Writing a Cover Letter
Whenever anyone is writing a cover letter it is important that they realize the purpose of a cover letter and exactly what it is meant to achieve. Some people have a vague concept about writing a cover letter while the others feel that the purpose of writing a cover letter is to get a job. The ultimate purpose of writing a cover letter is definitely getting a job, however the immediate purpose of writing a cover letter is to get noticed by the hiring professionals and stand out from among the hundreds of applicants who may have applied for the same job.
The main purpose of a cover letter is to catch the attention of the person who is short-listing the applicants who have applied for a particular job. Most of the people tend to write cover letters which are no very impressive and that is exactly where they misfire. The cover letter is the first stage of your preparation and presentation for the job. If you are unable to get things lined up and presented in your cover letter, then the chances are that you won’t even be short-listed and would surely miss out on the opportunity of even being called for an interview. The articulation of words and the choice of information that one use in writing a cover letter is what decides whether he would be able to make it to the next level or not. Therefore it is very important that should make sure they learn the tricks of writing a cover letter.
Here are 10 of the most important pointers which can ensure that you are able to stand out in the crowd and are able to get noticed:
1. The first thing that you need to clearly understand while writing a cover letter is that there is no rocket science involved in the process and that all you need to do is keep it short and simple so that the reader can easily scan through it. Under no circumstances should you spend your time in writing a cover letter which is more than 1 page long.
2. Always remember that the HR department people tend to go through hundreds of applications on a daily basis. In order to capture their attention you have to prepare a cover letter which will not only be impressive but also be short.
3. While writing a cover letter you should keep in mind that most of HR professionals read just the first paragraph and decide on whether or not they would like to continue reading further. The first paragraph of your cover letter is what needs to attract the attention of the potential employer and that is what can save your application from being trashed.
4. You should always make it a point to address the letter directly to the person who is in charge of hiring. This shows that it is not going to “The person who may be concerned”. What if the very statement puts a person off due to being very generic and you end up missing out on an opportunity of getting selected for an interview.
5. Never follow the copy and paste policy which many people tend to follow in order to make the cover letter impressive. While writing a cover letter you should make sure you actually personalize the cover letter to the verbiage which is similar to the job profile of the job you are applying for. This will show the hiring team the fact that you have actually gone through the job specifications and are not applying at random.
6. While writing a cover letter you should emphasize on the work experience and skills that you have and how they can contribute towards the progress of the company. If you can quote the specifics of your potential contribution, it will carry all the more weight and will help you get noticed.
7. Make sure you do not have any spelling mistakes in your cover letter because that can and will leave a bad impression on the hiring team. Imagine a person telling you to hire him because he can contribute to your company and can supposedly do wonders for the profitability of the firm and states about the ability of being able to “pay attention to details”; but has a spelling mistake in the cover letter. Now the cover letter surely does not match what you are promising the hiring team and this can give the impression that you may not have the skills that you claim to have. In order to avoid such a scenario you should have someone else read your cover letter before you shot it off in the mail.
8. Once you create a professional looking cover letter you should make it a point to print it on high grade paper. This gives a very professional touch to the letter you write.
9. While writing a cover letter and after writing it re-read the letter at least 3 times to ensure you have expressed exactly what you wish to convey and of course this will also help you in checking for any spelling mistakes also.
10. Last but not the least once you have completed the process of writing a cover letter close it off and re-visit the cover letter in a few days. It will give you a fresh perspective of your own letter and will help you in making any relevant additions or subtractions from the letter for the future.
Once you begin following the above mentioned pointers you will be surprised at the number of interview calls you would get. However all throughout the process of writing a cover letter, you need to be genuine in what you say because somehow interviewers tend to be very quick in being able to catch any mismatch between what a person writes and what he says. The more truthful you are the more confidence you will have.
