Think Not What The Company Can Do For You
Another common cover letter mistake? Talking about how great the position would be for you and your resume. Frankly, hiring managers are aware of thatwhat they really want to know is what youre going to bring to the position and company. Try to identify the companys pain pointsthe problem or problems that they need the person they hire to solve. Then emphasize the skills and experience you have that make you the right person to solve them.
On that note
Throw In Numbers And Examples
If you want to know how to write a cover letter that stands out, show how you’ve had a measurable impact on an organization. Did you bring in new clients, make a process more efficient, spearhead some campaigns? Provide specific numbers, percentages to show growth, or a range or estimate to quantify results.
Offering examples can also help you illustrate what youve achieved or elaborate on the specifics. Show, dont tell, whenever possible when you describe what youve done and what you can bring to your next position.
Choose A Greeting Phrase And Addressee
After you write your header, begin the main part of your cover letter by writing a greeting phrase such as hello or dear. When writing a cover letter, it’s helpful to consider to whom you’re addressing the letter. Some job postings may include details about the hiring manager who reads the cover letters. If the management position for which you’re applying doesn’t have this information, consider using general phrases such as Dear hiring manager or To whom it may concern.
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How To Write An Attention
The last, but the most important, part of your cover letter opening is your opening paragraph.
You want your opening paragraph to be engaging and attention-grabbing to ensure that the hiring manager will continue reading the cover letter.
After all, recruiters receive hundreds of applications daily. Obviously, they cant spend all their working hours reading cover letters, so, instead, they simply skim your cover letter in a handful of seconds, and if it catches their attention, they re-read it more thoroughly.
And the part of the cover letter that helps catch their attention is usually the opening paragraph!
Compare these 2 cover letter openers and judge for yourself which one youd rather read:
Dear Mr. Brown,
My name is Anna and Id like to help your company exceed its sales target as a Sales Manager. My 5-year experience as a Sales Representative at XYZ Inc. has given me substantial skills in sales. During my last year working there, we beat KPIs by around 50%. I believe that my strong track record in sales makes me the perfect candidate for the position.
Hello, my name is Mary and I am interested in working as a Sales Manager for your company. I have 6 years of experience working as a Sales Manager for Company X, so I think Im a good fit for the position.
While theres nothing inherently wrong with the first example, its not all that imaginative. Chances are, every other applicant is going to use a similar opening statement.
How To Structure And Write A Cover Letter
In 2022, its very rare for cover letters to be hard copies as most are sent online. However, traditional cover letter conventions state that your cover letter should be written like any other formal business letter, even if youre emailing it.
Start with your address and contact details in the top right-hand corner. Make sure your contact details are sensible email addresses like wont make you look very professional! You should then follow this with the address of the company youre applying for and the date further down and on the left-hand side.
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Examples Of How To Address A Cover Letter If You Dont Know The Recipients Name
Dear Sir or Madam
Dear Hiring Manager
Dear Hiring Team
It doesnt sound like you are writing to your grandmother about your vacation. It will look professional and well put together, making it an excellent start to any cover letter.
We recommend always being as specific as you possibly can. For example, if you know your cover letter will be read by the hiring manager for the team, use Dear Marketing Hiring Manager instead of just Dear Hiring Manager.
Also, dont assume someone from human resources will be the hiring manager unless your research indicates thats the case. While reaching out to HR might be the best way to find the name of your cover letter recipient, theres no guarantee that that person works in HR.
Use Humor And Creativity
Recruiters are humans beings, too . In a pile of boring resumes and repetitive cover letters and motivation letters, they may find a good joke, juicy pun or funny opening line a nice refreshing break. It can also be a reason to call you up for an interview.
If the company seems to have an easy-going vibe, use humor to bring attention to your skills or relevant personal traits that are needed for the position youre targeting.
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Consider Your Cover Letter Opening Lines
Knowing what to write for the opening lines of your cover letter can be difficult because theyll often form the first impression employers have of you as a candidate.
The best cover letter opening lines are simple, direct, and informative. While it can be tempting to use cover letter starters that are unique and add flair to your application, you should make sure that your opening is appropriate for the company culture. Otherwise, you risk your cover letter coming across as unprofessional or gimmicky.
Here are 5 cover letter opening sentence examples to give you some ideas:
The examples above are effective because they indicate precisely what position the candidate is seeking, as well as their relevant experience, qualifications, or connections.
