I get a lot of questions from clients about whether or not they should include a cover letter when sending in their résumé. My response is “Would you consider making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the jelly?” The point being that the two go hand-in-hand, and unless a job position announcement specifically states that you should not send in a cover letter along with your résumé, you should ALWAYS include one.
Why?
There are multiple reasons. As more companies are using applicant tracking software to scan for job keywords, the cover letter also can get fed into this system as well. Building up your hit ratio in this system is paramount to catapulting you into the next level of the screening process.
Additionally, the cover letter serves as the compelling reason as to why the employer should hire you- it’s your opportunity to make the case as to why you are a superior candidate over other applicants. The résumé presents your value proposition in terms of facts. The cover letter can provide the softer skill side where you can talk about your drive, initiative, attention to detail and how you are willing to go the extra mile.
But actually writing a cover letter can be deceptively easy, and many people get trapped writing the wrong thing. Many people fail in this activity because they simply end up focusing entirely on themselves. The truth is that in a cover letter, while it is about you, it’s actually really about THEM (the employer).
Here are a couple of straightforward tricks to use when developing an effective cover letter that addresses an employer’s needs:
1) Personalize your letter. Don’t know the human resource manager? Use your network or look them up on LinkedIn.com. A personalized cover letter always gets more attention than a ‘Dear Human Resource Manager’ or ‘To Whom it May Concern’ type of letter.
2) Always include a reference to the specific position you are applying for in the cover letter. Here’s an example of the format:
Date
Contact Name, Title
Company
Address
City, State, Zip
Re: Position Title and Reference Number (if applicable)
3) Create immediate interest. Use a compelling ‘hook’ to spur the employer to read on. You can relate to something that is of interest to the employer by making a direct appeal or providing an interesting fact relevant to that company. The key is to make a connection to what is of interest to THEM!
4) Write to your audience. Demonstrate familiarity and knowledge about their company… this can stroke their ego while at the same time subliminally demonstrating your resourcefulness by digging up information about their company. Find out what types of challenges that your target company might be facing, and then provide yourself as the solution to those problems. Advertisers use this ‘problem-solution’ tactic all the time!
5) Talk about what you can do for the employer. Focus on the target company, versus rattling off a litany of ‘I’ve done this, and I’ve done that…now hire me!” It doesn’t work that way. You should be into your third paragraph in the cover letter before you start touting yourself, and even at that point, you need to relate specifically what you offer to what they need. Avoid a lot of ‘I’ or ‘my’ statements!
6) Use keywords in your cover letter like you do in your résumé. These can generate hits and adds to the employer’s perception of your relevancy.
7) Don’t forget to close the sale. Most people, whether in their cover letter or at the end of an interview, forget to ask for the sale. You are selling your services to help their company, and your close in a cover letter is just as important as your opening. Don’t be afraid to ask them to hire you!
8) Avoid ‘regurgitating’ your résumé in your cover letter. Remember, the résumé are the facts, and the cover letter is how you make the case as to why they should hire you!
Hopefully, these tips will help you understand that the cover letter is practically equal with the résumé… they go together and act as compliments to provide a tight, focused and informative snapshot about what you offer the employer.
Showing posts with label cover letter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cover letter. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Why the cover letter matters as much as the résumé
I have the occasional client who pauses when they are told what the investment level is for a cover letter. Why so much, they wonder. Is it really that important?
Let me put it this way: What would happen if you had THE perfect résumé, but then sent along an accompanying cover letter that had grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors? What if you didn’t express thoughts in a clear, compelling way? How would an employer respond to this? If you guessed not favorably, you are right!
Proofreading errors in a cover letter are the number one job prospect killer for résumés and applications. In fact, the same rules for résumés apply for cover letters. They HAVE to be perfect. Cover letters are in equal standing to résumés for the very reason that it tells a lot about a candidate that a résumé can't communicate.
Whereas a résumé is usually presented more in the abbreviated or ‘telegraph’ style of communication, a cover letter is a premier demonstration of your professional writing skills… much along the lines of how an employer might expect you to communicate via email messages or letters on their behalf, should you come under their employment.
Another key clue to prospective employers that a cover letter delivers is an understanding about the candidate that goes beyond the words on the page. Does the applicant actually ‘get’ what the employer is seeking in applicants for this particular position?
I recall one applicant who sent in a fairly qualified résumé paired with a cover letter that addressed the position we were recruiting, but the person clearly ‘elevated’ themselves to a much higher management role than what the position mandated. It was very clear that there was a disconnect between what the person’s perception of the job duties were, and the ones being sought after.
Another thing employers check is whether the prospective employees follow the application directions. Failure to comply in the specified guidelines could be red flags about how this person might perform in a company - will they do it 'their way' or follow company procedures/policies? By failing to follow application guidelines, many job seekers make their own obstacles to employment by getting weeded out simply by not following directions.
