Cover letters are notoriously tricky things. Recruiters are only human and have very short attention spans – if you haven’t grabbed them within the first thirty seconds, assume your letter will end up on the rejection pile. Your cover letter needs to shout ‘hire me’, so here are the key things to remember when you write yours:
- Research – Know your facts. Research the company you are applying to and demonstrate that you know their business almost as well as they do.
- Name-drop – If you can find the name of the person with the power, address the letter to them. The personal touch will make it stand out from the other letters written by candidates just blanket bombing firms.
- Tailor it – Don’t be tempted to simply copy and paste. Address the key criteria for each individual job description and give them examples to show how your skills and experience meet them. Upsell yourself as much as possible.
- Keep it short and sweet – One side of A4 hits the sweet spot. Any shorter and you’ve probably not addressed the key points; any longer and the reader will simply switch off.
- Keep it professional – Never use slang and try not to lapse into awful corporate clichés. Chances are they’ve read hundreds of letters from ‘team players’ and ‘blue sky thinkers’, they don’t need another one from you.
- Read it back – Always read over your letter before you send it out, or better yet, get someone else to read it. Spelling mistakes and sloppy grammar are a no-no which will turn them right off. Be articulate, be accurate.
- Tell them when you can start – People like to know how soon they can get you through the door if they like you. Try to be flexible, it improves your chances.
The cover letter is your golden opportunity to make a strong first impression. Like a stand-out CV it should hit them between the eyes and make it impossible for them to turn you down.
If you’re sending it off by snail mail then printing your letter on plain A4 is fine – nobody expects fancy coloured or headed paper these days. Remember, though, that if you’re pinging off an email, the cover letter should go in the main body of the message rather than as an attachment.
If you heed just one piece of advice, it’s to always make your letter fit the job. The ultimate cover letter crime is not reading the job description and sending out a generic and dull list of reasons why you want the position. Make it as focused as possible and you’re sure to grab their attention.