The use of the cover letter is to wrap the curriculum vitae or resume. It needs to be concise to draw the attention of the interviewer.
There are many things you need to keep in mind while designing a cover letter for the job you most desire.
The cover letter can be used to market yourself to the interviewers. You need to be wise and tactful to make the best use of the cover letter to bag the job.
Here are some tips and suggestions about the different things you can mention about yourself in the cover letter.
Following these guidelines will help you have greater chances of bagging the job.
How to Frame the Cover Letter?
The cover letter is getting obsolete with the advancement of technology. The modern generation fails to understand the significance and effectiveness of a cover letter.
Those who belong to the old school or understand its importance use cover letters to create a lasting impression on the interviewers.
Here are some tips to keep in mind regarding the format of the cover letter.
1. Make it Concise:
The cover letter is just a letter that provides an introduction to the resume you have attached. The cover letter should thus be precise and concise.
Huge cover letters do not interest interviewers. You need to make sure you include all the vital facts about yourself in as less words as possible.
The usual length of a cover letter is three paragraphs. The first paragraph should be a general introduction to yourself.
You may speak of any job reference if you have been referred to the position by someone from your circles. The second paragraph should include facts about your skills, abilities and experience.
You may also have a sentence that shows the interviewer you have researched about the job profile before applying.
The last paragraph should conclude effectively with a request to be called for the interview for the particular job position.
2. Use Effective Sentences:
The concise nature of the cover letter makes it necessary that you use effective sentences that create an impact on the interviewer.
Depending on the job position for which you have applied, you may use technical terms or high standard vocabulary.
Senior level engineers or others from the technical background can speak of the skills they acquired in technical terms.
People who are into roles related to communication may choose to select superior English to impress the interviewers and bag the job.
You need to get rid of the old style English sentences. Be direct and crisp in your speech. No one has time for long and confusing sentences. Keep this in mind when you select sentences for your cover letter text.
3. Cover All Important Aspects:
The cover letter should be concise but it should include all the vital aspects even in few words.
Do have a sentence that reveals your experience and interest in the particular job profile. Do not forget to include the name of the person who referred you for the position.
You should also reveal in a sentence why the job in the particular firm appeals to you. This will give the interviewer an idea that you have researched about the job before applying for the position.
The interviewers always have a soft corner for candidates who research about the opening before applying. It gives them an impression that the candidate knows what he is opting.
4. Conclude Effectively:
The cover letter can only create a lasting impression if it is ended effectively in few sentences. The right choice of words make sure an impact is created.
It is best to check out different cover letter samples before you conclude your own cover letter.
If you lack confidence in your writing abilities, you may seek professional help to furnish your cover letter.
How to Market Yourself in the Cover Letter?
You can use the cover letter to market yourself and make it stand out among the competition.
Individuals who do not know this trick fail to get the right job inspite of possessing the potential.
Here are some tips and suggestions that will help you market yourself in the cover letter.
1. Be Grammar Perfect:
Mistakes in cover letters can harm your career more than help it. If you are attaching a cover letter to your resume, make sure it is checked for language and grammar.
Grammar errors usually create a very bad impact on the minds of the interviewers. You may opt for simple sentences.
Avoid the use of passive sentences as it does not easily convey the message to the readers. It is a great idea to avoid the use of infinitives.
2. Have a Positive Tone:
You may not realize the great impact your tone or way of presenting facts have on the minds of the interviewers.
People always look for candidates who have a positive attitude or approach. The cover letter could be concise but even it could reflect what your true attitude is.
You must focus on your positive traits and abilities that make you an ideal choice for the position.
Another tip would be to avoid the use of negative words and replace them with positive words.
These minor things could also affect the decision of the interviewers and it is better to be careful with your choices.
3. Recheck Before you Send:
The cover letter plays an important role in the entire job seeking process. It is thus a great idea to check the cover letter once again before you send it.
Check various different aspects like language, length, formatting and other details. Send only once you are convinced that everything is in the right place.
If you think you may miss out on some facts, it would be still better to have the cover letter reviewed by someone close before sending it.
Send it and await a reply for the job application. If you think you are getting sufficient response, you can be sure that the cover letter has been effective.
On the contrary, if you see few good response, you must consider altering the cover letter to get better responses. There are certain mistakes that candidates commonly make while writing their cover letter.
You need to be aware of these mistakes and make conscious efforts to avoid them.
4. Addressing The Wrong Person:
The cover letter should always be addressed to the right person. The letter is written keeping in mind the designation and qualification of the person being addressed.
If the letter reaches the wrong officer, it may not have the desired impact. In some rare cases, it may even harm your reputation if it is addressed to the wrong person.
This is the reason why you need to check and make sure that the letter is addressed to the right person.
5. Writing Too Much:
You may take it as a thumb rule that cover letters need to be concise. If you write too much, the recruiters may not go through your application at all.
You must remember that recruiters are busy people and they get very less time to go through cover letters.
A concise cover letter that covers all the important points is more impactful and impressive.
6. Writing a General Letter:
Your seniors or people you know may advice you to refer cover letters by professionals before writing your own cover letter.
It is a good idea to refer professional cover letters but make sure you tailor your cover letter as per your needs.
Your cover letter should include facts about the firm you are applying. It should also speak about your abilities in a succinct fashion. Writing a general letter is a really bad idea.
The general letters should be used simply as a reference to help you understand how to write a cover letter. You need to alter the text in your cover letter to suit your profile.
7. Errors in Typing:
Errors in typing are unforgivable if they happen in a cover letter. The recruiters won’t check whether the errors are typing errors or your lack of understanding of English language.
Such errors will weaken your resume. Make sure you get rid of all such errors before sending across the cover letter along with your resume.
8. Be Honest:
The firms seek honest candidates to work for them. Dishonesty is never acceptable.
If you lie about yourself in the cover letter, you will lose a great opportunity and also lose your reputation.
Make sure you are honest while stating your qualifications. Faking about yourself has a lasting bad impression.
A good cover letter makes a great impact and in many cases acts as a doorway to success. If you follow the guidelines mentioned above and take meticulous care to avoid mistakes, you will get maximum benefit of your cover letter.
