Writing a cover letter is as much an art-form as it is a skill, even though it is often considered a mere formality. Still, a cover letter is more than a formal addition to your resume - otherwise, hiring managers would not bother asking for one, right?
The main purpose of a cover letter is to show some personality - that is, make an impression on the hiring manager and get that job interview you want so much. While the resume highlights your skills and experiences, the cover letter focuses on your personality. Which - let's be completely honest - is a big deal for companies who place emphasis on teamworking rather than a simple, robotic set of skills. So, if a job posting calls for a cover letter alongside your resume, you should take this request with all seriousness.
The Internet is full of posts in which people describe how easy it is to write one and how they got their dream jobs with the first cover letter they had ever written. Be that as it may, the statistics paint a completely different picture.
The statistics tell us that people who commissioned professionals to write their cover letter have a significantly higher response rate than those who chose to write one themselves.
Even though you managed to find a lot of information regarding cover letter writing on the internet that does not make you a job application expert. Writing a cover letter is much more complicated than it seems and the pre-made templates which you have found on the internet, more often than not, will teach you just a certain cover letter writing technique and will not go in depth and/or explain when and why you should use this particular technique.
Avoid online cover letter creators as well, as they don’t provide the same quality as a professional dedicated to writing your personalized cover letter does. If you are serious about landing a highly paid job, we strongly urge you to invest in a custom cover letter written by a professional.
Our company has been providing writing services for years, and we have a whole department which specializes in cover letter writing. So far, we have helped hundreds of applicants from all over the globe to highlight their professional skills in the most impressive manner, thus, landing the job of their dreams.
The reason why our cover letter writing team has such a high response rate is that its members have worked as hiring managers and know how they think. They know what kind of applications are best suited for certain lines of work and how to make your application stand out from the rest of the crowd. In other words, our highly experienced cover letter writing team can give you a competitive advantage over the rest of the applicants.
When dedicated professionals work on your cover letter you are taking the personalized approach which allows for the creation of a unique and creative application. Do not waste your time with half-measure if you are serious about getting hired and contact us today. We will take care of the rest!
The situation in the job market is not what it was ten years ago. Today, the employees are bigger sharks than the CEO’s as the job market itself has become an increasingly competitive place. Employees are constantly looking for better positions in better companies, and they are doing all in their power to be hired. The way they do this is by constantly staying vigilant, perfecting and tweaking their resumes for the positions they are applying to, and trying to impress human resource managers with most unique skills and working experiences.
Bearing this in mind, if you are trying to find a job at this time, it is of vital importance for you to be as informed as possible and be able to swim in the murky, competitive waters that are the job market right now.
When you are applying for a certain position you need to convey the relevant message to the potential employer and the only way you can achieve this is with a resume and a professional cover letter that goes alongside it. Logically, if your means of communication are your resume and the cover letter, you need to make them as perfect as possible as they will serve as a gateway to an interview with the hiring manager.
Why do employers insist on resumes and cover letters? That’s because it is the most efficient way for them to decide who they want to invite for an interview. Time is money, and that is nowhere truer than it is in the job market.
Think about it for a moment. Would you hire someone who did not even take the time to write a custom cover letter? Would you even invite him for an interview? In all likelihood not. Precisely because of this you need to have a custom resume and cover letter which will ensure that you leave a favorable impression. The first thing you need to do, when you want to impress someone, is not to waste their time. This is why your application needs to efficiently explain why you are applying for the position you are applying for and why are your skills and experiences suitable for it.
There are a number of cover letter types:
There is a prevailing notion, among employees, that the resumes are the most important documents and that the employers only pay attention to them as they include skills, achievements, and relevant (hopefully) experience. The problem with this is that it is highly impersonal and that your employer will only know about your work experience and nothing about you as a human being. They cannot know if you really want to stay and work at their company or if you are just waiting for the next thing to come along. They can’t know if you are really who you say you are; and, as far as they are concerned, you could have lied about everything on your application. These things will become apparent during the interview, but the goal is to get to that interview.