Now let's tackle cover letter content. Earlier in this blog, Ernest White, the human resources professional, wrote about addressing skills. The cover letter is the prime spot to relate the skills and keywords of the job position to your experience. This component should be straight to the point, compelling, and make the reader want to read your résumé. One technique I use when teaching résumé-writing classes is to create the following equation to illustrate this point:
cover letter (why hire me) + resume (the facts) = the job
Personalization is also a key component of a cover letter. If the job opening has a generic “Attention Human Resources Manager” person to direct your application to, spend the time to try and ‘dig’ out a name. Call the company and ask the switchboard operator outright what the name of the HR director is. Google them on the Internet- chances are the person’s name is mentioned in a press release when making high-profile hiring announcements. The person might be also a member of the local human resource professional association. Or, you might even find the person’s name listed in an online business networking group like LinkedIn. Any steps you can take to personalize the cover letter and direct it to an actual human being is important. It could be that 99% of the other candidates submit their applications to “Human Resource Manager” and yours comes in addressed to Jane Smith, HR Manager. Don’t you think that Jane might be at all curious as to how you got her name?
Finally, this introductory document should only be one page – no dissertations, please. Remember, you have the short span of mere seconds to either capture employer interest or get tossed into the rejection pile. You need to be concise, relevant, demonstrate an understanding of the job opening and be able to relate your skills as a solution to their staffing problem. It is a lot to do, but critical to making the pitch to employers as to why they should hire you.
The last thing I’d like to mention is that your cover letter should never be a litany of your skills nor should it repeat what you’ve already stated in greater detail in your résumé. You have to position yourself in the following ways: knowledgeable about their company, a perfect match to the skills that they need, and capture interest to compel the reader to turn to your résumé for greater detail. It’s a tough thing to accomplish in just one page, which makes this document just as important as your résumé.
In short, cover letters can reveal a lot to employers, or they can show nothing at all. But remember, even nothing can show you something, so it is important that you realize that the cover letter is important and needs to be as perfect as your résumé!
Let me put it this way: What would happen if you had THE perfect résumé, but then sent along an accompanying cover letter that had grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors? What if you didn’t express thoughts in a clear, compelling way? How would an employer respond to this? If you guessed not favorably, you are right!
Proofreading errors in a cover letter are the number one job prospect killer for résumés and applications. In fact, the same rules for résumés apply for cover letters. They HAVE to be perfect. Cover letters are in equal standing to résumés for the very reason that it tells a lot about a candidate that a résumé can't communicate.
Whereas a résumé is usually presented more in the abbreviated or ‘telegraph’ style of communication, a cover letter is a premier demonstration of your professional writing skills… much along the lines of how an employer might expect you to communicate via email messages or letters on their behalf, should you come under their employment.
Another key clue to prospective employers that a cover letter delivers is an understanding about the candidate that goes beyond the words on the page. Does the applicant actually ‘get’ what the employer is seeking in applicants for this particular position?
I recall one applicant who sent in a fairly qualified résumé paired with a cover letter that addressed the position we were recruiting, but the person clearly ‘elevated’ themselves to a much higher management role than what the position mandated. It was very clear that there was a disconnect between what the person’s perception of the job duties were, and the ones being sought after.
Another thing employers check is whether the prospective employees follow the application directions. Failure to comply in the specified guidelines could be red flags about how this person might perform in a company - will they do it 'their way' or follow company procedures/policies? By failing to follow application guidelines, many job seekers make their own obstacles to employment by getting weeded out simply by not following directions.
Now let's tackle cover letter content. Earlier in this blog, Ernest White, the human resources professional, wrote about addressing skills. The cover letter is the prime spot to relate the skills and keywords of the job position to your experience. This component should be straight to the point, compelling, and make the reader want to read your résumé. One technique I use when teaching résumé-writing classes is to create the following equation to illustrate this point:
cover letter (why hire me) + resume (the facts) = the job
Personalization is also a key component of a cover letter. If the job opening has a generic “Attention Human Resources Manager” person to direct your application to, spend the time to try and ‘dig’ out a name. Call the company and ask the switchboard operator outright what the name of the HR director is. Google them on the Internet- chances are the person’s name is mentioned in a press release when making high-profile hiring announcements. The person might be also a member of the local human resource professional association. Or, you might even find the person’s name listed in an online business networking group like LinkedIn. Any steps you can take to personalize the cover letter and direct it to an actual human being is important. It could be that 99% of the other candidates submit their applications to “Human Resource Manager” and yours comes in addressed to Jane Smith, HR Manager. Don’t you think that Jane might be at all curious as to how you got her name?
Finally, this introductory document should only be one page – no dissertations, please. Remember, you have the short span of mere seconds to either capture employer interest or get tossed into the rejection pile. You need to be concise, relevant, demonstrate an understanding of the job opening and be able to relate your skills as a solution to their staffing problem. It is a lot to do, but critical to making the pitch to employers as to why they should hire you.
The last thing I’d like to mention is that your cover letter should never be a litany of your skills nor should it repeat what you’ve already stated in greater detail in your résumé. You have to position yourself in the following ways: knowledgeable about their company, a perfect match to the skills that they need, and capture interest to compel the reader to turn to your résumé for greater detail. It’s a tough thing to accomplish in just one page, which makes this document just as important as your résumé.
In short, cover letters can reveal a lot to employers, or they can show nothing at all. But remember, even nothing can show you something, so it is important that you realize that the cover letter is important and needs to be as perfect as your résumé!
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