Writing a cover letter is mundane, repetitive and time consuming but a highly significant aspect of any job application. The process of writing an effective cover letter can be a daunting experience. With so much to do and so little time, applicants often find themselves overwhelmed. We stand by you as you try to land your dream job and try to figure out the best way to impress the hiring managers with your cover letter.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be a lengthy and boring process. This article breaks the process of writing an effective cover letter down in five simple steps that will help you impress the hiring managers at your dream company.

Simple Steps to Write a Cover Letter:

• Basics - Your Name, Address, Date, Recipient’s Name & Other Details.
• Introduction - The most crucial aspect of a cover letter.
• Lay the groundwork with your background & explain your intent to apply.
• Stand Out - Explain your research and show them what you can offer.
• Conclude with your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) & your signature. Stay authentic.

Basics: Your Details & Recipient’s Details

Just like any formal letter, a cover letter also has a specific format to follow. In the era of email, millennials and Gen-Z especially tend to overlook the importance of following the rules. The thing is that hiring managers probably go through a myriad of such cover letters every week. While standing out and being unique is important, it is also your responsibility to ensure they put in as less effort as possible to understand your candidature.

The best way to do that is by staying within the rules and following the format. This ensures that the hiring manager can easily find the important aspects of the letter without having to read it all.

Introduction: Most Significant

Your introduction is not just your basic background or who you are professionally but also a tool to help the hiring manager get to know you a little before the PI kicks in. This is a great way to stand out in the crowd and make sure that the recruiters get to know just enough about you to be impressed.

Include things like your most relatable pastime activity that links to your profession, how you identify as a person socially, your current position/academic background, etc. in just a line or two.

Your Background & Intent to Apply

While your introduction would have seemed like the right place to share this, your background actually deserves a paragraph of its own. Keep it simple and snappy.

Remember that there is no need to share everything about your life. Share everything related to the position you apply for. That is all that's important.

Additionally, this is a great chance for an applicant to explain the reasons why they might be applying to a specific job. This could be anything ranging from the job profile to the company culture. Make sure to share the relevant information.

Be Unique with What You Can Offer

Most applicants would make the mistake of simply mentioning their skills and past experiences over and over again in a cover letter. Those details are anyway a part of your resume, though. Using this additional document to the best of its usage would mean to share things that are nowhere to be found on the resume.

Research the company well and find out any loopholes in their systems related to your job profile that you can. Go as far as reading any news updates about the company. Speak to a few people from your potential team and find where they lack. Build strategies to fill those gaps and rectify those problems. Share your ideas/strategies in the cover letter.

Conclude with Your USP

Your Unique Selling Proposition should naturally be unique to you. It need not be a technical skill however it should make you stand out somehow in your field of work. For eg. an applicant in finance can have all the knowledge of financial tools, analytics, the market and more but a company might be looking for someone who can also function as a liaison between finance and payroll (HR). If you hold any such skills, close with that USP. This could range from anything such as being exceptionally fluent in English, knowing a few more languages or having excellent communication skills or the experience of running a firm of your own sometime in the past.

The most important thing to understand here is that there is no right or wrong way to do this. The only rule to follow is the format of writing; whatever makes you unique is what’s actually written in the letter.

Don’t rush it. Tell the truth and explain it well. Keep it precise to ensure that the recruiter stays till the end.

Find help with your cover letter by visiting our Career Resources page on jobtrees.com

 

Happy writing!!