The real reason why you should take the time to write a custom cover letter, all the while paying close attention to style and formatting, is that it gives you the perfect opportunity to make yourself human - as opposed to being just another impersonal file of skills and data. A cover letter allows to put an image on the resume and establish yourself as a valuable member of the society - and, as a potentially valuable member of the team. Cover letters are not used to only inform the employer that you are interested in the position and that you are eagerly waiting for them to respond. They give you a chance to let hiring managers a peek at your personality, which establishes a kind of emotional connection between you two. This, in turn, seriously boosts your chances of getting invited to an interview.
A cover letter is the real MVP of job applications as it is the one breaking the ice. It makes the first impression and informs the employer what they can expect from you. Because of this, you should never send your resume without a cover letter. Even the most meticulously written resume will not land you the job if it is not accompanied by a cover letter. The reason why a resume and a cover letter always go together is that they complement each other and the cover letter's job is to show that you can communicate and engage in information sharing. Due to all of this, a cover letter requires as much time and preparation as does the resume. In some cases, even more - some HR managers start with a cover letter, and only after reading it, they decide if they are going to open a resume at all.
If you are applying for a job, the chances are that you are doing so via email. If that is the case, you should write the letter and attach the resume. Sure, some people still prefer the hard copies and apply with them. However, the approach is getting ever less popular. On some rare occasions, you might be asked for a hard copy - but these days, the rule mostly applies to some very traditional industries, which, too, are getting less and less common.
Whichever option you chose will affect the structure of the letter, but not in a significant way. You shouldn’t have any difficulty understanding how the methods affect the general outline as it is fairly straightforward.
So, how do you write an impressive cover letter that sets you apart from the rest of the candidates? What you need to do first is to relay is your personal information; you need to make it visible right from the start, make sure to put it at the very top. There is a quite common misconception that if you are emailing your potential employer, you don’t need to do this. In reality, though, the hiring managers still wish to see this information even if you are emailing them because it will allow them to contact you more easily. After that, you should add the receivers’ information as well. If you are going with the hard copy, you need to put your full name, the position, as well as the address of the company. If you opted for an email, you don’t have to do any of this, and you can begin by directly addressing the hiring manager.
After you're done with all this, it is time for you to start working on the body. The body should be divided into a number of paragraphs where each one serves a particular purpose. The first paragraphs should start with you naming the position you are interested in, why you are interested in it, and how you learned about the opening. The following paragraph is the one in which you sell yourself. It should be the sum of all of your past achievements and experiences. However, remember - your resume will be listing the same information as well, and do not make this part a reflection of the same old news. Instead, try to present your skills and experiences from a human perspective. Perhaps, include some relevant information about your past progress - something that could not fit into a resume, but that defines you as a person. It is also a good idea to add a couple of real-life examples regarding how you can contribute to the company you're applying to.
The third and final paragraph should be used to show the hiring managers that you are intimately familiar with their company. You should use this part to show that you know their companies modus operandi, that you know the programs they use, their targets and accomplishments. The idea is to link all of previously mentioned to your own expertise and abilities in order to demonstrate how perfectly you would fit in. In addition to this, hiring managers like to see that you have taken the time to do your research as it shows them that you are serious that you indeed want to work for their company and not just job window shopping. The closing paragraph should be used to give the letter a concrete conclusion, leave a lasting impression, and you can even ask for an interview here.
Creativity in finishing the letter is always a plus, but the most advisable way to do it is with the proven ‘best regards’ or ‘sincerely’ and to put your name after that. In case you are sending a hard copy make sure to leave some space for your signature be it one written with a pen or an electronic one. If you are sending an email, don’t forget to list all the documents you have attached (and what they are for) at the very end.
