When applying for a job, your cover letter is just as important as your CV – it helps potential employers get to know you and to understand more about why you applied for their vacancy. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to stand out and, though cover letter writing is no exact science, there are tips and tricks to utilise that will increase your chances of getting taken forward to the next stage of the hiring process.
Here are Optimum Recruitment’s recommended ways to whip your cover letter into shape:
Put your personality into it
Hiring managers or recruiters are reviewing potentially hundreds of cover letters, so yours needs to stand out. Make your cover letter sound like it comes from a real person, not a corporate robot. Match the tone of your letter to the company’s tone – if they are chatty and humorous, you may want to be less formal and match their conversational tone. Just make sure that, if you do dip into humour, it remains appropriate.
Capture the reader’s attention
Your cover letter needs to grab attention quickly if it’s going to be read. Include something in the very first paragraph (the second sentence ideally) that catches the reader’s eye. It might be a big achievement of yours or a bold statement that reflects the requirements in the ad. Whatever you use, ensure it’s included as early as possible.
Talk about your achievements
You may want to list your top three achievements out as bullet points if they are relevant to the role. Not only are bullet points easy to scan and likely to catch the eye, but your achievements are more likely to get you noticed than your experience at this very early stage.
Use keywords from the job ad
Read the job advertisement and make sure that you reflect the keywords they’ve used back to the employer. If you’re not sure which keywords to incorporate, read the ad and make a tally of the words they use most often, as these are likely to be the most critical.
Use a testimonial
If you have a great testimonial on LinkedIn, from a previous client or even a glowing review from an employer, feel free to use it in your cover letter. Just remember to keep it short and sweet.
Cut it down
Cover letters that err on the longer side simply won’t be read. Five chunky paragraphs will be daunting to someone who has 100 more cover letters to get through. One good way to cut it down is to step away from your cover letter and come back later with fresh eyes. If nothing jumps out at you, it’s likely too dense and needs further editing. You can also follow a formula: one short introductory paragraph; a few lines about your accomplishments; another paragraph that speaks about why you want the role and why you’d be a good fit; and a final short paragraph that covers off anything else you want to include.
Proof-read… and proof-read again!
Typos and grammatical errors are not acceptable in a cover letter. If an employer sees these errors, they may assume you don’t think the cover letter or the application to be particularly important, or that you don’t have good attention to detail. Proof-read multiple times, run through a spellcheck program and get a friend to check it for you.
By utilising these top tips, you’ll increase your chances of progressing through the application process. Just remember to tailor your cover letter to each application… every single time. It seems laborious, but it’s the best possible way to get noticed. If you’re looking for further support in your job hunt, and you’d like to hear about potential opportunities that aren’t advertised anywhere else, please do get in touch with the experts at Optimum Recruitment.
Recent Comments