Cover Letter Tips

How to write a cover letter?

First of all, you need to understand that cover letter is a need of a recruiter or HR or the organization to analyze the application or applicant. Thus, there is no need to bold the letters like I explained in Resume Tips.

• Why organization want a cover letter - to get the desired candidate
• Why you should send a cover letter - to get the desired  job
  

The objective is same and hence it makes cover letter even more important part of your application. Let's list some points on why-

1. Imagine a situation where a recruiter just tells you a job title and does not send you a complete job description. The same difference lies between a resume and a cover letter.
2. It surely gives a personal touch to your application. 
3. It is like explaining the 'career profile' part of the resume

I am going to start with a cover letter sample and then explaining what it is all about.

This is how you start a cover letter...

Start with your basic details and if you know the name of recruiter, write it instead of just writing 'Recruiter'. Now, remember cover letter comes first and then resume and that is why it is written 'accompanying resume'. Whenever you go for the interview, questions will be asked from the resume and not cover letter. This explains the reason why I said these letters give a personal touch to your application. That's how you are building a strong background which will be very helpful for your whole tenure in the organization. This is the basic idea of how you start that you can modify accordingly but remember you mention the job post or can also include the reference where you get to know about the vacancy.

Next,

write skills beneficial for the next role...

This one is for any customer service professional. While writing the skills, I have tried to capture the whole working domain in 3 bullet points. It should be simple and straight.

Next,

one-liner of why should recruiter chose you...

You can mention the qualifications as well and if there is some degree or certificate relevant to the skills, add here. I am an active employee who likes to network, contributes and has leadership goals for the future. On the other side, I may also be someone who likes this desk job and wants further promotion in the same arena. So, the other line is that reflection with my future goals. You can never copy and paste the cover letter because the recruiter would identify any fake remarks within seconds of communication. Only write what you believe in. I don't think someone with 3 or above experience has not yet planned their career and if no, then it's the alarming time.

closure...

These are the closure statements in which I included the preferred communication medium as well.

How to structure a cover letter?

➔Contact information

➔Introduce yourself as the applicant for a particular post

➔Read the job description carefully and relate the skill set accordingly so the recruiter goes ahead further.

➔Focus on organization needs and your contribution as an employee

➔Closure statement

Page Format

➔left-allignment

➔"1" or "1.5"margin

➔font size - 12

➔font style could be "Times new roman" or "Arial"

Mistakes to Avoid-

➔Do not copy anything from your resume like career profile

➔Do not make it too long. Every sentence should be meaningful and short enough.

➔Do not list qualifications, experience, and achievements because these are already included in the resume. Sample letter above have specified them but in one-liner which is the correct phrase.

➔Do not write every skill, just the relevant ones striking a balance between your skill set and organization needs.

Sending cover letter via e-mail

There are 2 methods for sending cover letter via e-mail-

1. Pasting cover letter into the e-mail body. This is a good idea and successful for quick results. While the letter is in front of the hiring manager, he can decide whether you are a right candidate and if there is any need for opening the resume. This even increases the importance of a cover letter, so you need to build it effectively.
2. Sending the letter as an attachment. Most of the time recruiters directly jump to the resume ignoring the letter. Give preference to this method when the job is hand-picked or referred by someone and you are directly communicating with the company's HR. If this is random, highlight your application with the 1st method.

This should be all with cover letter tips. Let me know if this sums up the details you were searching for.