Forget everything you’ve read online about writing a good cover letter. Most of them are generic garbage. This is how you write a good cover letter that doesn’t make the hiring manager cringe.
1. Write a Cover Letter
This seems like an obvious fact. However, here’s why we’re bringing it up.
Writing a cover letter can be tasking. So, especially when the job ad does not specifically ask for a cover letter, many feel like they can skip it. Don’t fall for that trap. Always. Write. A. Cover. Letter.
Remember that there’s an endless sea of applicants vying for the same job. You need to stand out, and that begins with writing a cover letter. Yes, even when the ad does not specifically request it.
Besides, your CV or resume is never enough to sell your suitability for any job. If resumes and CVs were all it took, no employer would bother with interviews. You’ve got to sell yourself to your prospective employers, which is where your cover letter comes in. And that’s why you must write it.
There’s only one exception to this rule. You can skip a cover letter if, and only if, the job ad explicitly instructs you not to include one.
The good thing is most professionals are not good at writing cover letters. So, learning how to write a solid cover letter is always an investment that will get your foot in the door.
Good thing you’re here because we’re about to bust out the big guns that will help you write a killer cover letter every time.
2. Avoid Rehashing Your Resume
Oftentimes, people would simply rehash their resume in paragraph format and then pass that off as a cover letter. Considering that the hiring team will read your resume, why would anyone think this is a good idea?
A better thing to do with your cover letter is to show off your personality and passion.
For instance, the ad states that the job requires a hard-working candidate. You can’t exactly state that kind of personal detail in your resume. But you can show that aspect of your personality in a cover letter.
And don’t do it in a bland, generic way, either. You’ll see how not to do that in the next tip. But for now, keep this hack in mind. Write your cover letter like someone asked you why you’d be great at a particular job.
Something else to do is to go digging into the history of the company to which you’re applying. What big thing did they just accomplish? What’s some pivotal thing happening in their industry at the moment? What are your thoughts about these happenings?
When your letter contains points like these, you not only show interest, you also show expertise. It gives your employers reason to believe that this is a job you’re actually prepared to do.
3. Your Opening Line Doesn’t Have to Rival MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech
Keep it simple.
Many people put so much pressure on themselves to craft an over-the-top opening line. It’s actually not that necessary. You’re applying for a job, not submitting an entry for a literary contest.
Be that as it may, you also want to avoid leaning into the tendency most people have when writing their cover letters. And that tendency is to want to introduce themselves. That’s a rookie move.
Beginning with statements like
My name is ABC, and I’m applying for the role of XYZ…
That’s a no-no.
They already know who you are. So, there’s no need to tell them your name. Just get straight to the point.
I am writing to express my interest in the recent posting for XYZ role…
Better still, you could just begin selling yourself immediately.
A new graduate with a degree in marketing, I spent the last year interning at ABC company, doing XYZ tasks.
As a senior accounting and finance executive, my priority is to ensure that…
As a sales growth expert, I have contributed to vastly increased revenues at every company I’ve worked.
An IT Quality Assurance Analyst with five years of experience, I am confident I have the skills and experience it takes to achieve your company’s goals.
4. Show, Don’t Tell
Writers will be well familiar with this tip.
There are two ways you can write your cover letter. You can be generic and bland by telling, or you can provoke emotion by showing.
Let’s go back to the scenario we painted in the last point. The company says it wants a hard worker.
You could tell them you’re a hard worker by saying:
I bring to the table an exceptional eye for detail, highly developed communication skills, and a proven talent for managing complex and diverse projects.
Or you could show them you’re a hard worker by saying:
As an account executive at XYZ company, I secured more than $11M annually in sponsorship deals by researching the market, building relationships, and understanding all of my clients’ unique needs and pain points.
Which of these sounds more compelling? The second, right? Still, most people would rather write their cover letter using the first format.
Don’t be most people.
Include details in your cover letter that show the stuff you bring to the table for any job at all. Details that a typical CV structure wouldn’t allow you to state.
Maybe you were the go-to employee for your former supervisor during working emergencies.
Or maybe you are so good at navigating the world of human psychology that you could calm any angry customer at all.
Details like these are great to add to your cover letter.
5. Address Somebody or Address Nobody
“Dear Sir/Madam,” “To whom it may concern,”
These salutations hurt just by looking at them. Never open with that. Always address your letter to a named person.
If you can’t find their name, you’ll see what to do in a bit. But in the meantime, here’s why it’s important to address your letter to a name.
When a hiring manager opens your letter and sees that you have addressed your letter to them, it immediately tells them something. You did your homework. You actually researched the company you claim to be excited to join, and it shows.