Including informative details like this in the first sentence immediately gives employers a good idea of what makes you an ideal candidate, and encourages them to keep reading.
How To Address A Cover Letter Without Name: 2022 Guide
How to address a cover letter without name?
According to a study, every corporate job opening gets roughly 250 resumes, out of which only 3-4 applicants land an interview.
That means if your cover letter feels generic and lacks personal touch, it may end up in the trash.
However, what if there is a circumstance for addressing cover letter with no name?
Read on to get an insight into the following FAQs:
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Check Before You Hit Send
As a job applicant, it’s generally fine to re-use the same cover letter for similar or even non-similar positions. However, you must make it a habit to review each cover letter thoroughly before you submit it.
Double and triple check that you’ve used the correct hiring manager name/company in both the address area and the greeting. The minute a recruiter/hiring manager sees a different name and company than their own, the cover letter–along with your resume and hopes for that job–will be thrown in the trash.
Next, be sure the position title matches the company. You might get by with this mistake, but a good recruiter will catch it and potentially toss your application.
Finally, review the body of the letter to know that you’ve included the right set of experience and skills for that job. The section below offers more details on this.
End With A Professional Signoff
You should end your cover letter with a paragraph that summarizes the reasons you are applying for the role and why you would be a great fit. Keep the cover letter conclusion brief and explain that you look forward to hearing from the employer with the next steps. End with your signature at the bottom.
Example:Thank you for your time and consideration. I’m looking forward to learning more details about the Sales position and about TradeLot. Growth is essential to my continued success, and I’m excited for the chance to be a part of TradeLot’s industry-leading team. My proven track record and TradeLot’s quality products are a winning combination for increasing the company’s market share.
Sincerely,
Malik Rabb
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Writing Your Cover Letter: Format And Structure
- Keep cover letters shortthree or four paragraphs and less than one page.
- Use the active voice, keeping your tone positive and professional. Avoid beginning too many sentences with I.
- Read your cover letter aloud to catch repetitious words and typos. Make sure that the grammar, sentence structure and spelling are correct.
- When applying online, upload your cover letter as a PDF file, unless another format is specified. When sending your resume and cover letter by email you may write a short note or paste your cover letter in the body of your email and also attach the PDF file.
- Address your letter to the specific individual who can hire you, if this is known. If the name is not included in the job description, address the letter to Dear Hiring Manager or to the title mentioned in the job description.
- List your contact information at the top of the page either in the same format as your resume or on the top left or right margin as shown in the samples.
Include:
- employers name, title and address
- a greeting
- cover letter content
Emphasize Your Personal Value
Hiring managers are looking for people who can help them solve problems. Drawing on the research you did earlier, show that you know what the company does and some of the challenges it faces. These dont need to be specific but you might mention how the industry has been affected by the pandemic. For example, you might write, A lot of healthcare companies are overwhelmed with the need to provide high quality care while protecting the health and safety of their staff. Then talk about how your experience has equipped you to meet those needs perhaps explain how you solved a similar problem in the past or share a relevant accomplishment. You want to provide evidence of the things that set you apart.
Lees points out that there are two skills that are relevant to almost any job right now: adaptability and the ability to learn quickly. If you have brief examples that demonstrate these skills include those. For example, if you supported your team in the shift to remote work, describe how you did that and what capabilities you drew on.
Further Reading
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Begin With Your Personal Mission Statement
Don’t have a personal mission statement? You might want to take some time to create one. A good mission statement can help hiring managers understand why you’re passionate about what you do which goes a long way towards ensuring you’ll work hard in your next role.
A few examples on how you might start a cover letter with a personal mission statement look like this: “As a content creator, I believe inspiring readers through creative, persuasive copywriting is vital for helping them excel professionally.”
Or: “As a leader, I believe encouraging innovation and creativity is critical for ensuring my employees can do their best work and improve the lives of our customers.”
Why This Works
A manager can help you level up on certain key skills, but she can’t teach you to love your job. By demonstrating an intrinsic motivation, you’re essentially telling the hiring manager, “I know the importance of this role so I won’t slack off on it.”
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in May 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
Originally published Aug 11, 2021 1:45:00 PM, updated August 11 2021
Topics:
Always Include Relevant Headings
Headings allow employers to identify the crucial information they are looking for. Headers tell your name and contact information. The education section should begin with your most recent college degree and work backward. Only include institutions from which you have earned degrees. The experience section should include meaningful experiences with a short explanation of your skills and accomplishments that relate to the job.
