How many times have you dreaded writing the cover letter? Many times, isn’t it? Hopefully this blog will help you to write cover letter with confidence.
Firstly, let me assure you that cover letters are read. In fact, some of the hiring managers and recruiters rate cover letter higher than resume; as it demonstrates your ability to write persuasively and communicate your ideas on paper.
A resume is a factual document of your work history; the cover letter is a snapshot of your work history. I believe if resume is a movie, cover letter is a trailer.
Here are three tips on how to write a winning cover letter:
1. Provide Relevant Information:
Remember cover letter is a communication document with an intended outcome. It is imperative that your cover letter provides all relevant information to the job you’re seeking.
- List your accomplishments related to the job you’re seeking. Highlight contributions you made to the organisation. For example, if you’re seeking Sales Representative position, you could write: Sales Growth & Business Turnaround: Headhunted to join the RTO Manager for spearheading Sales, Marketing and Training division. Revamped sales and marketing operations through aggressive and strategic marketing campaigns and grew revenue by 120% within 8 months.
- Highlight experiences that directly relates to the job. For eg: Delivering exceptional and tailored customer service that exceed customers’ expectations, cultivate and demonstrate customer-first approach, boost revenue and maximise customer retention and acquisition is my expertise and passion. I offer 8+ years of strong experience in India’s and World’s finest banking institutions. With my customer service, sales, and business development talent, I’m extremely confident that I can produce strong results for your bank.
2. T-Style cover letter:
A very simple yet a powerful way to communicate how you are a great candidate for the role. You should write this type of cover letter only if you meet or exceed all the requirements of the position. On one side list all the requirements of the position and on the other side, provide details of how you meet or exceed those requirements with examples. See an example below.
Source: Supplied
3. Proof-read the cover letter:
Even though you’re qualified for the position, but you could jeopardise your chances to be called for an interview if the cover letter contains typo and grammatical errors. Conduct a thorough grammar, typo and spell check. You’d always ask someone else to review the document for you before the application submission.