If this seems simple enough to you, that is because it is. The reason why this is simple is that this is the minimum you need to know before you can write a cover letter. Choosing what to include, how and when to include it, and what parts to emphasize is a completely different matter altogether.
To demonstrate what this means, let’s take a university application cover letter as an example. When writing one, you need to make sure that you don’t sound overly full of yourself or presumptuous. However, if you are a beginning professional with little or no work experience, you need to make sure that you don’t sound desperate or create an impression that you are begging for a job. Obviously, none of that will sit well with the employers. The difficult part of writing a cover letter is how to deliver the information which you wish to deliver in order to make yourself seem as the perfect candidate.
This can be quite difficult to achieve, and that is why it’s advisable to hire an expert. Elite Essay Writers cover letter writing team is comprised of people whose job it is to make you sound like the perfect candidate. Our custom writers will fully dedicate themselves to you and your cover letter so that you can get that dream job you have always been thinking about. If you decide to purchase a cover letter from us, we guarantee that you will be provided with a professional document of the highest quality.
You should always keep in mind that hiring is just as difficult as getting hired. Statistics show that companies spend vast amounts of money on advertising and hiring people. It is in their interest to make the whole hiring process as fast and reliable as possible. Remember, time is money. Their goal is to select the best candidate who will assimilate into their working environment as promptly and as fully as possible.
In order to achieve this, companies use a number of techniques to reject unsuitable candidates right from the start, and a number of these techniques focus on rejecting the candidates based on their cover letters. Avoiding this can be difficult as different companies use different methods. If you want to get that job interview, you need to make sure that your application is not rejected and have a perfect cover letter. Remember - first impressions are everything, and cover letter IS your first impression.
Another thing that you need to remember at all times is that a cover letter is not the same as a resume or a CV and that you need to treat it as such. Never repeat what you have disclosed in your resume in your cover letter. They are two separate documents, and by repeating yourself, you are making one of them redundant. The cover letter should build upon the resume with additional information or by elaborating on certain points from your resume. The cover letter serves another purpose as you can use it to justify the inconsistencies from your CV (such as explaining a time gap in your employment history).
Repeating yourself is pointless and wastes the employers' time, so you should avoid it at all cost. Use the cover letter to add relevant information which you couldn’t include in your resume for whatever reason. Put things that will get you closer to that interview and not things that you have already mentioned.
Hiring managers are busy people, and more often than not they need to go through hundreds of applications every day. They are the ones you need to impress first so try to make their job a little bit easier by not writing an undeservedly lengthy letter. Try to keep your letter no longer than one page (but not at the cost of relevance). Find the perfect balance between putting all the necessary information and not rambling too much. A good idea is to first write down all the things you are sure you want to put in and then to build upon that. Then again, it would be wise to stay direct and to the point. Do not include too many fancy words - just decide what point you are about to make and make it. Shortly.
Next thing you need to remember at all times is that a professional application consists of two main components. Those are the cosmetics and the content. You should never undervalue how important it is to find the perfect balance between the two. Even though mastering the cosmetics might sound easy, it is most certainly not. You need to make sure that you use reader-friendly fonts of adequate sizes in order to make the letter as readable as you can. Lists do precisely this for documents so you should use bullet points to present skills. Never put any photos on your application documents unless you are specifically asked to do so. As we already mentioned above, a cover letter should present your picture as a human candidate, but this picture is a figurative one, described in words. Leave the actual photo for your resume.
If you are using email to send out your applications, think about your default profile photo as well. As a rule, it’s better not to have a picture than to have one that is not adequate. This is done in order to avoid bias as people tend to judge other people based on their looks.
In case you can find the hiring manager's name, you should address the cover letter directly to him/her. Usually, the job advertisement won’t include the name of the person responsible for the hiring. Some argue that companies do this on purpose in order to see if you will put in the additional effort to find out this piece of information for yourself. However, this is not always the case, as large companies may have a team of hiring managers, and you can never know who will open your email. So, bear this in mind but try not to overthink - sending out resumes is not brain surgery, after all.
