How to write a killer cover letter

Imagine the situation: you are actively looking for a job and suddenly receive a dry letter from the employer, in which there is only an attachment with a description of the vacancy. There is no personal appeal, no specification of why you are interested in him, nothing but the requirements for the candidate and working conditions.

And then you get a few more of these letters, and only then a letter with an accompanying text in which they contacted you personally, spoke about the company and briefly indicated the reasons why you and the employer may be of interest to each other. Which of these messages do you remember the most? Surely the last one.

It is understandable: a personal approach and attention are pleasant to everyone. We are talking about the ethics of business communication , on which professional life is built. Now imagine how many responses per day for a vacant position recruiters receive? Many! But not all of them are attractive, even despite the experience of the candidate. How to write a competent cover letter for a resume and not get lost in the general mass of applicants, what mistakes should be avoided when compiling it, we will tell in this article.

What Is A Cover Letter?

A cover letter is one that is attached to a resume. Generally speaking, in it the candidate describes how he can be attractive to the company and why he is interested in this position. It is not mandatory when submitting a resume , but at the same time, its presence distinguishes the candidate from the rest and adds to the chances of being among the first to be invited for an interview .

A cover letter is not a guarantee of success, but an addition to the main document (CV) that can help you achieve success. Much depends on how correctly and competently it is drawn up, but, as practice shows, not all applicants get their hands on it, because. they do not see any sense in it or simply do not know how to write such a letter.

According to statistics, 36% of employers reject a resume if the cover letter for it is written incorrectly. Between 20% and 40% of candidates submit a resume with a cover letter. According to HR specialists, approximately 17% of employers do not consider a resume without such an addition when it comes to a vacant position of a top manager, and for many other positions they consider that a cover letter is an additional advantage .

According to Irina Knyazeva, a career consultant, a cover letter is necessary if the candidate has long wanted to work in a particular company. It will just help to emphasize the conscious approach of the candidate to the choice of the future place of work. A cover letter must be attached to the resume if the applicant is applying for a position in a western company, if it is a novice specialist without work experience , if the resume is sent to a well-known company with a serious reputation, or if the applicant is applying for a managerial position.

According to the expert, a resume is a description of the past and present, and a cover letter focuses on the future, and the fact that the candidate spent time compiling it indicates the seriousness of his intentions.

So, why does a cover letter to an employer make a candidate more attractive:

• It shows the level of written literacy : a letter will help the applicant shine with eloquence, unless, of course, it is written without standard phrases and not according to a hackneyed template.
• After reading it, you can find out about the motivation of the applicant for the position before studying the resume: this is especially important for those who decide to change their field of activity and do not have an attractive work experience. 80% of companies are interested in those letters that describe why the candidate chooses this particular position for himself and how motivated he is to work; 53% want to understand from the letter how the applicant can be useful to the organization.
• The letter reflects the advantages of the candidate: in the resume, the applicant’s advantages over others are described in a general context, while in the letter you can talk specifically about achievements , i.e. start a “conversation” with the employer immediately with figures and facts that may be of interest to the future manager, emphasizing the rest of the information that he will read about later in the resume.
• It makes the approach to job search personal: the candidate refers to a specific company in a letter and speaks only about it and about the current position, thus showing his interest and that the choice of the vacancy was conscious .
• It distinguishes the candidate from the rest: yes, just by having a letter, the applicant already automatically attracts more attention than other candidates, because not everyone considers it necessary to write it, and some others simply send a standard template that job search sites offer.
• The letter helps to show the candidate’s compliance with the corporate culture of the company: organizations write vacancies in their own style (business, conversational, comic) and indicate what values are important to them. A cover letter is a candidate's response to a job opening. If it is written in the same format as the ad and reflects what is valued in the company, the applicant has every chance of getting noticed.
• It shows how attentive the candidate is: the more competently the letter is written, the better for the applicant. And one more important point about attentiveness: employers often indicate in the text of the vacancy that a cover letter is required. This is a pre-interview test. Did you notice this condition? So, there is a chance that you will have to prove yourself in a similar way in your work, so read the ads more carefully.

As you can see, these are good reasons to take the time to write a cover letter, even if you are applying for a position where the letter is not a requirement, the initiative shows you are someone who is serious about finding a job.

