A cover letter accompanies your resume or CV 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.
Your cover letter is not a summary of your resume. In 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.
Top 14 Cover Letter Writing Tips
1. Address your cover letter to the individual by name who has the power to hire you.
2. Emphasize the future, not the past. That is to say, you need to mention the 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 explain any career red flags such as gaps in jobs or education and reasons for a career change.
7. If you are sending your cover letter through email, you do not need to add 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 reference.
10. Always have some friend or family member proofread your letter to identify any typos or misuse of words that might not be caught by a spell checker.
11. Use a laser printer on a high DPI.
12. Make use of high-quality paper in standard size (8.5″ x 11”).
13. Choose a white or off-white paper, which must match 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 negatively 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 kind of 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 cover letter above your typed name on bottom.
I like the advice you people give us.
Hi Otto
We are glad to hear that you liked and benefited from the tips. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
Good tips on the do’s and don’t on writing a proper over letter.
Hi Nadia
Thank you for your appreciation. We really put a lot of thought into this, thank you for noticing. We really appreciate you taking the time to express that.
Regards
Sam