So, what do you do if you cannot address the person by name? From high school, you might remember that your teachers taught you to start letters with ‘whom it may concern.’ In a real-life business environment, though, such an approach is not advisable as some employers might find it disrespectful. So, if you cannot to find the name of the hiring manager on the company’s website, you should feel free to call them and respectfully ask for it. Make sure that you get the spelling right and if you are in doubt ask the person you are speaking with to spell it for you.
Next, think about your connections. Knowing the right people can go a long way. If you have been referred by someone relevant to the company, let the hiring managers know this right from the very start. This, however, does not mean that you should enumerate all of your references and business contacts in the cover letter. If you only have regular references from your previous employers or professors, there is no need to mention them. For example, if you are a high school graduate, you need to focus on your skills and knowledge rather than on references from people that might not be that influential. The employers know that you have some sort of recommendations and if they are not relevant, there is zero need for you to mention them in either your cover letter or your resume.
Given how many resumes these days are submitted over online forms, cover letter writing is a dying art and most cover letters today all look just the same. Too many applicants believe that if they rearrange the letters and the dates a bit, they could send the same information to anyone, anywhere. Hiring managers don’t look kindly upon this if for no other reason that it makes their job harder. Because of this they rarely pay attention to generic, impersonal cover letters, and you can be sure that they can spot such applications instantly. After all, it comes with experience, right?
If you wish to be noticed, you need to be unique and to hook the reader in straight away. You need to make the hiring managers are interested in you with every sentence, and that is not something you can do with a template-based cover letter. One way you can do that is to arrange the information in your cover letter in a creative way, without losing form. This will make you stand out and seem more appealing than the rest of the candidates. Or, you could just carefully read the job posting you are applying to - truly, as simple as that. Normally, a potential employer will give away a lot of information about the job and the company, and it is always possible to let the HR department know you've paid attention.
Most of English speaking countries adhere to the same cover letter writing rules so any cover letter sample (generally, at least) should give you an idea of how this kind of writing should look like. That being said, certain companies have additional requirements regarding the documents of the applicants. If the company you are applying for had them, these requirements should be stated in the job advertisement or on the company’s website. Make sure you follow them to the letter as this is the bare minimum required of you. The requirements often concern resume format, email subject line, etc. Many mail agents automatically reject letters with an unsuitable subject line, so make sure to read all of the technical details carefully.
Once you have finished writing a cover letter, you need to double check everything one more time. Make sure that all the information is correct and that the text is suitable for the particular position you are applying for. It is of vital importance to proofread the letter, make sure that there are no grammatical errors and that you have used the proper vocabulary. It’s also a good idea to have another pair of eyes take a look at the letter before you submit it.
If you a bit overwhelmed by all of this, don’t panic. It’s perfectly normal, and you always have the option of hiring a professional to do all of this for you. Elite Essay Writers cover letter writing team is always at your disposal, and as soon as you place the order, we will start working on bringing you a step closer to your dream job.
Admission committees can be hard to impress, which is why a cover letter for college can tip the scales in your favor. If your application essay or resume do not contain all the information or details that the committee might be looking for, you can add them to your cover letter. The cover letter for college students is very important because it gives them a chance to step out of the box and outshine all the other candidates.
Writing a cover letter for university admission is different from writing a cover letter for a job application. In the beginning, you need to list your academic interests and explain why you have chosen that university as your first choice. Even if there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that you are indeed the best applicant, don’t out it so bluntly. Instead of saying it outright, just list your accomplishments, skills, and ways you can contribute to the academic facility. That will speak for itself.
All of the previously mentioned works just as well for high school students applying for a college. The main goal, to show that you are worthy of being accepted as a student, remains the same. Try to show the committee that you are really interested in their academic facility and that you do know a lot about it. Make sure that you sound humble to be accepted and that you value even the opportunity to be considered.
