Your resume is polished, all you need now is the perfect cover letter to convince the company you’re the right candidate.
There is a lot of confusing and conflicting information out there about cover letters- be professional but be conversational, highlight skills and experience from your resume but don’t regurgitate your resume, follow a format but don’t be formulaic.
We at First Recruiting have condensed the best cover letter advice into the following three simple tips:
1. Use your cover letter as a supplement to your resume. Mention pertinent interests, talk about your interest in the company, speak about your passions as they relate to the job, or go into more depth about a job or experience that you mentioned in your resume. It’s okay to mention things that are already on your resume, but if you do make sure you are adding to your resume, not just repeating it.
2. Keep the tone conversational. Robotic, overly formal cover letters get skipped. Try reading your cover letter out loud- if it sounds too formal to speak aloud, it’s probably too formal to a reader as well.
3. Don’t get cute. Yes, you want to show personality and be conversational, but you also should use your cover letter to showcase your professionalism. Leave out sarcasm, corny jokes, gimmicks, and overly personal information.
With these three tips in mind, here is a template to work from as you craft the perfect cover letter:
Dear [Hiring manager name],
I am very excited to apply for [job title]. [Here write 2-3 sentences that demonstrate you have done research into the company and the position. Mention a few key skills that you can bring to the company]
As a [your most recent pertinent position] I was responsible for [specific tasks or projects]. [Speak in-depth about a couple of projects, talk about how you grew in the position and what skills you developed. This is the area where it’s important to say more than what you’ve stated on your resume! And make sure you reference the skills you listed in the last paragraph.]
My experience as [your most recent pertinent position] paired with [any other skills or qualities you mentioned above] make me uniquely qualified to help [company] with [what you are applying for- use specific words or phrases from the job description]. [Reinforce your interest in the company and the position]
Thank you for your consideration,
[Your name]
Cover letters are very challenging to write, but hopefully these tips and template help!