Writing a good cover letter can mean the difference between landing an interview and having your resume buried under a dozen others. A cover letter introduces who you are, your skills, and what you can do for the company.
Remember, it is the first thing your potential employer will know about you, and it’ll lead them to read your resume, should you cover letter be inviting. So if you’re ready to bag that interview, we suggest you work on a great cover letter.
What exactly are the key steps in writing a good cover letter? What should you say and what kind of information should be included? Follow our guide and you’ll soon be writing a great cover letter and impressing potential employers in no time.
What is a cover letter?
A cover letter is a one-page summary of who you are and what you’re applying for. This is where you get to match your skills with the requirements and qualifications needed for the job you’re applying for. Remember to be detailed yet concise, and specific yet friendly in tone.
What should I put in it?
Your cover letter should include the following things:
- An introduction of yourself
- The job or company you’re applying to
- Your skills and qualifications that are relevant to the job or company
- Your purpose in sending the letter – A request for an interview
- Your contact information
How do I go about writing it?
This is our comprehensive, step-by-step guide to writing a good cover letter:
Introduction
Start by stating your reason for writing, establishing your objective in reaching out to your addressee. This is also where you provide a short introduction on who you are, what you can do, and what kind of job you’d like to do in the company.
Body
This is where you can stand out by writing a good cover letter. Here, you provide a brief run-through of the skills and talents you think would be useful to the position you’re applying for.
You want to be useful to the company, not just a person who has a lot of talents. So if you can be specific on just how they could benefit from hiring you that would give you an advantage.
This section is also where you let your potential employer know how much you want the job. You can talk about why you want this job specifically.
This isn’t to suck up to your potential employer; instead, it’s a subtle way to let them know that you’ve done your research and you know all about the company and the job even before coming in for the interview.
One key tip to remember though is that your cover letter isn’t a summary or a rewrite of your resume. It stands as an introduction to your resume, which exists as a more detailed list of your background and qualifications. Try not to be too repetitive and make sure each document is unique in its own way.
Closing statement
Here, you make a call to action. This is where you request for an interview. Of course, be polite and try not to sound too demanding. Lastly, list down some of the other documents that come with your cover letter and provide all of the necessary contact details so they may reach you.