A cover letter is a response to a vacancy that has a certain structure. Here are the blocks that such a letter consists of:

• Greeting: It is important to contact the HR specialist or the director of the company personally. If specific names are unknown and this information cannot be found, then neutrally say “Hello!” The phrase "Good day!" is unacceptable: it does not make any sense and in most cases causes irritation.
• The main part: it indicates what position the candidate is applying for, what exactly attracted this vacancy (what motivated the candidate to respond), brief experience and achievements that are not indicated in the resume, and focuses on how the applicant can be useful for the company.
• Completion: At the end of the letter, thank the Hiring Manager for his time, encourage him to take action (“Looking forward to feedback!”, “I would be glad to meet you!”, Etc.) and indicate your contact for communication.

For a better understanding of what is at stake, let's look at a sample cover letter:

"Good afternoon, Anastasia Johansen!

I am very interested in the position of "Customer Service Specialist" in your company, as I am a user of your product myself and I am sure that I will be able to attract many new customers. I am communicative: all the customers I worked with were great to deal with; I always achieve positive results, as evidenced by the many awards from past jobs and execution of plans of 100-120% each month.

I have experience in retail and call center, have attended many specialized trainings of renowned practitioners and am currently taking an online program "The best communication techniques", which I believe will help me to master the latest techniques of interaction with people and improve my professionalism.

I will be glad to meet you. My contact phone number: 8 901 205 4433.

Regards, Alexander Petrov."

At first glance, there is nothing complicated, but there are certain rules and recommendations which should be considered when composing a cover letter. They will help make it stand out among the general mass of letters from applicants. Let's consider them in detail.

Basic Rules For Writing A Cover Letter

The job seeker must fit as much useful information as possible into a minimum amount of space and still be able to present his or her message in a way that is appealing to the employer. It is more than realistic if you do it "scientifically".

So, here are the basic rules for writing a cover letter:

• Keep an adequate size: do not get by with dry phrases like “Hello! I ask you to consider my candidacy for a vacant position ”, which will fit in one line, or, conversely, write a letter that is too long, which risks being unread to the end. Optimal length: 3-5 paragraphs. It is better if the letter takes up no more than half a page.
• Stick to a certain style: Before you start writing a letter, study the style of the company. If young specialists work in it and the company positions itself as modern, young and creative, then the text can be made more emotional and simple. This approach will work if we are talking about a creative field of activity , but in most cases you need to stick to a seasoned business style .
• Indicate only specific and relevant information: you can talk for a long time about your stress resistance , or you can give a specific example when you showed this quality. If we talk about achievements, it is important here not to “spread thoughts along the tree”, but to indicate the exact indicators that will be of interest to the future employer (“increased demand by 60%”, “grew up the career ladder in six months”, etc.)
• Indicate references: there is such a section in the resume, but getting ahead of the recruiter and providing them before reading your dossier is a good “knight's move”.
• Take the text of the vacancy as a basis: candidates are in a hurry to apply for a vacant position and do not read the advertisement to the end, and in fact, the most important thing is often indicated at the end - the requirements for the candidate. Highlight for yourself what is important to the employer, and “give” it to him in your letter. For example, if the employer requires a higher legal education, then indicate as follows: "Excellent understanding of the law because I have a college degree and a decent background in jurisprudence".
• Pay attention to your email: indicate at the end of the letter and communicate with the employer only from such an email, for the name of which you will not have to blush. Peter_parker@mail.com looks much more attractive than Spidey_85@mail.com .
• **Pay attention to the design: **of course, you can format the letter in a standard way, but an interesting (business) background and an appropriate font will help to distinguish it from the crowd. Use an easy-to-read font, do not choose bright colors, the design should be restrained and concise.
• Check the text for errors: a cover letter can play a cruel joke on even the most enviable applicant for a vacant position if it is written illiterately . If you doubt your attentiveness and knowledge of the English language, use the appropriate services, for example, "QuillBot", "Grammarly", "GrammarCheck"etc.

Another feature of a cover letter can be an appropriate compliment. Andrey Kolesnikov, CEO of PowerLexis, believes that a compliment should be targeted, not stereotyped. Here is a letter his company received from one of the applicants: “... I am interested in this vacancy because of the narrow specialization of the company. I am convinced that now, in times of fierce competition, this is the best way to gain high market positions ... ”Agree, this approach is captivating. In this case, the applicant managed to attract the attention of the employer and he was invited for an interview.

