Do you spend so much time and energy on your resume that you completely ignore your cover letter?
That’s a big mistake!
The well-written cover, not the resume that can single-handedly land you more job interviews. Using proven marketing strategies rarely found in a typical cover letter, you can use the cover letter to really market yourself to an employer.
You can only do so much with the traditional resume. However, the carefully crafted cover letter is more important to your getting a job than any other written document including the resume.
A highly effective job search cover letter consists of seven crucial fundamentals.
1. Address your cover letter to a real person! Do your best to find out TO WHOM you should address your cover letter. “Dear Manager” or “To Whom it May Concern” is both lifeless and causes your letter to float around the office instead of finding the desk of the hiring agent. You must add a personal salutation to your correspondence to increase your chances of its being seen by the right person.
2. Correct Address. Ensure that the address is 100% accurate and complete. Double-check everything even if you pulled the address from the phone book, a classified ad or the company website. Phone the company and verify the mailing address with the receptionist.
3. Begin with an attention-grabbing sentence that makes your reader really sit up and take notice. Just think – - the human resources person may have grown weary from sifting through the resumes of hundreds of people who have applied for the same position as you have. But your engaging first sentence will just make his day! And almost guarantee that your cover letter and resume get a much closer look.
4. Formatting. Your cover letter should be simple and easy to read. Remember, you are applying for a job. So, keep your cover letter professional looking by using a plain font on crisp, white paper.
5. Remember ”Less is more! The best cover letters have plenty of white space. A clear, focused, short and sweet letter gets you the interview every time.
6. Focus on what you can do for the employer. How can you benefit the company specifically? Do a little research and relate this value-added benefit simply and clearly in your letter.
7. Choose words that show enthusiasm and passion for the position you’re seeking. Then carry this passion into the interview with you.
8. Request one action you want the employer to take: “I would really like the opportunity for a personal interview this week.” (You never know until you ASK)!
9. End your cover letter with enthusiastic and compelling sentences, such as, “I look forward to being interviewed at your earliest convenience. Thank you so much for this opportunity. Sincerely, John Jobseeker.” (Notice how John assumes he’ll land the interview? This approach is clever, smart, and it works like a charm).
10. Tailor your cover letter to every job that you apply for. It’s not the number of cover letters (and resumes) that you send out. What matters is the quality of your cover letters (and resumes).
Think of your cover letter as a sales letter. And its goal? To land you job interviews. That’s the bottom line. By using the proven marketing strategies outlined above, you will land a great number of quality job interviews and leave your competition trailing in the dust.
You must get your foot in the company door first to have any chance at all. With the right cover letter, you can explode several doors wide open immediately. More job interviews translate into a wider range of opportunities and more job offers.
Lastly, you must apply another key principle: Follow up on every job lead, contact and communication. Following up is the “golden key” to getting hired for the job of your dreams. Use follow-up cover letters, thank-you letters and follow-up phone calls. Following up actually doubles your chance for success. It is also the one missing ingredient in nearly 99% of all job seekers’ handbooks. That means good news for you.
Tags: Business Writing, Cover letter
