Cover Letters are the Secret Weapon You Need to Master

Step-by-step breakdown + 5 Tips/Tricks + Template Example

What is a Cover Letter?

Some of you might be wondering, “what is a cover letter?” That is the problem. Writing cover letters for each application you send out can give you the upper hand on other applicants. A cover letter is an attachment to your application that explains your credentials and why you are interested in applying for the position. I have noticed a lot of students/people, in general, are not using cover letters, and that could be what is holding you back. In this email, I am going to explain how to write a cover letter using tips I have learned over the years that help me stand out.

Writing the Letter

A cover letter is only a single page that is easy to read. Think of this single page as a place to fill, but not to overstuff. You can easily and accidentally go overboard with how much information you try to cram into this one page, so remember to stay general and conservative.

Content of the Letter

One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received about a cover letter was to make it more centered around the company than yourself. This is a great space to show that you have done your homework on the company and you can bring solutions to their problems. They are trying to hire people who can meet the specific requirement shown in the job description. If you are applying for an entry-level sales position, it is clear the problem they are trying to solve is generating a wider sales reach to bring in more revenue. Acknowledge your research and describe how you can help. If you know the company’s goals, show that you can help them achieve these because of (insert your awesome skill here). A cover letter is your chance to sell yourself and show that you have the necessary skills and prerequisites from your previous work experience. Make sure, however, you are not using the cover letter to repeat your resume. This letter is unique from your resume and should reflect your skills in relevance with the company you are applying for.

Now Time For the Tips & Tricks

Since you have now written your cover letter, it is time to look it over and see where you can eliminate flaws. Below I am going to go over some very important tips and tricks I have learned throughout the years to perfect a cover letter.

Tip #1 - Don’t Start the Letter Off Boring

When starting your letter, no need to be formal. Writing something like, “You are receiving this letter today because I am applying for the internship program at your company” is way too formal and is not the goal of a cover letter. The recruiters already know you are applying for this role, no need to state the obvious. Recruiters want to be hooked and keep reading. This goes back to one of my resume tips, the first couple of sentences will determine if the recruiter wants to keep reading.

Tip #2 - Explain Your Resume in More Detail

Typically, when people write the description for each of the jobs they have had, there is always more information they want to write. The cover letter is the perfect chance to expand about previous work experience. On the other hand, this can be a trap because you only want to expand on the jobs that are applicable to the desired job. If this is a customer service role, write more about your previous jobs in the customer service field, not about your high school summers working at a grocery store (yup, I have been there).

Tip #3 - Numbers, Numbers, Numbers

There is one proven way to show success, and that is the incorporation of numbers. Now, this can be very difficult when you are starting your career or have very few statistics to attribute your success. This also leaves room to be creative. For example, if you worked in a customer service role, you could write about how many customers you worked with in a day. Another example is you could write about how your company had a goal that you helped achieve. There are tons of examples online with great ways to do this and I highly encourage you to take time and implement this into your cover letter. This is directly where a recruiter’s eyes will go because they are trained to find people with measurable results.

Tip #4 - Talk About How You Match the Company

Every company has a culture, and those components are most likely written all over its website. Find the key values that a company holds and determine if they line up with your values. If they do, then you can go into detail in your cover letter about how perfect you would be in the company as a whole, not just in the one specific position you are applying for. You will see many similar company values such as team-player or collaboration, etc. So, talk about how you embody those characteristics and traits in your cover letter.

Tip #5 - Get Them to Contact You

How do I do this? Well, simply include contact methods at the end of your letter and encourage the reader to reach out. Adding a sentence about how you are looking forward to an interview, can also show confidence. The only contact information that should be included at the end of the cover letter is your email address and phone number. This way, the reader will not have to refer back to the top of the page for this information. This step is all about confidence, so be clear and concise.

BONUS TIP - Keep it Short

Do not push your cover letter past one page. Recruiters will be bored and turn to skim the letter. Focus on making the one page so flawless and eye-catching, that the reader will want to reach out to learn more about you. Be a tenacious salesperson, and the product you are selling is yourself! It also looks good to end it on that sort of call-to-action note.

Cover Letter Template

Thank you to all my subscribers once again! I hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter!