The majority of people applying for a new job wonder if a cover letter is worth spending time on completing it. Honestly, nobody likes crafting them, and recruiters often skim them. So should we refuse to create them? Well, not so fast.
Writing a cover letter is often challenging: people are confused about whether it must be a kind of conversational letter or possess a professional tone. Additionally, it should have some features of a sales letter, as the applicant has a goal to persuade the recruiter that he/she suits this position perfectly. Finally, it is essential to include a bit of one’s personality into the cover letter and tell one’s story in a way that the resume is not able to.
As composing a cover letter usually requires much time and effort, many wonder if such type of writing is going to die. And whereas they seem to be unnecessary with the existing hiring process, many managers and recruiters still want candidates to attach cover letters. Besides, even if the hiring manager will skim it, it is still worth attaching. It is one more tool to sell yourself, so why refuse using it?
However, if you have no idea how to start, here are some pieces of advice on how to create an effective cover letter.
- Address it to the appropriate person. The last thing you should do is beginning this kind of writing with simple “Dear sir/madam,” or “To whom it may concern.” Make every effort to find the hiring manager, or at least the right team and address them.
- Provide the person who reads your letter with a reason to continue reading. Do not waste your space by starting the writing off by stating that you are applying for X position at X company. It is better to provide a personal story describing the way the company’s product has helped you, or telling what you can contribute to its success. What would you like to read if you were the hiring manager? Write that.
- Provide specific examples. Your skills and accomplishments are included in the resume. The cover letter is designed to describe the candidate’s thought process behind that successful project. This piece of writing is a great way to demonstrate your personality, so do it in the best way to make the hiring manager interested.
