Creating a Compelling Cover Letter to Complement Your Resume
A cover letter is one of the essential parts of a resume. It complements your resume by making it easy for the prospective employer to understand the employee’s experience and interests.
Cover letter writing is an art that skillfully shows all your professional personal information. You can highlight your qualifications, skills, and expertise through a cover letter.
Structure Of Cover Letter Writing
“For a long time in my professional career, I have been trying to figure out the proper structure for writing a Cover Letter. Eventually, after many years, I could work this out. Let me share it with you, as well.”
1. Cover Letter For Job Application-Using Professional Services
By engaging a professional for your cover letter writing, you give yourself the space to infuse a personal touch, providing hiring managers with an experienced brand personality. It must complement your Professionally Written CV. It makes more sense if you engage a professional to write your CV and, along with it, a complementing cover letter.
2. Employ A General Greeting For Easy Editing
Suppose you cannot hire professional services to write your resume and cover letter combo. In that case, you should start writing your cover letter this way.
Addressing a cover letter: To save time, you can keep this aspect inert while customizing other portions of each job application. Remember, each job application entails a different cover letter. One-size-fits-all does not work here.
Personal contact information: Always include your contact information near the top of the letter. If you do not know where to place this information, you can put it at the top, right, or left corners of a cover letter.
3. Introduce Yourself
You must write a cover letter with your resume. Start by introducing yourself. The letter should give a brief overview of your professional background. Potential employers always prefer someone who cares about the task.
4. Showcase Your Dream And Passion
A dynamic and passionate cover letter stands out more than all-purpose cover letters that show little interest. Highlight a few aspects you enjoy about work that would apply to your numerous job applications.
5. Demonstrate Motivation
Employers want to hire enthusiastic, motivated candidates inspired to contribute meaningfully. Expressing enthusiasm can help you stand out from other candidates who may have similar qualifications.
6. Keep It Compact And Error-Free
Cover letters should be brief and error-free. A well-written and concise cover letter should be free from grammatical and spelling errors. Keeping the letter concise can provide a focused look at your desired job.
7. Use Of Professional Tone
While writing a cover letter, use a professional tone. It shows your interest in the job. Getting the help of an experienced person to create the cover letter will help you significantly in many aspects. You can be warm and friendly while maintaining professional expressions.
8. Template Of Cover Letter
Just as a recap, the structure of a Cover Letter should be
- Header
- Salutation
- Introduction
- Body paragraph
- Closing paragraph
Common Mistakes We Make While Writing A Cover Letter
These are the common mistakes that many of us make while writing a cover letter. The mistakes could be made unknowingly. So, remember the following points the next time you sit down to write a cover letter.
1. Being Too Much Formal
It can be a make-or-break scenario depending on the type of job you are applying for. Formality is essential for writing a cover letter for a top-level job. However, if the hiring company is a trendy and creative agency, taking a more informal approach to show you would fit in with the organizational structure might be more constructive.
2. Being Too Much Informal
On the other hand, being too informal can project a casual approach to potential employers. If you choose this approach, it could be a conversational tone and sound sloppy.
3. Using A Stock Cover Letter
Using stock or pre-drafted cover letters could be quick and efficient. However, when applying for a specific job, look at relevant keywords and include the most pertinent points in your cover letter.
4. Being Too Much Descriptive
Leave it a bay unless it is relevant to the job you are applying for. Recruiters have hundreds of job applications to go through and do not want to spend too much time on each; they prefer to take a quick shot at who you are. Try to write the cover letter concisely. Too short or too descriptive is not worthwhile. It should be three-quarters of an A4 page or, at most, one full page.
5. Avoid Bragging
The difficulty of writing a cover letter is pronounced when you have to showcase various skills. Words like ‘Master of MS Office or HTML’ can be disastrous. Instead, use HTML skills rather than any master-type words. It will create a positive mindset in the prospective employer’s mind.
Conclusion
A well-written cover letter reflects your professional and personal history and can be written concisely. Lengthy cover letters or, for that matter, long-winded resumes are not appreciated.
Leaving some for face-to-face discussions is more fruitful. Isn’t it?
