Finally, after scrolling through social media sites and hunting jobs in newspapers, you have come across “the job made in heaven” for you. You have double-checked your resume. You have watched tons of videos on YouTube and read a few blogs to prepare for an interview. It is time for you to email your application and resume to the organization or the corporate you have selected to work with. But wait, what? The vacant position requires a COVER LETTER!
What to do now? You have no experience writing a cover letter before. And now you need a cover letter to attach with your resume. No worries dear fellas! We are here to guide you, and we are glad you are on the right track. We will clear all your How’s and what’s regarding a cover letter and soon you’ll be writing an effective cover letter like a PRO! So what are you waiting for? Let’s gear up, win this race and be the perfect potential employee of the selected organization!
What is a Cover Letter?
A cover letter is a one-page document that you have to submit with your application. It is generally 200 to 350 words. Within three paragraphs you have to tell the company (read it as HR) why you are fit for this job.
You have to attach a cover letter with your resume or CV. Its whole purpose is to present you and your professional background. Through a cover letter, HR may get to know about your personality. And that is why you need to get a cover letter help to get your HR managers’ interest. On the other hand, a bad cover letter directly rejects your application. We know it sounds kind of disappointing but we are sure you’ll make it through!
You need to know that cover letters are surely read, so do not fill it using bad vocabulary. Make sure to target the table (heart and mind) of HR, convey your point of writing a cover letter, and do not target the bin icon! Don’t worry, you have our back. We will enlighten you with some amazing cover letter writing tips so that you can get a command over your cover letter writing skills.
What to Include in a Cover Letter?
It is not tough to write a cover letter unless you don’t know how to write one. We have decided to guide you by what to write or include in a cover letter.
- First, you have to include the name of the hiring manager. Although as you know a traditional way to address a person is MR. or Ms. with the person’s first or last name. So if you know the name of your HR, it is well and good. If you are not sure about the name and gender of the HR, then it is alright you may skip this part and write it as “To whom it may concern”.
- You can use a catchy opening line – write something that attracts your HR’s attention. Express how happy and excited you are to work with them. Don’t make your cover letter dull and boring, use some interesting lines that will not only brighten up your personality and but is actually successful enough to make your HR smile.
- Do not repeat what’s already written on a CV. Bring a little change, pop it up with blooming colors. For example, you can tell them about the approach you used to successfully complete one of the responsibilities you have mentioned in your resume. Or you can show off about your personality and the qualities you have, that helped you in bringing you this far!
- Mention how you can bring good to their table – write about the experience you have and try to know where the company is lacking and how you can help them through your skills. You know they have problems in their company, that is why they are hiring a person who can manage their assigned tasks well – and with responsibility.
- Maybe your past work experience is not much. If they have asked for four years of experience and you have worked only two years – so stress not. You can mention the skills you have, tell them why you think you are potential for this job. You can also do some online courses to develop some skills before applying anywhere.
- Do not – we repeat DO NOT “fill up” your cover letter with your educational background. They (hiring companies and recruiters) do not want your educational background from you. They need to know about your skills and how can you help them in solving their problems and how can you be one of their biggest assets.
How to Format a Cover Letter?
How to start a cover letter can be tricky but if you are aware of the right way to format a cover letter it can become easy peasy lemon squeezy!
- Personal Information
If the job ad has asked for an online cover letter, then you only need to add your name, contact number, the city and country where you live, your email address on which they can contact you, along with your hiring manager’s contact information.
Date
Your Name
City, State
Phone Number
Email Address
Hiring Manager’s Name
Company Name
- Greet your HR well.
You can start your cover letter with writing on the right foot by addressing the HR manager where you are applying for. Go through the ad description again, you may find the name of the HR manager but in case if there isn’t any name mentioned, you know what to do right? Just write “Dear Hiring Manager.”
- Opening paragraph
This paragraph is most important and HR can judge your credibility and capabilities through it. Make sure it is eye-catching. Express why you think, you are a perfect selection for this job. Tell them how this job goes well with your career goals. If you have got a referral from someone or you know a person who knows the hiring manager, then you need to add it in the opening paragraph.
- Middle Paragraph
Once you have mentioned your eagerness to work with a company and introduced yourself – now it’s time to talk about your skills and qualifications that you think can go in accordance with the vacancy. And it shows you are the perfect selection for this job.
- Closing Paragraph
It is time to close your cover letter – in this closing paragraph you are supposed to thank your employer for taking out his/her precious time from the busy schedule. In this paragraph, you also have the option to make any clarifications. It can be related to your employment gap history or if any important points you need to make. You can even mention that how they can contact you for taking the next step of the hiring process.
- Complimentary Closure
You can end your cover letter by using some complimentary closing. It can be friendly but there must be a formal tone used in it. You may consider “Thank you, Respectfully, Regards, Sincerely” and etc.
How long should a cover letter be?
Cover letters do not like a resume or CV – a half page or one page is enough. No need to increase it in length. Around 250 to 400 words are okay but do not forget to keep the font 12 for your cover letter.
Keep it short, just three paragraphs are good to go. If you think three paragraphs are not enough, then you can add an extra middle paragraph. Still, before composing a cover letter you need to ask yourself again if you really need to add one more paragraph or three paragraphs is enough to deliver your message in the best way.
Some recruiters often mention cover letter word count and give certain instructions to be followed. Make sure to achieve those targets and be your first impression – the best one!
Do not make your cover letter too long to read. Instead, you can divide it into smaller sentences, or you can leave a blank line between paragraphs – it will appear better. You can also do double-spacing between your text so that it will look nicer. You can also add 1-inch margins on each side of the cover letter giving it a more professional look!
Wrapping Up
The goal of your cover letter is to catch the attention of your HR and develop his interest to call you for an interview. You need to emphasize your biggest accomplishments in your cover letter and share just enough about yourself to spark the hiring manager’s attention. And your goal is to convince them to ask you for an interview. A cover letter with a length of slightly less than one page is excellent for doing this.
Writing a perfect cover letter may get a little difficult but by practice, nothing is difficult and you can surely reach the stars within no time. You can follow our complete guide or hire our cover letter writers in UK. Come up with an exceptional letter that will scream how great you are to fit in the role you are applying for. Do not forget to edit and proofread the cover letter before submitting it!