Key Points:

• Personalize every cover letter
• Clear and concise
• Tell your story
•  Incorporate keywords

Your resume is polished, but now the hiring manager requests a cover letter. A cover letter is a perfect place for you to elaborate on your career achievements, personality traits, written communication skills, and any other skillsets that would make you an asset to the hiring employer. A hiring manager requests a cover letter from candidates to find the right fit for a highly coveted position. Understanding the importance can make formulating a cover letter daunting, but we’re here to help with four tips to get you writing your best cover letter yet below.

1. You may think it’s easiest to use a cover letter from another job application and swap out a few sentences for each role you apply for, but this may cause more issues. Most employers can spot a template cover letter from a mile away. Therefore, it’s best to start a cover letter from scratch to avoid generic terminology. A personalized cover letter for the role you’re applying for shows your interest in the role.

2. If you’re struggling to start a cover letter from scratch, you can use a familiar structure to help guide you. For instance, every cover letter should have the best contact information for the hiring manager to reach out to you. When addressing the cover letter, don’t use terms like “to whom this may concern.” Instead, research and find the hiring manager and address that person directly. Try to summarize the rest of your letter into a few paragraphs, including an opening, body, and closing paragraph. The hiring manager has to read through many cover letters, so it’s best to communicate your experience and why you’re the right person.

3. The body of the cover letter is a great time to highlight experiences that apply to the role, any courses that could set you apart from the other candidates, and even unemployment gaps (find more about that here). If you have a personal story with the company that could appeal to your passion for the role, mention it in the body. When explaining your qualifications, be sure to tie it all back to the position to illustrate that you’re the right person.

4. Using keywords in your resume is recommended, but your cover letter is also a great place to incorporate keywords. When writing your cover letter, use keywords included in the role and responsibilities. By doing so, you can illustrate your background and apply it directly to the position.

While a resume illustrates everything that you are capable of doing and have already accomplished, ultimately, a cover letter is a perfect time to show your personality and what you can do for the company. A great cover letter can be why you land an interview, and using the above tips will help you on your way to the perfect role. If you’re looking for more information and tricks to apply to your job search, check out our blog post, where you can find articles like How To Answer To Weaknesses In An Interview: A List Of Good Weaknesses.