The Secret to a Great Cover Letter

True, not all recruiters read covering letters, but most recruiters will notice if there isn’t one there – the absence of a covering letter could be perceived as a lack of effort or real interest in their company. By the same taken a poorly written, generic cover letter will also not impress the recruiter as the recruiter may think that you are adopting a scatter-gun approach to your job applications.

Irrespective of whether it is asked for, the most effective applications should contain an effectively written cover letter in accompaniment to your CV. In this article, we outline several tips which can help you to produce an effect and powerful cover letter.

1.)  Address the cover letter to a specific contact person to ensure it is directed to the right person; it also helps to show that you are specifically interested in that role and company and not scatter-gunning. You can get the contact from the job posting or by calling the company if it is not available.

2.)   At the top of the cover letter, ensure that you place the job-title and reference number where applicable. If there is enough room, you should also mention where you saw the position advertised and on what date. Once again, this will demonstrate thoroughness and genuine interest to the recruiter. Also companies will be advertising in a variety of locations and they like to know which adverts are most effective at attracting applicants.

3.)   Before writing the cover letter, do your background research into the organisation to understand its business strategy and business plan. For example, is the business looking to expand into a new region, or about to develop a new product or just won an award? Then when writing the cover letter it can help to make references to the company’s business plan or products at pertinent points of the letter, to help demonstrate your enthusiasm and awareness of their business.

For example, you might mention something like, ‘Having noticed that your business will be expanding into Europe, I would like to outline my proficiency and fluency in German and French.’

4.)  Terminology and Style: review the terminology and style of the job advert and of the company website and try to match this style when writing your cover letter.

For example, if the job advert and website are written in an informal upbeat style then match that tone.

5.)   Structure: you should use the opening paragraph to explain why you are writing, to indicate which position you are applying for and how you heard about the role. You should also explain to them what you find interesting about the position. In the middle paragraph, you should explain the value you can bring to the organisation. The most effective way to do this is to review the job description and establish the top four qualities/skills/attitudes required for the position. You should them summarize your own skills, achievements and competencies in each of these four areas.

6.  Ending the letter: close the cover letter by explaining what your next step will be. This could be that you will follow-up with a call or that you may simply wait for the employer’s response.  End the letter on a positive upbeat note with a statement like, ‘I look forward to discussing the role in more detail with you!’.

Final words: the goal of a covering letter is to show that you have specific individual interest  in the company you are applying too and that your skills are especially well matched to the role they have on offer. Try and keep this in mind while writing the letter.