How to Write a Cover Letter

How to Write a Cover Letter That Will Make You the Most Desired Employee?

 2019 Jun 04  Writing Tips

Things to Remember of Before You Start

Let’s assume that you are truly excited about getting the position you are applying for. To win the race, you need to leave all the other candidates behind, which means that you need to present an effective cover letter, and your cover letter must be literally outstanding.

So don’t be lazy and never ever use all those ready templates or pre-written cover letters. In most cases, your cover letter matters more than the resume itself.

Also, note that after reading your cover letter, HR must have a complete idea of who you are and why you are the best candidate. They just want to hire you!

What is a Cover Letter? Useful Hints and Distinctive Features

Unlike resume which is simply informative and laconic, the cover letter informs more about your personal features and describes you as a professional worker. The main goal of it is to be memorable and catch an eye because an HR reads dozens if not hundreds of resumes and cover letters every day. To achieve that, it needs to meet several clauses:

• You must write a new cover letter any time you apply for a job. Using old samples will only show your lack of professionalism and true interest
• When writing a cover letter, its format must correspond the company you want to work for
• Your cover letter shall be visually well organized and present its information in understandable order

Writing Process. How to Avoid Mistakes. Composition of a Cover Letter

To make your writing readable, you need to know how to write a cover letter for a job. Here are some easy steps that may be handy.

1. Your cover letter has to consist of an introduction, the examples of job you have done and a brief conclusion. In exactly the same order as stated
2. Tell precisely how your experience and skills can come useful for your perspective employer
3. Give convincing arguments of why you want to work for this company. Speak truly instead of stuffing your paper with overused words
4. Avoid common phrases like “I’m extremely good at solving problems”. Instead, tell about the particular problem that you have solved successfully using your skills and experience
5. Use proper tone. A cover letter for a law firm will be different from the one supposed for a startup
6. Be absolutely honest. About everything
7. Avoid cliché and common words. Simply find some fresh synonyms!
8. End your cover letter in a way that will make an HR to contact you. But don’t be too persistent.
9. Always proofread your cover letter after it is finished. There is nothing worse than sending a cover letter full of mistakes
10. When composing a cover letter, address HR by name using “Mr.” or “Ms.”. if it is a serious company you are applying for, it is better to sound official, while in more casual cases it’s quite acceptable to use the last name (for example, “Dear Meghan”). In case you are not quite sure about the manager’s name and title, better skip this part
11. What you must never mention in your cover letter is how this position can be useful for you. Instead, tell the HR of the benefits the company will get from hiring you as one of their specialists
12. When writing about your experience, put the most important skills that are essential for the desired position first
13. It is not necessary to focus on your education. What matters most is your work experience, while you can hand in your diplomas after they hire you
14. It is nice to use some numbers and/or diagrams when telling about your skills and experience. They will make your letter look professional and serious. Statistics are always winning

What to Finish With

So, you have finally finished your cover letter. Now it is time to read it all once again in order to check how it sounds and whether it is easy to read enough.
On the final stage of writing it is possible to find that your cover letter is a way to long. Then, think of which parts or sentences you can get rid of. Remember that it must be short and laconic.

Also, it would be nice to put something strong into the last paragraph to highlight how much enthusiastic you are. For example, you can say that you feel very passionate about the company’s aim or mission, and mention that you could fit this job perfectly, and why.

Don’t forget to check the spelling and grammar of your writing. Also, if there are any specific formatting requirements from the employer, make certain that you have met them all. Especially it matters for a job that requires high writing skills. You don’t want to leave an expression of a careless and inattentive person, right?
One more useful tip is to leave your cover letter aside for a while. After a couple of hours get back to it – you may notice some points you would like to change or improve.

And please remember that you shall not wait long before submitting your cover letter! Right after you make sure it is properly written and formatted, and there are no mistakes in it, send it off according to the requirements mentioned on the company’s web site. Procrastination will only keep you away from the job you want.

And let’s hope that these tips for how to write a cover letter will help you to get the job of your dream!

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