Your cover letter could be your golden ticket in
Your cover letter could be your golden ticket in
June 15, 2012
One of the most important yet also most tedious parts of any job application is the cover letter. It’s so tempting to have a template that lets you switch up the name of the employer, change the date, and then send it off, but you have to resist. All employers are different, but for many the cover letter is more important than the résumé. It gives the reader more detail about the experiences and skills you listed on your résumé and at the same time a glimpse of your writing style and written communication skills.
I remember sitting down to write my first cover letter. It seemed intimidating at first—then I tried to rationalize that it wasn’t important and that the employer wasn’t going to read it anyway. I quickly realized that the person sifting through the mounds of applications can see right through generic cover letters, and that if I stood a chance I had to stand out. Make the most of your cover letter and write about more than just yourself—tell the reader how your experiences relate directly to the position you’re applying for.
Don’t stress yourself out wondering if you’ve included everything you need to. Only the employer knows exactly what they’re looking for. So take your best guess based on the information you have from the job posting and run with it.
One final word of advice: Edit until the cows come home! It’s a harsh reality, but many employers will simply ignore an application with spelling mistakes or really poor grammar.
If you have any cover letter questions, ask away in the comments below or check out these other tips!
May the writing force be with you,