The Cover Letter
The power of a cover letter should not be underestimated.
If an employer is looking to interview five people, and they receive 100 applications, the fifth person could be determined by the cover letter, so it’s worth putting extra effort into yours.
What To Include In Your Cover Letter
Cover letters don't need to tell the employer about everything in your CV, that is just doubling up. Use the cover letter to explain:
a) why you applied for the job
b) what value you will bring to the job
c) a friendly call to action to respond
If you have any personal experience or connection to the company, whether it's shampoo, food, technology, whatever it might be - share it.
If they sound like a good company to work with because they invest in training, have a strong culture, are socially minded - whatever the reason, share it in your cover letter in the first paragraph because employees want to know why you want to work for them and it demonstrates you’ve done your research.
Tailor It To The Employer
Recruiters can see right through a cover letter that’s just had the name of the organisation changed. And that is a big turn off.
This doesn't mean you have to reinvent the cover letter every time. You can use a template and insert the information that's specific to that job role. Follow a structure with company specific details that is all about expressing interest in that job, that brand and the company.
Like the CV, make sure you use their language – find those key words in the job advert that are repeated and include them in your cover letter.
Download free cover letter templates and get started on making yourself stand out.
Next, tell them how you will add value and what you will bring to the role that’s useful to the job. Identify and acknowledge the core skills that the job needs and use bullet points so it’s easy to read.
Lastly, a call to action at the end of the cover letter. “Please find enclosed my CV and I look forward to hearing from you” This encourages them to contact you back.
It’s about what you can do for them – not what they can do for you.
Check out CV and Cover Letter templates so you can Power Up your job search.
Now it's time to prepare for the interview.