So, read your application carefully. A cover letter for college admission should be as much about you as it is about the college itself. It is not only about why you are the perfect candidate; it is also why the college is the perfect candidate. You need to make the committee members feel appreciated, and you can achieve this by writing about a specific program or field that the college is famous for.
A cover letter for a scholarship application is somewhat different and should be approached as such. You need to focus more on yourself and on why you are the perfect candidate for the scholarship and on why you would appreciate it so much. Don’t focus on the financial component and try to show your admiration for the program.
It also follows a specific structure which should start with a greeting. The following paragraph should focus on you and your accomplishments as well as on your stronger points. The next paragraph should explain why you should enter the program and how you will benefit from it. Try to balance presenting yourself as a professional in the making who would be thrilled to be a part of the program. Make sure that your passion and desire for improvement are apparent.
The letter should show who you are and what you wish to accomplish as an applicant. Remember to show that you are informed about the college and that it is your first and only choice. Don’t try to use complex structures and unnecessarily enriched vocabulary. This could make you sound foolish (if you don’t do it perfectly), and there is not much benefit even if you do it flawlessly. Always use appropriate language and make sure that there are no grammatical errors. This tip is for both students or teachers applying for a position at the university.
Getting into a college or getting a scholarship can be very stressful and it’s never a good idea to write under stress unless you absolutely have to. Try not to spend too much time rereading and rewriting your letter as you could start spotting errors that are not there. It is understandable if you don’t wish for anyone but yourself to write your academic cover letter, but you should have a professional take a look at it once you are done. No harm in that.
An entry level cover letter is, by rule, very short and is sent alongside your resume. If you are sending it via email, it should not be sent as a separate file but rather be the body of the email itself.
To get most benefit straight away, a candidate applying for an entry-level job should make his/her cover letter with the following in mind. It serves to tell the employer about yourself, to list your skills and accomplishments and to show that you are interested in working in that particular company. Even though everybody should write a cover letter alongside their resume there are three instances where it is crucial:
When the applicant is a student or has just finished college, and does not have much relevant experience. In these cases, the applicant just doesn’t have much to write regarding his or her previous experiences, and that is why the cover letter is so important in these cases. It allows you to address the employer directly and thoroughly explain why you wish to work there as well as to list all of your qualities.
When the applicant is seeking employment in a different line of work and has no relevant experience regarding the position (s)he is applying for. The cover letter will provide an opportunity to show your determination and motivation as well as give you a chance to explain the change.
When the applicant wants to get a job in an international company. Big companies have specialized HR departments and people working in them pay attention to how one presents oneself. An entry level cover letter can be highly beneficial in these situations as it will help to show you in the best light.
If the person applying for a job has no work experience at all, it is of paramount importance to know how to write a cover letter with no experience. There are a couple of things that need to be mentioned in such a letter.
When writing a cover letter with no experience, you need to go the extra mile and show that your skills and personality traits make you the best-suited candidate. If you have some work experience, part-time or related to your studies, make sure you mention that as well.
Don’t waste your time with template-based cover letters for “entry level position with no experience” as that will not get you your first real job. There is a team of professionals that have written countless cover letters and they are ready to provide you with a winning letter that will set you on a path towards your dream job.
The main purpose of an entry level cover letter is to make the person reviewing your application interested in your CV. Because of this, you should keep the language formal and in line with business correspondence. You can go for the creative and humorous approach, but it is not advisable unless you have complete faith in your humor and your ideas.
However, an original approach is advisable in one particular scenario. When you are applying for a position in the creative team. In this case, deviation from the business style is not only justifiable but also desirable. In this case scenario, your cover letter is expected to be humorous and overflowing with creative juice. But even then, there are certain rules you must follow so don’t write a short story as your cover letter.
Properly addressing the addressee is a milestone even if it doesn’t look that way. Never address them informally as that is utterly uncharacteristic of the business style. Writing something like 'there members of…' is not acceptable under any circumstance.
