Top 10 Tips on How to Write an Impressive Cover Letter?

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Top 10 Tips on How to Write an Impressive Cover Letter?

Top 10 Tips on How to Write an Impressive Cover Letter?
- Posted On 2024-08-26
What’s a Cover Letter, and How Is It Different from a Resume?

There is a lot of confusion about the difference between a cover letter and a resume, which we hope to clear up here.

A resume is a document that provides a prospective employer with a better understanding of who you are and your career objectives, qualifications, and work experiences for the job.

A cover letter, on the other hand, is a more detailed document that allows the prospective employer to connect the dots and see how your previous work experiences are relevant to the position that you are applying for. It is a more personal document than a resume. You should send both your resume and cover letter together when applying for a job.

The question is, does anyone read cover letters? Are they really important? Yes, they are important, and hiring managers always read cover letters. Next, let’s discuss why you need a cover letter. And how do you write the perfect cover letter that grabs attention?

Why do you need a cover letter?

A cover letter allows you to introduce yourself to an employer, present your qualifications, and explain why you should be hired for the job. When written well, it helps you stand out from the rest of the candidates and ensures that you get shortlisted for the interview. You should use your cover letter to show why you are a better fit for the position that you are applying for than the other candidates.

How to Write an Impressive Cover Letter?

Writing an effective cover letter that gets shortlisted for a job opportunity takes time, but it is something that simply has to be done. You must make it a point to personalize your cover letter, depending on the position that you are applying for. Doing so would indicate your seriousness and level of interest. We discuss this and more tips on how to write an impressive cover letter below.

#1: Don’t bore the reader with too many details. The HR staff in charge of hiring typically reads dozens of resumes and cover letters in just a few minutes. So they can only spend a few seconds on your cover letter. Don’t make the mistake of boring them with too many details. Keep the cover letter brief and to the point; never longer than a full page.

#2: Be precise with the opening lines. Don’t use clichés or lengthy opening statements. Get to the point very quickly. Don’t waste the reader’s time. Don’t be verbose or wordy. Avoid flowery language and stick to the point.

#3: Give them a good reason to shortlist you for the interview. Mention your educational and professional background and connect them to the job position that you are applying for, so that there’s no confusion as to why you are suitable for the job. Just pick out a few points from your resume that are relevant to the job description and show how they can help you fulfill the responsibilities or perform the tasks that are expected of you.

#4: Don’t just repeat or paraphrase what’s on the resume. The cover letter is a distinct document and should contain information about yourself that is not present in the resume. If there are things that are relevant to the job description but which you cannot write in the resume, include them in the cover letter. The cover letter adds to the resume; it should not simply repeat what’s already there in the resume. Show why you are such a great fit for the company.

#5: Focus on your skills, not just on your education. What are the valuable skills that you bring to the table? This can prove to be very important if your past work experiences don’t fit well with the position that you are applying for. The problem with many recent graduates, in particular, is that they emphasize their educational background at the cost of everything else. Well, here’s what you should know – hiring managers really care about your work experience and skills. Your education gets you a look-in, but that shouldn’t be the primary focus of the cover letter. Now, if you have any internship experience with a big company, that could prove to be important.

#6: Explain what you have to contribute. The cover letter should not just tell the hiring manager why you would be grateful for the job opportunity and how proud you would be to be a part of the company. Instead, it should show what you bring to the table, such as valuables skills and work experience. It should show why the employer can trust you to deliver the goods on a consistent basis. Essentially, a cover letter should not be about what the company can do for you, but what you can do for the company.

#7: Read the company’s mission statement, values, and objectives. Understand what the company stands for. Mention your skills and why they are relevant to the position you are applying for. Explain why the job is important to you and why you would be a good fit for the company.

#8: Use numbers and facts to good effect. Quote numbers and facts about your past achievements that show why you are such a good fit for the organization. Using numbers shows that you are result-oriented and have a good idea of what the employer is looking for.

It is not enough to say that you have held a certain position in the past and to talk about your responsibilities in that role. You should use facts and numbers to back up every single detail. Hiring managers love facts, so if worked as a salesperson in your previous job, don’t just talk about the responsibilities held by you, talk about how you made a difference. How many business laptops, for example, were you able to sell in your 2 years as a salesperson? Ultimately, your employers are looking for results and you should show that you are a result oriented person.

#9: Proofread and edit the cover letter as much as possible before sending it to the employer. Hire a professional proofreader on a freelancing website such as Elance.com or Upwork.com to check the document for grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. The cover letter must be 100% error-free.

#10: Customize your cover letter. Don’t just send the same standard cover letter to every company or position that you apply for. Put some thought and originality into each one. Customize it to fit a particular company or a position. Hiring managers hate getting stock cover letters that have been obviously distributed to every company in the industry. That shows that you don’t care enough and are not really serious about the opportunity on offer.

Use the tips given here to write an impressive cover letter. Just remember to be honest in the cover letter. Recruiting managers are very experienced at separating truth from fiction. Just be yourself and put your best foot forward. You will surely get the interview call that you are waiting for.