Your cover letter introduces you to a hiring manager. It helps the manager form an impression of you as a candidate.
Your cover letter also highlights why you are the best candidate for the position. This impacts whether you are contacted for an interview.
As a result, you want your cover letter to be as effective as possible. The following suggestions can help.
Implement these six tips to help your cover letter stand out from all the rest.
1. Address the Hiring Manager
There are many ways to find the hiring manager’s name and include it in your greeting.
- Check the job posting for the hiring manager’s name.
- Use LinkedIn to determine the hiring manager.
- Call the company to ask for the hiring manager’s name and title.
2. Promote Yourself
Share your enthusiasm for the position and company.
- Relate your skills and experience to the job description and qualifications.
- Demonstrate why you are best suited for the role.
- Comment on the company mission or leadership to show you researched the organization.
- Ask to follow up about the position.
3. Be Concise
Limit your cover letter to three paragraphs focused on different parts of your resume.
- Begin with an attention-grabbing introduction that shows your enthusiasm for the role and organization.
- Mention the employee who referred you, if applicable.
- Highlight your most important skills, experience, and accomplishments that relate to the position.
- Explain why you are well-qualified for the role.
- State how you would add value to the organization.
- Thank the hiring manager for their consideration.
- Request a call or interview to follow up.
4. Customize Your Cover Letter
Tailor your cover letter to the role and company.
- Tie the most important parts of the position to your skills and experience.
- Point out how your contributions would be unique.
- Use numbers to emphasize your accomplishments relevant to the role.
- Demonstrate your knowledge of the industry, company, and type of position.
5. Emphasize Your Accomplishments
Demonstrate how your achievements can benefit the company.
- Share examples of the projects you worked on, the results you achieved, and how they impacted the organization.
- Include the awards and recognition you received from previous employers.
- Show you are a top performer who wants to grow along with the company.
6. Use Keywords
Pepper throughout your cover letter keywords and key phrases from the job description.
- Keywords help your cover letter and resume pass an applicant tracking system (ATS).
- The ATS scans for keywords to determine how closely a cover letter and resume match the skills and experience needed for the position.
- The appropriate cover letters and resumes are sent to the hiring manager for review.
- The hiring manager contacts the selected candidates for an interview.
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