Cover Letter: How to Write One That Impresses Recruiters

What is a cover letter?

Normally, a cover letter is a document that is attached to a curriculum vitae or resume. It is a one-pager and attached at the first of a CV. It is mainly a little bit of detail about the applicant’s course, skills, his or her interest, or approach.

A lot of applicants have a question: are cover letters necessary? Yes, it is necessary. Sometimes it plays a crucial role in securing a job. Some organisations directly mention attaching cover letters to resumes.

Why is a cover letter necessary?

A cover letter is very important to impress recruiters or organisations. Sometimes a resume or curriculum vitae shows only bullet points or specific information. But recruiters also want a little bit of detail, background, and context. A cover letter provides this.

Cover letter vs resume

Sometimes we mix up a resume and a cover letter. But both are different, even if there is a little similarity.
Both are attached for expecting an interview invitation, but a resume is more specific, and a cover letter is contextual.

Are cover letters necessary for every job application?

Many job seekers still wonder, are cover letters necessary for online applications or all job posts. The answer is yes for most professional roles. Even if a company does not explicitly ask for it, a cover letter can show your motivation, seriousness, and interest in the company. Some recruiters may skip it, but many still consider it an important tool to understand a candidate beyond the resume.

Specify the purpose

A cover letter is used for job application submission or job apply, but you have to specify why you are writing the cover letter. It means you can write a cover letter to secure a job as a fresher. You can write a cover letter for career switching, or you can write it as general interest without any advertised vacancy.
If you are a fresher, your main thoughts can highlight your skills and educational achievements.

If you are an experienced candidate who wants to switch your job, you have to highlight your expertise and experience with your skills in the cover letter. You can also explore different job categories from Crawljobs to understand where your cover letter can be most effective.

Recruiter thoughts

There are a lot of important positions in organisations. Recruiters want to check the professionalism and the enthusiasm of the applicant. By simply going through a cover letter, recruiters can identify potential candidates. In just 10 to 20 seconds, they make decisions. The main focus is on the candidate’s context and specific skills. So when you build a cover letter, you have to consider recruiter thoughts.

Different parts of a cover letter

Contact information

At first you can add your name, email, or short contact information. It can be written in different formats. It is important to highlight your name and provide the correct contact information. Sometimes our email address or contact information is not presented in a formal way. It can create a negative impact. So use a professional email and an available mobile number.

Mention

This part is similar to an application. At first, in an application we mention To, then whom we sent, his or her name, the company or organisation name, then their address.

Greetings

Here we mention a formal greeting. Though it is not always possible to be sure about the exact title, we can write both Sir or Madam. Also, there is a common practice to write “To whom it may concern.” If it is possible, please know the name of the recruiter.

Introduction or opening part

In the introduction part, we can first impress the reader. Here we make clear our goal. Our goal is to secure the position. So we can mention the position name and the company name. Also, we can highlight our interest and connection to the specific position.

There is also a common practice that you can mention the source of the vacancy. It can be from a newspaper, job portal, LinkedIn, or a personal connection. If you are applying without any job notice, you can also mention that you are interested in the company.

Middle parts or details

The middle part can be used to highlight your qualities or skills. In the first part, we mentioned our interest or desire. In this part, we have to tell why we are capable of the position.
It is important to remember that we have a lot of skills, but we cannot mention all of them or write a long paragraph. We have to be specific. We can mention only those skills that are related to this position. From the job circular or job description, we can find out about the required skills. So match your skills with it and highlight them.

Besides this, you can add valuable extra information. It can be a special degree, a special research, or a special experience that can add value to secure the job and attract the recruiter.

Closing or last part

This is a sum-up part. In this part, normally candidates thank the organisation or the recruiters. Besides this, you can also highlight yourself by showing eagerness to receive the next update from the organisation.

You can also attract the employer by showing a technique like mentioning the organisation’s core practice, values, or any positive side of the company, and relate that as a reason why you want to join the organisation. It will create a wow impact on your resume and about you. It shows you are serious and dedicated to the job, and you researched the company’s values or other information.

In this part, you can request them to consider your curriculum vitae or resume. You can also mention that you are expecting an interview call.

Common mistakes

Don’t attach the cover letter

Most of the candidates, even potential employees, don’t place emphasis on a cover letter. Some are confused and ask, Are cover letters necessary? Most of them only send the resume. But there are lots of companies or organisations that expect a cover letter. So be serious about attaching a cover letter.

Provide some time for researching cover letters for resumes

Search for examples of cover letters. You can search specifically for your sector or position; you can find thousands of samples.

Attach the same cover letter

Another important mistake we make is providing the same cover letter for different positions or organisations. Every job has different criteria, different expectations, and different requirements. So a cover letter should be customised for every single job.

Copy and paste

Don’t copy from the internet or from other people. It reduces your chances of getting your dream job. Every person’s skills can be different. On the internet, there are some common forms, but you have to create your own.

Only focusing on sources

Sometimes we only focus on the job recruitment source in a cover letter. But it is not the ultimate goal. Try to highlight your eagerness for the job.

Best attractive skills

There are a lot of skills we mention that don’t connect with the position. So, try to mention those skills or qualities, or experiences that match the job requirement.

Contact information

Sometimes we don’t take it seriously and just provide a normal email address or contact information. A lot of times, the companies or recruiters cannot reach the applicants for an interview invitation. So be careful about contact information.

Lack of connection between the cover letter and the resume

Sometimes we highlight different points in the cover letter and CV. But if the difference is huge, it cannot establish a bridge between the resume and the cover letter. So there should be a link between them.

Different format

We normally build our resume and cover letter from different sites. Sometimes it happens that the cover letter and resume formats are not aligned, and it seems like two formats are totally different. You should be careful. You should maintain the similarity regarding format, font size, alignment, etc.

Don’t follow the instructions

Recruiters sometimes check the attention to detail of the candidate. They put some extra information in the job circular and they instruct you to highlight that information or use a specific format. But we often make the mistake of following only common patterns. So we have to thoroughly review the job circular.

Don’t follow the email etiquette

There are some common email etiquette for job applications. Sometimes we don’t properly mention the subject. We don’t mention the proper authority. So we have to be careful regarding resume submission with a cover letter.

Best practices

Keep it short

A cover letter consists of paragraphs, but it doesn’t mean you have to write a lot or in too much detail. Keep it short, specific, and crisp. Normally a cover letter takes one page only.

Focus on the organisation’s requirement

Don’t only highlight your skills; match them with the organisation’s requirements. There can be a lot of skills or qualifications, but if they are not connected to this job position, extra information can create a negative impact.

Final check

Before submission, go through every single word. Check grammatical errors, check formatting, not only about the cover letter but also the resume, because you are submitting a total package.

So, submit a top-notch cover letter & resume.

A cover letter is an art. It reflects your personality and attitude. It is your first impression. Take it seriously, craft it with your best effort, and you will be successful.

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