1. Personalize your cover letter
Above all, a great cover letter is personalized. When writing a great cover letter, address the letter to a specific person, if possible. Contact the organization to get the name and title of the appropriate person. If you cannot obtain a name, then use “Hiring Official”.
2. Keep your cover letter short
When writing a great cover letter, limit it to only one page. Write clearly and concisely in order to accomplish this. Challenge yourself to use as few words as possible.
3. Target your content to the opportunity
When writing a great cover letter, target your content to the specific opportunity. There may be content that is important to you but not relevant to the role. Share only content that is directly relevant to the role. While considering what content to include, ask yourself, “Why and how is this directly relevant to the role?”
4. Provide a concise introductory paragraph
When writing a great cover letter, focus on the experience that is most important to the role. For example,
With a strong track record of ____________, ______________, and __________, it is a pleasure to submit my resume for the role of __________________. Upon review, I believe you will recognize my skills and experiences position me as an excellent candidate.”
5. Include an achievement section
When writing a great cover letter, focus on achievements that are directly relevant to the role. Then create a bulleted list of those top achievements.
“My greatest achievements that are relevant to this opportunity are:
- Achievement #1
- Achievement #2
- …
6. Demonstrate you are also interested in the company
When writing a great cover letter, demonstrate to companies that you have the skills, experiences, and achievements to be successful. Demonstrate that you have researched the company. Show interest in both the company and the role. Finally, use your last paragraph to show interest in moving forward. For example:
“_____________ interests me as an organization that realizes the importance of __________________, which is the type of vision that has defined and propelled my career. I look forward to discussing your objectives and how we can work together to accomplish them.”
Final Thoughts
A cover letter cannot get you the job. However, it can get you an interview. Follow these six tips when writing a great cover letter. Check out our post on The Attention Getting Seven Section Resume and contact us for more information on building your career.
