The Ultimate Cover Letter Guide

Best Cover Letter EverThe Ultimate Cover Letter Guide


A cover letter is your fist opportunity to introduce yourself, stand out from other applicants, and

make a good impression on an employer. This first impression can make or break your chances of

reaching your goal of getting an interview.


How Do I Begin?


If you’re feeling lost and don’t know how to go about beginning a cover letter, think back to

senior year of high school and all of the college essays you wrote. The classic college essay includes a memorable, inspiring story from your past that inspired or taught you in

some way and shows why you would be a great fit for the university.

How Do I Begin?


Just like your college essays, your cover letter is your opportunity to tell a business what you have to offer and why you would be a great fit for them.

How Do I Begin?


You could start your cover letter with a relevant anecdote. Jenny Foss of

themuse.com wrote,

“As humans, we love stories far more than we love data sheets. (OK, I speak for most

humans). So, what’s your story? What brings you to this company? Did you used to sing

along to all of its commercials as a kid? Did the product make some incredible difference in your life? Do you sometimes pull into the

parking lot and daydream about what it would feel like to work there? Tell your story.

Just make sure you have a great segue. Random trivia can come across as weird.”

How Do I Begin?


Make your story authentic and use it to brag a little. However, don’t get carried away. Keep your letter professional and strive to match the formality of the company you are applying for. Be sure to make your story relevant and frame your skills in the context of how you could benefit the company. The purpose is to not only catch their attention, but to catch it in a positive way that makes them believe you would be an asset to their business.

How Do I Begin?


Getting started with a COVER

LETTER1. Open with a relevant

anecdote2. Don’t get carried away3. Tell ‘em what’s in it for

them

The Do’s and Don’ts

Now that you’ve got a place to start, here are the dos and don’ts of how to create a well-written cover letter

that will make employers want to learn more about you.



The Do’s


Do be concise.

Limit your letter to a single page to be put in front of your resume. It does not need to be more than 2-4 short paragraphs. Write more

than a couple of sentences, but don’t be long-winded.

The Do’s


Do focus on your skills.Don’t say much about what your past job experiences were (they see all of that on your resume), but rather focus on the skills you have acquired through these experiences. The skills you have mastered are what will benefit a company, not just the fact that you worked at Goldman Sachs.

The Do’s


“We trash generic inquiries (form letters) automatically. If you don’t care to put in a little effort to tailor your communication to my company I sure don’t care to read it.”

- Ash Arnett, Particular


Do personalize it.

Tailor your letter to the specific job and company you are applying for. Do not use the

same generic information for every job application. You need go beyond why you are

great in general, and convince the employer that you are great fit for THIS job.

The Do’s


Ash Arnett, from PARTICULAR, said,

“We trash generic inquiries (i.e. form letters) automatically. If you don’t care to put in a little effort to tailor your communication to my company, I sure don’t care to read it. Why do you want to work for Particular instead of some other company? How did you find us? Some indication that you’ve read the Particular or Matter websites is a good start.”

How Do I Begin?


Keep your cover letter out of the trash and tailor it to the job you’re applying

for.


The Do’s


The Do’s

Do write it pyramid style.Include the most important information towards the top. The employer probably has several applications to look at, so if he only reads part of your cover letter, ensure that he at least reads the best part.


Write Cover Letters Pyramid Style.

Mostimportant content firstLeastimportant content first


Do show a little personality.After reading tens of cover letters, a lot of

them start to sound like the same “pick me, here’s why” letter. Make your cover letter

stand out from the others and not sound so dull. Be professional, but let yourself shine

through.

The Do’s


Do proofread!

Check, double check, and triple check for spelling and grammar errors. Easily fixed spelling mistakes can be a complete turn-off to an employer. Take this opportunity to show your professionalism and communication skills.

The Do’s


The Dont’s


Don’t simply repeat your resume.

Interpret your resume. Complement your resume. The employer has your resume, so you need to make your cover letter different and interesting.

The Dont’s


Don’t make these deathly grammar mistakes.

Show you passed the 6th grade and make sure to use the correct word choices in your

cover letter.