Of course, for those who have an attractive work experience, everything seems elementary, but what about those who do not have it? In this case, a cover letter is definitely indispensable. A newcomer must personally contact the personnel department or the manager, indicate the source of the vacancy and tell what advantages he has against the background of other applicants.

These benefits can be:

• Fast learning ;
• Consent to a long probationary period;
• Education that corresponds to the chosen position;
• Knowledge of foreign languages ;
• Skills and personal qualities that will be useful in the future job.

Emphasize that you are a “white, clean slate” that is easy to fill with the right colors, that you really want your first professional experience to take place in this company, because you believe that your hard work, diligence and knowledgeable approach will help you get great results together.

If you don't have the specific skills that were listed in the job posting, it's best to say so directly, but at the same time show yourself from a favorable position. For example, an employer is looking for an employee with programming experience , and in this case, you can write like this: “I do not have the relevant experience, but my education, excellent theoretical base, passion for computers will help me immediately start practicing.”

According to the director of an online recruitment agency, lack of work experience is a great reason to attract attention. The expert recommends the beginner to tell how he or she showed in practice in life and studies those qualities that are important in the future place of work. For example, if it is important for the employer that the candidate is stress-resistant and multitasking, you can write about your practice, how successful the session was, etc.

If the ability to manage people is important, remember where you have already shown this quality: you were a counselor at a children's camp, you organized events at the university, etc. But only write the truth. Think about what you, despite your lack of experience, already stand out from others (perhaps participated in sporting events, Olympiads). Explore the company's website and tell your ideas for its development, if you have any. In this way you will emphasize that you are serious and ready to make a meaningful contribution to the life of the organization.

If you decide to change the field of activity, you need a different approach. Here is the methodology the experts suggest: carefully read the vacancy, imagine which candidate is ideal for this position (describe his skills, qualities, experience, and even appearance). Next, write what you have.

Emphasize on the fact that your work experience intersects with future activities. Find a way to prove your performance and confidence that you will succeed. For example, you may agree to lower pay for the first few months of work, but be offered an increase in performance bonuses. So you will make it clear that you do not expect to sit out for a salary, but are ready to prove your professionalism in practice, and at the same time, the employer will have a minimum of risks by hiring you.

Now that the letter has been drawn up, you need to take care of sending it to the personnel department or directly to the manager. There are several options for how to do this: by letter on paper, by e-mail address or through a job search site. The first option is used extremely rarely, sending through the site usually does not raise questions, so let's focus on sending a letter by e-mail.

For this:

• Fill in the column "Subject of the letter": here you need to specifically indicate "Resume for the vacancy of a sales manager from ... (your full name)". This will make it easier to find your letter among the rest, and it will help to avoid getting the letter into the Spam folder.
• Place the cover letter in the body of the email: You can format it on a separate sheet and save it as a pdf, just like a resume, but then you need to write a few sentences in the body of the email, because sending a blank message with an attachment is wrong. The HR specialist reads, first of all, the content of the e-mail itself, and only then opens the attached document, this is worth considering.
• Attach a resume to the letter: make sure you post the correct version of the document and its title correctly.
• Check the text again for errors: look carefully to see if you have entered the subject line correctly, if the signature is correct, etc.
• Fill in the recipient's address line: it is recommended to do this last, because you can accidentally send an incorrect letter, for example, without an attachment.

Despite the fact that the cover letter should be small in size, the process of creating it, as you can see, has its own nuances. Here it is important to follow the basic rules of drafting and not to make mistakes that may not create the best impression of the candidate.

Cover Letter Mistakes

Surely every recruiter has his own rating of the most popular mistakes in a cover letter. Tatyana Baskina, Deputy General Director for work with the professional community of the ANCOR group of companies, highlights the following mistakes:

• Duplicate Information from a Resume: A cover letter and a resume are two different documents containing different information. Each of them has its own value.
• Focusing on your interests: according to the expert, it is not necessary to write that “I am interested in your company because it will help me acquire certain professional skills .” The employer must understand what is his benefit from cooperation, and not yours.
• Inappropriate Humor: Using humor in a business document is a risky business. It's best to avoid slang, jargon, and don't joke if you don't know how to do it.
• Misplaced Goal: A cover letter should complement, not contradict, your resume, and contain only information that will add value to your job application.
• Mistakes and typos: We've talked about the importance of checking your email several times before sending it. Of course, some mistakes can still be overlooked, but some of them run the risk of being fatal, for example, if you write the name of the company, position or name of the person to whom you are sending your letter incorrectly.

