Writing an effective cover letter is an essential part of the professional job application process.

Writing an effective cover letter is an essential part of the professional job application process. Maybe in high school or college you had no trouble finding jobs without including cover letters. Or maybe you have the same cover letter that you edit slightly to submit when applying for every single job.

Unfortunately, the indisputable fact is that you got those jobs despite the lack of cover letter or despite the generic cover letter, not because of it.

If you actually want to land the job of your dreams, do you really want to depend on your resume alone? To demonstrate yourself as a truly desirable candidate, you will need to craft a unique, high-quality cover letter.

That’s why we’ve developed a few easy tips to help you prepare an effective, concise, and successful cover letter.

The Salutation

• If you know the name of the person to whom you are writing, use it. Otherwise, begin your letter with “Dear Human Resources Director” or “Dear Hiring Manager.”

Introduce Yourself

• Clarify why you are writing. HR managers often hire for multiple positions simultaneously, which means that you want to clarify the job for which you are applying.
• Demonstrate familiarity with the organization and/or any connections that you may have. Did a friend recommend you for this job? Had you heard about the organization from someone associated with the company? These connections are key for demonstrating that you aren’t just applying because you need a job but that you actually have some interest in the organization.
• Demonstrate that you know what you will add to their company. This line is also known as developing your “personal brand.” If, in terms of your potential new job, you could summarize yourself in three words, what would they be? Later in the letter, you should offer examples that demonstrate these qualities.

Make Your Qualifications Clear

• Make use of transferable skills. Make sure to reorient potentially irrelevant experiences to demonstrate how they helped you develop skills that are of use for your future employer. On your resume, “Desk agent” would not instantly translate to “premier marketing skills,” but in your cover letter you can take the time to demonstrate these connections. You can explain in some detail how you were able to develop professionally, even within job experiences that aren’t necessarily impressive in and of themselves.
• Maintain an active voice. These are your accomplishments—you’ve done some great things, so take ownership! Use an active voice that reflects your role in your achievements—say, “I received a promotion” instead of “I was promoted” and “I helped increase sales” instead of “sales went up.” This active voice will make you sound more confident and competent.
• Develop a consistent, positive narrative. Even if you worked in certain capacities just to “pay the bills,” you want to make sure that those experiences still contribute to the narrative of your overall growth as a professional. Make it sound as though working in those positions was exactly what you were looking for in terms of professional growth, and that you were striving towards the ultimate goal of working at the company to which you are currently applying. Stay positive!

Close with Confidence

• Close your cover letter with confidence. This concept is similar to that of the active voice—confidence suggests that you are capable and aware of everything that you are bringing to the table. Announcing, “I am positive that I have the skills to do well and benefit ABC Company” is much more effective than “I hope to obtain great experience at this company.”
• Focus on what you bring to the table. Rather than emphasizing the things that you will learn from the position for which you are applying, make sure to express the skills and qualities that you offer them. Why would they want to hire you?
• Express gratitude. Usually, this means ending the final paragraph with “thank you for your time and consideration.”
• End professionally. Conclude your letter with the word “sincerely” and then your name. You do not want to draw attention here, but just finish up professionally.
• Attach your resume. Don’t forget, especially when applying online, to actually attach all of the application documents for which they are asking.

Final Reminders

• Keep it to a single page
• Focus on what you bring to the company, not what they offer you
• Stay confident by using an active voice
• Make all experiences sound like positive learning opportunities—attitude counts for a lot
• Demonstrate the skills that you will bring to the organization with a consistent narrative
• Don’t exaggerate or misrepresent experiences
• Proofread

Resources

The Purdue Online Writing Lab provides a helpful guide for both academic and non-academic cover letters. They also include some of the other elements that you may need help formatting, such as your cover letter header: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/549/1/

Michigan State University has a great page with things to avoid when crafting your cover letter—this is a helpful last stop in your cover letter editing process: http://careernetwork.msu.edu/resources-tools/cover-letters/things-to-avoid.html