Your/You’reIts/It’s

There/Their/They’reAffect/EffectThen/ThanMe/Myself/I

The Dont’s


Don’t write why you want “a job” or “a job in this field.”

Write about why you want THIS job. Explain why you are the perfect match for THIS position. Don’t be too generic.

The Dont’s


“ I just need the money.”

“I’m perfect for this job and here’s

why…”


Don’t point out your weaknesses.If you don’t fit the requirements for the job, the

employer will see this on your resume. You don’t need to highlight or even mention your

weaknesses in your cover letter. Reel in the employer’s interest by focusing on your skills

and strengths that make you a great fit for the job.

The Dont’s


Don’t include salary expectations.

This is premature. Salary should not be discussed until the interview at the earliest, and even then, only if the interviewer brings it up.

The Dont’s


Don’t address the employer as sir or madam.

Use the person’s name! If you don’t know it, use his/her title. This is another key component

of personalizing your letter.

The Dont’s


Don’t focus on what the company can do for you.

Focus on what YOU can do for the company. You are the one trying to convince them that you would be a good fit for the company, not vice versa.

The Dont’s


Don’t badmouth anyone.This includes your previous employers, the

company’s competitors, other companies you have applied at, etc. How you talk about others will be viewed as how you would talk about this

new job when you leave. Badmouthing is unprofessional, not classy, and will never make

you look better.

The Dont’s


What Do I Include?

What Do I Include?

Tell the employer your recent and relevant career achievements, job experience, education, and skills you have that make you the best candidate for the job. Include your enthusiasm and interest in the position, and thank the employer for his time and consideration.


What Do I Include?


Once It’s Written…Match your resume.

Since the cover letter and resume go together, you want to be consistent and make

sure they match visually. This will show your attention to detail and professionalism.

What Do I Include?


Here are some great rules of thumb to consider

What Do I Include?


Use the same font(s) in both your cover letter and resume.

What Do I Include?


For in-person submission, print both on the same high-quality paper.

What Do I Include?


Match the formatting. For example, if you use lines to separate sections in your resume, use

those lines in the header and footer of the cover letter. If you use an accent color in your resume,

use it in the cover letter. Whatever format you choose, use it on both pages.


Use the same fonts in both your cover letter and resume for a cohesive look.

Aa


Saving your cover letter.


It’s important to save your cover letter (and resume) as a PDF file if you are submitting it

electronically. If they don’t have the same program or version of Word that you have,

your format could be altered in the transfer, and all of your hard work put in formatting

would be a waste. If you save your cover letter and resume as a PDF, it will definitely

be received in its original format.


Naming your file.

If an employer receives 50 cover letters and resumes and they’re all named, “myresume.doc”, he’s going to have a hard time distinguishing who they belong to. Include your full name in both the cover letter and resume titles. For example, “Cover letter for Ashley Smith,” and “Resume for Ashley Smith.”


Printing for in-person submission.Spend a few cents extra and print your resume on

high quality white or ivory paper. Print the cover letter and resume on separate sheets of paper,

never print double-sided. Avoid stapling your cover letter and resume together. The best option

is to submit them in a folder. Even if you don’t need to submit a paper copy of your resume when applying, it’s a good idea to have a few copies on-hand when you go to an interview (for you or the

interviewers to refer to).


Avoid staples and paperclips.

It’s professional to present your printed cover letter and resume in a folder.


Writing Your Next Cover Letter

As discussed earlier, each cover letter you write should be tailored to the company you are applying for. However, you don’t have to start completely from scratch every time you write one. Obviously, your contact information will stay the same and the employer’s will always change. You could keep the final paragraph the same for each employer if relevant (thanking the employer for hi time, hoping to meet soon for an interview).


The main difference between letters will be in what experiences and skills you focus on.

Look at the job description for each job you apply for, and determine which parts of your

work experience are most relevant to the skills and abilities they are looking for. Hone

in on these experiences and put others on the back burner. These will likely be a little

different for each job, but there will be some overlap. You can use the same pyramid-style

outline for all letters, just personalize the specifics to match what each company is

looking for.

The Ultimate Cover Letter Guide

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