The Cover Letter should be written after the résumé. It introduces the résumé, highlighting the details that will be most important to the employer. Just like the résumé, cover letters should be tailored and specific to each job posting. You can think of your résumé as a quick snapshot of who you are, while your cover letter provides the opportunity to expand upon your experiences and connects your specific skills and knowledge to the position.
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Get Into the Right Mindset
Ask yourself, “What is the purpose of a cover letter?”. Although your cover letter needs to be simple and quick, since this is your very first introduction, it is important that you impress them first.
Do Not Make Your Cover Letter Generic
Target the position that you are applying for. Resist the temptation to use a basic cover letter template that you find online and edit it by only changing the name of the job title, company and description. Each letter should be unique to the position that you want, so be sure to target the job, the company and/or the hiring manager. Get your point across quickly while being polite, friendly and professional.
Address Their Problems and Your Solutions
Your cover letter should always be focused on how you can help the employer. Ask yourself, “What is in it for them?” and “What are you bringing to the table?”.
Quantify and Measure
Inputting numbers are what really grab the attention of most hiring managers. For them, quantifying proves that you are not just talking to them about it, but you can also back up the example with measurable results. These quantifications can be represented as currency amounts, percentages and numbers.
Be Yourself
Let your personality shine through. Everything that you say in your cover letter should be in your own words. Not only do you want your letter to be direct and to the point, but you also want your personality to shine through through the layout/graphical design of the cover letter, your choice of words and choice of examples. Employers go through a multitude of applications in a day. What can you put in your resume to make you stand out from the rest?
Spell-Check Then Proofread, Proofread and Proofread Again!
The number one reason employers throw away application materials are due to spelling errors and grammatical errors. No one wants to read an application that they cannot understand. Use an easy-to-read font, such as Times New Roman, Ariel or Helvetica. Make sure you proofread your work and then ask someone else to proofread it, too. Spell-check on your laptop/software does not always catch everything.