When there are multiple vacant positions, for example, for the secretary of the CEO, the secretary of CPO and so on, you should clearly state the source of information about the vacancy. If you are using the services of a portal, there is no need to elaborate as it will be clear from the beginning.
As far as the main body goes, it needs to show who you are and why you want to work there. This needs to be done in just a couple of sentences so don’t go paraphrasing your whole CV. Just highlight the most important parts such as work experience and professional achievements.
Don’t use commonplace sentences such as: ‘I am a team player, highly communicative and driven. ‘There is a whole mountain of applications with same phrases on the recruitment officers' desk, and they are usually instantly disregarded. Don’t forget to show that you would be happy to come in for an interview and that you are ready to address any and all of the company problems - if they are mentioned in a job posting.
Always check and double check for mistakes. They are surprisingly easy to miss and they could end up costing you your dream job. High-level positions require high-level cover letters.
Precision. You need to stay on point and be literate. Your letter should be no longer than half a page and needs to focus on what your qualities are and how you can use them for the prosperity of the company.
Don’t be afraid to add a personal touch. Don’t focus only on your professional traits but also on your strong personal qualities. Show your dedication and enthusiasm, as well as your eye for details. The goal is to paint a positive picture of yourself as a whole. Add all the details that are not on your resume. Avoid generalization and statements that are used in most of the applications. Try to support your statements with examples from your life. This will give weight to your words.
Highlight your willpower and your enthusiasm. Show that you are interested in the company and explain why that is the case. Make the time to learn as much as you can about the company so that you can focus on one of their projects. If you make a comprehensive argument regarding something unique to the company, you will have a much higher chance of getting the job.
One of the safest ways of standing out is to take the individual approach. Every application is different, so you need to treat it as such. Learn how the company operates and what they lack so that you can emphasize precisely that. Make sure to support everything you write with an example.
This brief legal document contains information regarding the applicant such as skills, work experience, achievements, and others. It also serves to vouch for the validity of all the information in it. It should contain information not included in your CV and focus on your past work experiences and professional training.
An executive cover letter should be fully in sync with the resume and serves to show why you should be the one filling the vacancy. It should be a perfect mixture of basic information and useful data for the employer’s benefit.
When writing one of these you need to have a plan, one based on extensive research. You could try and find the company weaknesses and propose a solution to them. If you take this approach, be careful not to cause offense. You could also decide to focus on a certain skill set of yours and make it your main selling point.
The best cover letter for an executive director position should still adhere to some accepted norms. The reading comfort should be ensured with a proper heading and block-centric paragraphs. The letter should be short and concise as well as open to deliberation. There should be no slang or overly complex grammatical structures as they serve no concrete purpose. Include all the necessary information and have a professional take a look at it once you are done.
Writing a cover letter for senior executive positions is hard as it usually needs to have a lot of information compressed into a few words. It is best to compose the letter with three paragraphs where each paragraph brings something different to the table. Each section will serve as one piece of a timeline of your personal and professional achievements. This will be reflected in easy reading that will not stray off point. Make sure that the paragraphs are logically connected, and that each focuses on your work-related skills.
The first paragraph will serve as an introduction and will inform the reader as to how you learned about the vacancy. If you have been referred, make sure that you mention who and why referred you here. This will get the attention of the recruiter and just might give you an edge over the competition.
The second paragraph should focus on your qualifications and relevant experiences. Focus on your working career and on your growth as an industry professional. Don’t focus only on yourself here, though. Take into consideration employers requirements' and how you can meet them. Think long-term and try to depict how you can progress with the company and how your own personal progress will benefit the company.
The last paragraph is your final chance to make an impression worthy of a job interview. Make it count. Don’t try to just summarize all that you have presented up until that point but rather try to add something of value. Once you have done this, you should give your contact information and ask for a job interview.