Cover Letter

Writing a great cover letter first means understanding exactly the purpose that this letter serves for potential employers. Aside from the introduction to an employer that is trying to get to know you personally as well as nationally, the cover letter is also an indication of how your mind works and whether you will blend into the culture of the company. It is also the most important document that you will write in terms of the job search process, as without a great letter, no employer will ever get to your resume.

Here are some tips on how to write a great cover letter.

– Research

The first thing that you have to realize about your letter is that it is not about you at all.

Knowing that this letter is to introduce yourself as a person without ego that can work within a team is essential. Therefore, before writing your first word, start researching the company to see exactly from what unique angle that you can show that you work well within that company. Find areas of commonality.

If you can, try to find out who will be reading the cover letter and any information about them. You might not have any areas of commonality with this person, but more information is never bad.

– Show your commitment

Now that you have done your due diligence on your company and on your interviewer, you are ready to write your letter. Showing commitment in a letter does not mean pontificating on and on about your loyalty or your perseverance. This should be implicit by the depth of your research. Show your commitment by placing that fact inside the cover letter that shows that you spent some time looking at the company and deciding if it would be a good move on  both sides.

– Introduce yourself succinctly

After you have shown yourself as a team player by finding and writing about a common thread between yourself and the company, you can very quickly introduce yourself by presenting a positive fact about your professional career that relates to the company for which you are interviewing. This gives the interviewer talking points as well as separating you from the crowd – not because of your individual achievements, but in the fact that you were able to achieve something of value to your new employer, and that you recognize this.

– Knowledge of company culture

You absolutely must include a reason why you have spent time creating a letter for this particular interview. This shows confidence in yourself and an inability to waste time. Efficiency is good no matter the industry! Knowing about company culture and putting it into your letter, while presenting yourself as both familiar with and in favor of that culture, goes a long way for getting you that first interview.

This goes back to the research that you will have done initially. Draw upon is to create a unique angle that no one else can touch. This creates another talking point with the interviewer.

– Do not repeat or refer to your resume

This is a huge faux pas that people use when they have nothing else to talk about. You have been given many things to discuss in your letter thus far, and simply rehashing your resume shows the interviewer that you do not really know what a cover letter is all about. If you truly cannot think about anything else to write in your letter based on the talking points above, then maybe that job is simply not for you. For more tips on your resume, read our article on resume writing.

– Call to action

All good sales letters, and that is what this letter is after all, end with a call to action. Saying that you are looking forward to meeting the interviewer or having a first interview is not forward; after all, what did you spend all of your time crafting the letter for employers, especially employers in industries such as finance, really appreciate someone who has the confidence enough to say that he or she is ready to go and eager to begin the employment process.

Don’t be shy. Thanks be interviewer for his or her time and place the onus squarely on them to call you for an interview as soon as they can, politely, of course.