Also, you should not write about your salary in the cover letter, even if the employer asked for it. This is how companies weed out applicants that are too “expensive”, “cheap” or not very experienced. You can get by with the phrase “My salary is negotiable,” and the details will already be discussed at the interview.

You don't need to give a reason for leaving. This is usually done when they want to explain the short period of work in a certain place. Get rid of stereotypes and formulaic expressions, they give the impression that you are sending the same letter to all employers. Do not write in general terms , only specifics and well-reasoned information.

Asking questions to the employer in the cover letter is also inappropriate, there is an interview for this. Another mistake is a boring and lengthy beginning, after reading which, the recruiter will not want to read the letter to the end.

In no case should you indicate that for you this vacancy is a fallback option that you are considering, because it will not take you where you want to go. Do not embellish your credentials : they are easy to verify. Excessive self-confidence in the form of “Take me, because you won’t find a better professional than me!”. The uniqueness of the candidate should be supported by specific professional success, not personal ambitions.

Let's Move On To Practice

So, we have reviewed the basic rules for writing a cover letter, talked about the typical mistakes that applicants often make when writing it, and now we need to consolidate the knowledge gained in practice.

Let's imagine that Peter decided to change his field of activity. Previously a lawyer for a private firm that provided legal services, he is now applying for a position as head of sales for a company that provides professional electronic resources to organizations. A cover letter for Peter's resume might look something like this:

“Good afternoon, Bruce Wayne!

I have been watching your company for a long time, and as soon as a vacancy for the head of the sales department appeared, I decided to respond immediately, because. I believe that my experience and professionalism in tandem with a competent policy of the organization will help to achieve excellent joint results.

In 5 years of work in a law firm, I have not lost a single case, which speaks of my ability to convince and achieve my goals . I also increased my client base by 150%, because my tasks included attracting clients. Moreover, I had my own team , which I myself adapted and trained, together we were able to increase the revenue of the legal agency by 175% in just 1.5 years of working together.

I am familiar with your product because I have used it many times in the course of my work. Plus, I note that your clients are my colleagues (specialists working with legislation), which means that we can easily find a common language. I share the values ​​of your company and believe that work should be measured by concrete results and carried out with integrity. I am aware of your plans to open a new division and I believe that this is an ideal opportunity for me to demonstrate my professional skills and become an integral part of your close-knit team.

I will be glad to meet you personally. Thank you for your time!

Sincerely, Peter Parker.

Contacts for communication: 8 904 555 6663, Peter_Parker@mail.com”.

As you can see, the ability to correctly compare the existing experience and the expectations of the future employer makes the letter so attractive that there is no doubt about the need for a personal conversation. And it would seem that the experience is in a completely different area.

If the candidate is applying for a job related to documents, reporting, then here you need to be as brief and clear as possible. Here is a sample cover letter for a resume for an accountant position:

“Good afternoon, Clark Kent!

My name is Diana, I have been doing accounting and reporting for over 5 years. During my work, there was not a single fine or remark from the management and regulatory authorities, I always performed my duties on time.

Please note that I have combined accounting in several organizations, which indicates my multitasking and willingness to take responsibility , with one of the companies carrying out activities related to your business. I have all the necessary skills and knowledge specified in the vacancy. I would be grateful if you gave me the opportunity to get to know the company and you personally.

Sincerely, Diana Prince.

Contacts for communication: 77-33-22, Diana_Prince@mail.com"

The candidate gave weighty reasons why her candidacy should be considered, without duplicating the data from the resume (without listing the credentials she owns, courses, etc.) The letter turned out to be short, serious, just what she needs.

After reading the cover letter, the employer should want to invite you to a personal meeting, so feel free to use all your eloquence and wit.

Conclusion

A cover letter is a great tool to draw attention to your candidacy. Experts recommend writing it to those who are embarking on a professional path for the first time, who apply for a leadership position or decide to change their field of activity. But, in our opinion, it will be appropriate in any case when it comes to finding a job.

Carefully study the vacancy and the company to which you plan to send your resume. Think about how you can be useful to the employer, reflect your motivation, work experience and advantages over other candidates. Write yourself a cheat sheet on how to do it, keep it in front of your eyes every time you write a cover letter, and remember that it should be personalized for each company, not formulaic.

We wish you interesting interviews that will lead you to the company of your dreams!

And as always...

...many thanks for reading!