How To: Write A Great Cover Letter
A lot of jobs now require cover letters with their online applications. This makes a little more work for you to apply, but it gives you a great space to distinguish yourself from other applicants. Here’s how:
1. Personalize it
You should NEVER send the same cover letter to different employers. Apply your experience to the job duties & responsibilities you see in the job listing to increase your chances of a call-back!
2. Add the company address
At the top of the page, make sure the address of the company, as well as the name of the hiring manager or whoever is set to receive applications. You can usually find this info on the job listing, or on the company website. If you really can’t find anything, you can put ‘To Whom It May Concern,’. This helps make your cover letter look more professional and formalized - and increase your odds of getting called in to interview!
3. Add your contact info
Even if you have your phone number and email on your resume and in your email signature, you want to have it on your cover letter as well. Don’t make them search for it! Add it in the end in the last paragraph, after thanking them for their time.
4. Grammar, grammar, grammar
You MUST have correct grammar in your cover letter. This is not the time for shorthand or for typos - have a friend or family member read it and edit it for you. If you want more help, consider checking out your local unemployment center - they will most likely have someone who does this. You can also check out Grammarly - it’s free!
5. Sign it
This is one of the best ways to make your cover letter stand out from the crowd. Print out your cover letter, and sign it by hand! You can also scan your signature and keep the image file to use for other cover letters later on. No printer/scanner? Check out your local library, they will be able to help!
Have other cover letter tips to share? Comment below!!
good thanks
thanks going to use this
Hello Matt Bornhorst,
Great post regarding cover letters. Given that more employers are now requiring a cover letter, which means that it is another means for the perspective candidate to use to stand out amongst the other applicants.
The extra space that it provides can be used to distinguish the job seeker and grab the attention of the hiring manager. This is the place to "name drop" a person inside the company from your network that can help to bring your resume to the top of the stack, giving you that important job interview. Knowing an "inside" person has proven an effective way to land a job by fastracking the process and receiving preferential consideration in the hiring process.
Thank you for this valuable information that is sure to benefit all in our Jobcase Community.
Regards,
Patrick Coppedge
I usually do not initially because the internet based job search is impersonal and keyword driven. But if they ask for an updated resume then a good cover letter is worth it. Engineering managers do not usually care but HR people really like them and it gives you an opportunity to tailor it to the job instead of writing a bunch of different resumes.