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Creating Your Cover Letter
Every time you send out a résumé, you’ll need to have a great cover letter to send along with it. It’s a good idea to customize your cover letter for each job you’re applying for. The cover letter is another way of introducing yourself to a potential employer. What it says about you can be the difference between getting in the door and missing your chance.
Example : Brand Copywriter
Job Description
We are looking for an experienced copywriter to join our team. If you have a great eye for balance, a quick wit, and can adapt a brand voice for any medium, then this role is right for you.
Responsibilities:
-
Write for branded communications including ads, emails, events, landing pages, video, product marketing, and more
-
Maintain and develop the voice of our brand in collaboration with others
-
Develop copy for internal communications that generate excitement about our company culture
-
Work independently and manage your time well
-
Strong copy editing skills: for your own work and others
Requirements:
Cover Letter
Hello,
There are at least two less-than-obvious ways to improve your vocabulary : studying for the GRE and becoming a crossword puzzle enthusiast. Ive done both, but for this job application, Id like to focus on the latter.
It was this courage that was the real turning point for me. In my current agency, I was already known as a hard worker and creative spirit my peer and manager evaluations had made this clear. But while I felt confident in my abilities, I had never seen myself as particularly daring. Considering new challenges and mastering each one along the way had given me a renewed sense of myself and clarity about my chosen profession.
All the best,
Here are five guidelines to keep in mind when writing a cover letter:
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Key Takeaways: How To Begin A Cover Letter
The beginning of your cover letter will determine whether the hiring managers will read the rest of it or not. If you want them to pay attention to what you have to say, make sure your cover letter opening:
Tell A Creative Story
Even though you probably wont be submitting your cover letter to a creative writing contest, dont be afraid to inject some humor, charisma and creativity as long as its appropriate for the specific job and company. Hiring managers dont want to read a novel, but they are looking for something that catches their attention. Do some research on the company culture, examine the tone of the job posting and use your own judgment when going the creative route.
Example:I looked up at the clock and gasped. It was exactly two hours before a critical meeting with one of our biggest clients and my boss had just asked me to completely redo our entire sales pitch. Under this time crunch, I reworked our pitch from the ground up, collaborating with teams across several departments to deliver a completely new presentation on time. The best part? Our client loved the pitch, and we closed the sale within 30 minutes.
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How To Write A Cover Letter In 2021
After weeks of heavy job search, youre almost there!
Youve perfected your resume.
Youve short-listed the coolest jobs you want to apply for.
Youve even had a friend train you for every single interview question out there.
But then, before you can send your application and call it a day, you remember that the job ad requires a cover letter.
Now youre stuck wondering how to write a cover letter…
Dont panic! Weve got you covered. Writing a cover letter is a lot simpler than you might think.
In this guide, were going to teach you how to write a cover letter that gets you the job you deserve.
We’ll cover:
So, lets get started with the basics!
What To Write In The Rest Of Your Cover Letter
Of course, the rest of your letter is important too. You’ll need to use an appropriate salutation, and make your cover letter closing polite and inviting. In the body of your letter, you have the opportunity to pitch your qualifications for the job in more detail than you have room for in your resume.
If there are specific events or accomplishments you feel are likely to make you stand out, you can briefly mention them and explain in more detail should you secure an interview.
Make sure your contact information is complete as well, and format your signature to match the letter style you are using.
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Start With Humor And Creativity
OK, before you read any of these, we have to stamp them with a big, blaring disclaimer: Do your homework before trying anything like thislearning everything you can about the company and the hiring manager to gauge whether or not they appreciate some comedic relief or a bit of snark. If they do, its a great way to make them smile . If they dont? Try a different approach.
Start With A Statement That Surprises Them
When applying for a role at HubSpot, one of my colleagues began her cover letter like this: “I like to think of myself as a round peg thriving in a square hole kind of world.”
Doesn’t that make you want to keep reading? It certainly kept me interested. Of course, you’ll only want to include a bold statement if you can follow it up with some concrete supporting information. My colleague, for example, continued by writing this: “What does this mean? It means that my diverse background makes me a well-rounded candidate who is able to comprehend, develop and execute various functions in business.”
Why This Works
While the rest of her cover letter veered on the side of professional, her opening line was casual, quirky, and surprising. Plus, you feel her personality in the line, and when an employer feels like a real person is behind the cover letter, she’s going to want to keep reading.
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