Often the most dreaded part of the job search, the cover letter has caused a lot of stress among the job seeking population. But fear not—your favorite Help Wanted site is here to save your CV! There are a few tricks to writing a successful cover letter, and we’ll teach you all of them.
First, make sure you’re using the right salutations. If you know the name of the person who will be reading your application, start with “Dear Mr. (or Ms.) So-and-So.” If not, start with “To Whom it May Concern”—it sounds old-fashioned, but it gets the job done. Always end with a formal salutation like “Regards” or “Best Wishes,” followed by your full name.
Second, always keep in mind why you’re writing the letter in the first place. While the resume shows your experience, the cover letter shows how valuable you would be as an employee—how you would use the skills listed on the resume to make the company more successful. It can be tempting to just repeat your resume and turn your bulleted list of jobs into a more detailed paragraph, but avoid that impulse—that’s not what an employer wants to see, and in fact it will show them that you don’t have anything else to say. Think of it this way: if the job application is a candy bar, the resume is the ingredient list and the cover letter is the logo on the front.
Third, keep it short. In Part 3 we advised you not to pad your resume—this goes double with the cover letter. Concision is key, and the best cover letters run no longer than two paragraphs. The perfect cover letter is one paragraph, bracketed by salutations at the beginning and end. All you really need is four sentences: one to introduce yourself, one for why you want to work with the company, one for how your skills apply to the job, and one for why you’re such a good fit. That’s it!
Finally, be sure to do your homework. Many promising careers have ended before they begun because an applicant sent a cover letter to Ford saying how much they want to work at Toyota. Make sure you know exactly what the company does and exactly what the job you’re applying for entails, and then use that info in your letter. It’s always a good idea to put that info in your first sentence along with your introduction, just so they know you’re paying attention. If possible, weave details about the company into every part of your letter. The more personalized and accurate it is, the more likely they are to see you as a serious, competent candidate.
With these tips in mind, your cover letter is sure to blow away any employer who reads it. And now that you’ve finished our World’s Best Resume series, your entire CV is bound to shine! Now go get that dream job—it’s waiting for you.