
address, the employers address, your phone number and email contact. Stick to
easy to read fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman – not too large and not too
small – a font size of 10 or 12 is ideal.
Keep
it short and sweet
Concise,
punchy, and clear language is paramount in making sure your potential future
employer will look through your CV. Keep your information to either half a page
or one page and nothing more – nobody has the time to read through long letters
when there is such a high volume of applications. Make sure you introduce
yourself and make a note of the job you’re applying for.
It’s
about them, not you
Try not
to put too much focus on how the job will benefit you. Remember, employers are
looking for someone who can help to achieve their business goals – they are not
there to help fulfil your own objectives. Although you can note how the job
fits with your own aims it’s better to stick with writing about how your skills
will be of benefit to the employer and the specific job role in question.
Nobody
likes a ‘Negative Nancy’
Although
employers are always looking for an element of self-awareness and will often
question you on your weaknesses in interviews, this does not mean this is the
first thing you should be pointing out in the cover letter. Your cover letter
should focus on the skills and abilities that you have. If you have experience
in the job role you are applying for it’s a good idea to mention it – however,
if you do not, it’s probably best not to point this out.
Highlight
any transferrable skills you’ve gleaned from your previous work and how they
are transferrable to the role you are applying for – it’s always a good idea to
demonstrate these skills by using a recent example. Although it might be
tempting to point out your areas of improvement this is not going to help you
secure your interview. Be confident in what you are saying and highlight your
capabilities – you can talk about areas of improvement in the interview – if
you are asked.
Don’t
forget to say thanks
When
rounding off your letter it’s imperative to thank the employer for reading your
application. Thank them for their time and note that you will look forward to
hearing from them.
Make sure
you end the letter appropriately. Sign off ‘yours faithfully’ if you do not
know the name of the hiring manager, or ‘yours sincerely’ if you do know it.
To ensure
you’re as prepared as possible, check out the previous instalments of our career
advice series, where we’ve covered topics from managing your digital footprint and
writing the most effective CV, to
bringing you advice on how
you can find the perfect career for you.
Keep your
eyes peeled for the next instalment, where we will be providing you with our
expert tips on how you can prepare for the all-important first interview.
For the latest
jobs, employment news and career advice, make sure to follow social media
channels:
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Publish date: April
2018