The other benefit of finding out who the hiring manager is is that it also helps your writing. Putting a face to the recipient of the letter could make your writing slightly more convincing and personal than writing to a faceless person.
It could also help with your tone, which is another crucial element of your cover letter. We will get into that later, so keep reading.
Now, if you have done your best to find the name of the hiring manager and you can’t get it, what should you do?
Simple. Address nobody.
Some people would tell you to address the letter to the position like “Dear Hiring Manager,” or “Dear Recruiter.” But if you really want to write like a pro, then nix that. Just go straight into the body of the letter.
If you aren’t using a personal name in the salutation, most hiring managers would instinctively skip the salutation anyway. It’s just how the human mind works.
Don’t forget that the recruiter is not studying your letter. They are scanning. Your “Dear Hiring Manager” isn’t key information, so the eye would likely gloss over it.
6. Keep a Conversational Tone, Don’t Be a Robot
Yes, a job application is a formal context, and your resume will be formal. In your cover letter, however, you want to try and be more personal.
Remember that your cover letter is how you give your recruiter a chance to get to know you beyond the stats and numbers of your resume. If you’re too stiff, it might not help your candidacy.
To give you a feel of how you should sound, imagine you’re writing to a colleague in the office that you admire but don’t necessarily know on a personal level. That’s the sweet spot.
But of course, being personal does not mean including personal details that don’t help your application. The hiring manager is not your friend or pen pal. So, don’t take “personal” to extremes and talk about your pet goldfish or how you haven’t done laundry in three weeks.
Find the balance and stick to it.
There are a few cases where conversational tones might not be advised, though. For instance, in conservative fields like law or academia, it might be best to stick to a formal tone.
Generally, though, it’s okay to even add a bit (just a tiny bit) of humor to your cover letter. If you’re unsure how humor might land with your prospective employer, though, then just stick with personal and warm.
7. Keep It Short But Not Super Short
There’s absolutely no reason your cover letter should be more than a page. In the world of hiring, it’s pretty much an unspoken rule that job cover letters are one-pagers. Anything more, and you’re overdoing it.
But on the other hand, you also do not want to write a super short cover letter. A cover letter with just a couple of short paragraphs paints the picture of an uninspired applicant. You give the expression that you don’t have a lot to bring to the table or, worse, that you couldn’t be bothered to write anything worth reading.
So, flesh out that cover letter but limit it to a page.
Speaking of, make sure your closing is strong. And a strong close is a quick close.
Your last paragraph is not the time to go into any detail at all. In one sentence, tie all you’ve said together. Tell the reader how your worldview is precisely what their company needs for the job.
If your reader cannot read through your closing in two seconds tops, you’re probably rambling.
8. It’s Always Better to Attach Your Cover Letter
It’s sort of a debate whether or not you should attach your cover letter. There’s no hard and fast rule to this, but there’s an option that’s definitely better for your prospects. And that option is to attach your cover letter.
Here are the reasons.
In the first place, attaching your cover letter will preserve the format in which you wrote it.
Speaking of, always make sure that you use the PDF format.
Why? Pretty much anyone would be able to open it without needing to convert the file first.
Other file types like “.doc,” “.docx,” or “.pages,” might not open on certain devices or computers. In such a case, the recruiter must convert the file first.
Some can’t be bothered to do that. So faced with that obstacle, many recruiters would move on. Those that convert the file might find that the file now has many formatting errors, which could make your letter less appealing.
This is why your best bet will always be to attach your cover letter as a PDF. This way, the formatting is preserved, and you make it easy for the recruiter should they choose to share your letter with a team member.
9. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
We’ve covered all the big stuff you need to address in your cover letter.
But there might be other small stuff that could get you flustered, like what to name the document. Again, you don’t need to get creative. “Your name + Cover Letter” works just fine.
Another small stuff might be what to write as your closing salutation. A simple “Sincerely” or “Yours sincerely” works. In fact, some omit the sign-off altogether and just write their names and contact info.
If the body of your letter is solid, no one would penalize you or even care whether you signed off properly or not.
Conclusion (and Bonus Tip)
And there you have it! All the stuff you actually need to know about writing a good cover letter (check out these samples for some inspiration).
We didn’t make it a point to tell you not to use one cover letter for multiple job applications. At least, not job applications you actually care about and hope to land. You probably already know by now that it’s a bad idea and will weaken your chances.
But just in case, do not send one cover letter in response to multiple job ads.
Now that you know better than most candidates, go out there and kill it. We can’t wait to hear about your new job!