Many jobseekers know how important it is to have a great resume and spend a great deal of time (and in many cases money) making sure that theirs is just right. But if you look at most of the job applications you encounter either on or offline they ask the candidate to submit a resume and a cover letter, and it is that cover letter that lets them down. If the cover letter is bad often the recruiter is so turned off by it that they never even bother to look at the perfectly crafted resume. Here are a few tips for an effective cover letter:
Keep it Short and Sweet – You are writing a cover letter, not your autobiography. A pleasant greeting, a few lines summarizing the highlights of your resume and a polite closing requesting an interview is quite sufficient. Any longer than that and a recruiter is likely to lose interest and move on to the next application in their pile.
Never use a canned cover letter – If you are going to send a cover letter take the time to actually write one that is specific to the job you applying for, not just the same missive sent out again and again to dozens of different potential employers. Human Resources personnel and recruiters tend to be able spot these a mile off and your application is likely to be passed over right away.
Be mindful of your tone –A cover letter is a missive from one professional to another and the tone should be professional yet relaxed. Don’t be funny, ridiculously wordy or over flattering. Most importantly though confident is good but cocky is very bad. You want the recruiter to read your cover letter and come away with the impression that you may indeed be a helpful, useful addition to their team, not that the author believes that they are living on Mount Olympus and deigning to come down to work with mere mortals!
Proofread – Failing to proofread the cover letter they are sending out is a mistake made by many a job hunter. They have worked to develop a flawless resume and then ruin the whole thing by attaching a cover letter that is badly written and has grammar and/or spelling mistakes. Keep jargon to a minimum as well, as excessive use of it just tends to make the recruiters head spin.
In the 21st century a large portion of employment applications are submitted online. Although there is almost always a section to attach a cover letter, many of today’s job hunters skip right over the opportunity. They want to get right to the resume submission, saving time so they can move onto the next application.
