The Infamous Cover Letter
The Infamous Cover Letter
June 21, 2011
Employers can receive many applications for one job opening. With so many applicants, the one thing that can set you apart from the rest is preparing the perfect cover letter.
Last summer, the Service Canada Centre where I worked helped draft some really great cover letters! Length and content varied, but they all required the same ingredient: Effort! Don’t think you can draft one cover letter and be set for life. Your letter needs to be personalized and tailored to each job application. That isn’t to say that you can’t use the bones of one cover letter to help you start the next. You should never be able to hit print twice on the same cover letter, unless the employer asks for two copies.
I helped one student last year who dropped in after doing what many of us try. He thought he could make one cover letter that was generic enough to be sent to any employer, allowing him to apply to a lot of jobs really quickly so he’d be sure to score at least one of them. When I sat down with him, I asked him which jobs he really wanted and we focused on those first. We found the postings for each job and made separate lists of the key characteristics that each employer was looking for in a candidate. The employer may be looking for someone who is analytical, or someone who is personable and approachable. Since employers scan a lot of cover letters when looking to hire, many will look for key words first. If you’re submitting an application electronically, there’s a good chance a computer is doing that job! That’s why it’s very important to identify exactly what the employer is looking for and try to include those key words in your cover letter.
Once you have a good grasp of that, start to check off the attributes that you have and match your experiences to what they’re looking for. However, if an employer says they are looking for someone who is results driven, simply writing “I am a results driven individual” on your cover letter isn’t enough. The cover letter is there for you to provide evidence of how you are results driven. You need to give concrete examples of projects you’ve managed to the end or times when you didn’t quit until a goal was met.
In the end, the student that I was helping ended up with three great cover letters and, a couple of weeks later, I heard that he had scored a job. Whether it was the result of one of the cover letters we worked on or a new one that he drafted himself, I know the personalized touch had to have done the trick!
For more helpful ideas, check out Writing a Cover Letter. I also hope to hear from you and get your advice on what worked for you in the past (or didn’t work) when submitting your cover letters.
Bye for now!.
Comments
Jon Juane says,
June 22, 2011
"Great post Derek! I remember the summer after my first year of university I was so annoyed that nobody called me back after my mass distribution of resumés... My sister asked me if I sent cover letters with the resumés and I had no idea what she was talking about... If I had known then what I know now... Maybe, just maybe I could have fulfilled my dream as a trendy coffee shop barista... or smoothie... maker? Is that what they call people who make smoothies? smoothie makers?"
Mary Lynn Baird says,
July 4, 2011
"I agree that Cover Letters are very important! They show that you have gone the extra mile and are genuinely interested in the position and company. Cover Letters that have worked well for me in the past have been those that are not generic. Also, including a paragraph that perhaps discusses the company's nature, vision, mission, values, and / or goals, and then discussing your interest or commitment to those as well is a good idea. This way, the cover letter is a means of showing how you are not only a good fit for the position, but also for the company. Being a good fit in the company is often very important from an employer's perspective."
Connie J. says,
July 5, 2011
"Derek, this post is extremely relevant and necessary. We've had so many clients who've either sent out the generic cover letter or not even one at all! We've stressed the importance of setting oneself apart from the crowd, and this is definitely one of the most important aspects. Great post!"
Clarissa says,
July 8, 2011
"Hey, Derek! I know for me, I've never really written a cover letter. Well, I've written two, but neither were submitted, as I found jobs which didn't require the cover letter before I needed it to be submitted. But when I do my hiring for new volunteers with my volunteer group, I get to read a good variety of cover letters! The best ones are always the ones that are really nicely written - clean, to the point, but the ones that show a bit of personality, too. Written communication skills are a strong must for conveying who you are in a short space like a cover letter. Taking the time to really work on one and pour a good amount of effort makes you look professional and really good - someone who sounds smart and able to handle themselves well. Of course, I've stumbled on a few which were hilarious, but a bit concerning. Hilarious in that if they hadn't been serious, they'd have been a comedy; concerning in that they were serious and thought they were going to get the job. As with most things in the job application process, I always find moderation to be the key with cover letters. Show a bit of personality and flair in your word choice, but be careful not to intimidate the employer with a bit too much personality."