Adriana Bannan; Employment Consultant with Build ON
Congratulations, you’ve finally finished tailoring your resume to fit the position you are interested in applying to. The only thing left to do is customize, your cover letter. Welcome to this month’s Blog: The importance of writing a great and effective cover letter. By the end of this read, you will be confident in your abilities to writing great and effective cover letters like the professionals you know you are!
Cover letters are important for a multitude of reasons. They allow you to introduce yourself as a professional who will be making a difference, such as the value you will be bringing to the company you are applying to. It allows for you to sell yourself, as a professional that is confident in solving problems and answering questions the company needs from you. Cover letters are a chance for you to tell the company, why they should pick you as the ideal candidate for the opening position.
So, what makes a great and effective cover letter, great and effective you may be asking? Below you will find the tips and tricks necessary to making your cover letter stand out!
Fonts; Out with the old and in with the new; Avoid old, overused fonts such as Times New Roman. Stick with fonts such as Georgia, Cambria, Tahoma or Calabri. These fonts are newer, yes, but they are legible and clear, just the same.
Addressing it personally; You want to address the cover letter to the person that is in charge of the hiring process. If it is not obvious, it is a good idea to research the company. It is very important to make sure there are no spelling mistakes in the name. You can even add a title such as Mr., Mrs., the company name and the address. This gives a personal touch of formality that gives attention to important detail.
Use your OWN words and Personal Branding; Avoid copying and pasting parts of your resume in your cover letter. You want to use your own words to highlight your best skills and aspects. It is important to keep in mind, a part of personal branding that includes having the same fonts and headers for example on both resume and cover letter, but also to consider tone of voice. Employers are people as well, they are looking for someone who has the right interpersonal qualities and attitudes the company is seeking.
Express you have knowledge about the company and industry; Think of it this way, would you hire someone who had zero knowledge about your company? Probably not and most likely, neither would they. It’s important to do your research about the company and position you are applying for. This emphasizes to the employer that you take initiative and understand things such as their mission and values that are in alignment with yours!
Terminology and Phrases; Let the employer know that you are aware and knowledgeable of some of the terms and phrases used within the position and at the company. Use a bold font for emphasis! Adding a sentence in your cover letter such as “ As found in the ad-….” showcases to the employer that you can “relate” to them and what they do as a company.
NO spelling or typing errors and NO Abbreviations: This one is quite important. A lot of individuals may be thinking using spell check and autocorrect is a way to avoid issues such as these. Well… as great of tools as they are, they do not correct context errors. It’s best to not only review your cover letter yourself, but asking someone else to read it over and check if the words within the context are spelled correctly and make sense in that context. Avoid abbreviations in your cover letter as well, it paints you as a lazy writer. Spell everything out because the employer may not be familiar with certain abbreviations. You want to make your cover letter an easy- all around read.
Length; 1 Page. Simple.
Signature; If dropping off your cover letter to the company itself, sign the letter in Blue Ink. It adds a nice professional and personal touch. If sending in your cover letter to an employer, ensure you have a digital signature at the bottom of your letter.
Keep in mind that your cover letter should be precise and to the point, portray confidence and creativity and SHOULD be customized to every position you are applying to. For more information regarding cover letter writing, register with Build ON and ask your Employment Consultant for more in-depth details.