If you’re applying for a job, chances are good that the employer will request a cover letter along with your resume. A cover letter is an opportunity to introduce yourself to the hiring manager and briefly explain why you believe you are the best candidate for the open position.
A good cover letter is an essential part of building a resume, and it helps to engage with more job opportunities and makes your look for work much easier. You may apply for a top rated resume writing service to get the job done. Otherwise, the following tips will help you make an impressive cover letter.
Cover Letter Formatting
Even if you have no work experience, a well-written letter can help you get your foot in the door.
When writing a cover letter, you need to include the following information:
- Professional contacts
- The date
- The contact information for the employer
- A salutation
- Body paragraphs explain why you are qualified for the job and how you can contribute to a potential employer.
- A closing paragraph in which you thank a potential recruiter for the time they dedicated to your letter.
Your cover letter starts with your professional contacts, which include your name, address, work email, website, or LinkedIn profile. Make a space between the lines and add an actual date. Make another space, and add a formal salutation, including the recipient’s name and formal title.
Start the body of your letter with a formal salutation, such as “Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. Last Name.” Next, explain why this job application interests you and what you can offer to the company. In the next paragraph, describe your qualifications and highlight your key skills and work experience.
Finally, end your letter with a professional closing. The safest way is to go with “Sincerely” and your name. Before sending your letter, proofread it for any spelling or grammar errors.
Cover letters should be laconic and straightforward. The most optimal letter size fits within one page. Ensure that your cover letter has an optimal format and is free of mistakes. A few small mistakes could make you appear unprofessional or lazy.
If you doubt the quality of your letter, you may apply to a career advice expert or a certified resume writer to get professional help. Such assistance will give you the ease of mind and makes your job search easier.
Tips on how to write an impressive cover letter
While it may be tempting to simply reiterate the information contained in your resume, a well-written cover letter can set you apart from other candidates and ensure that your application receives serious consideration. Follow these tips to complement your resume and create a striking cover letter.
1. Keep it brief. Your cover letter should be no more than one page in length. Get to the point quickly and avoid lengthy descriptions or tangents.
2. Personalize it. Address the recipient by their name whenever you can. If you don’t know the hiring manager’s name, try to find out so that you can address the letter directly.
3. Draw attention to your strengths. In your letter, highlight the skills and qualifications that make you the most desired job seeker for this position. Remember to mention concrete accomplishments from your past experiences to support your strengths.
4. Tailor it to the position. Learn what challenges the company has and what it needs to cover with the job position you are applying to. Then, in your cover letter, emphasize how your qualification matches those needs.
5. Use a professional tone; a cover letter is not the place for jokes or casual language. Write in a professional and businesslike manner.
6. Proofread carefully. Be sure to proofread your cover letter for grammar and spelling errors. A well-written letter that contains mistakes will not impress people whose responsibility is to hire humans.
ATS bots and cover letters
Cover letters are an important part of the job application process and can be a great way to show off your skills and qualifications. However, if you’re not careful, your letter could sound like a generic form letter.
Therefore, it is important to personalize your cover letter for each application that you make to avoid being too generic. ATS bots can help by automatically filling in information from your resumes, such as your name and contact information.
ATS stands for an applicant tracking system. A special resume scanning software analyzes resumes and looks for specific keywords. In the modern applicant tracking process, it is important to have more than a bot-beating resume. A cover letter that is friendly to an ATS system is a smart way to invest in your career.
If you’re unsure how to use an ATS bot, plenty of resources are available online. Spend some time to find a reliable website among numerous career resources available.
Alternatively, you may ask a career advice expert to help you with a cover letter and your job search. Competent experts will help with more than formatting your documents; they will provide insight on the question “What job is right for me?” or how to pass a potential career quiz.
In addition, ATS bots can also format your cover letter so that it looks professional and is easy to read. This formatting is important because hiring managers often receive hundreds of applications, so you want yours to stand out.
Overall, using an ATS bot to create your cover letter can save time and help you create a more personalized and professional-looking document.
Final words
A cover letter is an important part of the job application process. By taking the time to personalize your cover letter, you can ensure that it makes a great impression on the hiring manager. And, if you use an ATS bot, you can save time and create a more professional-looking document. Following these tips, you can write a cover letter to help you get more interviews or even land the job of your dreams.