A cover letter accompanies your CV or resumes when you apply for a job or send your job application documents. It is your personal and professional introduction to the prospective employer.
In essence, a cover letter highlights your interest in the advertised job while briefly relating your skills and qualifications to the requirements of the prospective employer.
A point often overlooked
Your cover letter is not a summary of your resume. As a matter of fact, it is an invitation to your prospective employer to read your resume.
When writing a cover letter for any position, adhere to the following useful tips in order to make it an attractive piece of writing.
14 Cover Letter Writing Tips
1. Address your cover to the individual by name who has the power to hire you.
2. Emphasize the future, not the past. That is to say, what kind of expertise and capabilities you will bring to the prospective employer.
3. Change the structure of every sentence to a great extent.
4. Edit and rewrite your letter at least three times in order to create a refined version.
5. Show your unique personality by adhering to a business-like approach.
6. Carefully address any career red flags such as gaps in jobs or education and reasons for a career change.
7. Usually, email cover letters do not require headings, dates, and addresses.
8. If you have attached a resume, references or transcripts, type “Attachment(s)” after your signature and name.
9. Keep a soft copy of your cover letter for future references.
10. Always have some friend or family member proofread your letter to identify any typos or misuse of words which might not be caught by a spell checker.
11. Use a laser printer on a high DPI.
12. Make use of a high-quality paper on standard-size (8.5″ x 11”).
13. Choose a white or off-white paper, which must match with the paper of the resume.
14. Send your letter in a big envelope so that sheets of cover letter and resume can fit inside without being folded.
7 Cover Letter Don’ts
- Do not over-stuff your cover letter with the pronouns “I,” “me” or “my.”
- Don’t talk badly about your previous employer, coworker, or work environment.
- Don’t use too-informal language or abbreviations.
- Try not to repeat the same idea.
- Keep away from any negativity.
- Never exceed the length of your letter to one page. Writing a long cover letter means that you are trying to hide some negative facts.
- Don’t forget to sign your letters immediately above your typed name.
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