Explain Your Career Background In The Second Paragraph
Once you’ve established why you’re reaching out to the recruiter in the first paragraph, use the second paragraph to explain your career background. Begin by describing your experience in your career and industry, as related to the job or types of positions for which you’re interested. Include relevant expertise and provide specific examples of achievements and significant contributions you’ve made in previous positions. You can also include how your skills and background can contribute positively to your next position.
Why This Is A Great Example Of A Cover Letter
In the example above, the candidate is concise and straightforward. She conveys much of what a cover letter should say in the opening paragraph, like her amount and type of experience plus where she found the job.
Then the candidate lists specific responsibilities from the job description, and mentions her experience handling such work. She even gives an example of how her efforts have benefited her current employer.
At this point, her cover letter has already gone beyond her resume and helped the hiring manager quickly understand her value as a hire.
Finally, the candidate signs off by mentioning how shell reach out if she doesnt hear back from the hiring manager. This call to action is a valuable part of a general cover letter.
Write your own call to action to show youre serious about the job, and willing to make the first move if necessary.
Is It Necessary To Send A Cover Letter
This question is always being debated upon but the answer is yes, even if the recruiter or employer didnt specifically ask for one. It can be tempting to skip writing a cover letter because of the presence of the resume but including a cover letter can increase ones chances of getting hired.
A resume can sometimes be rather boring, as it is purely text and bullets. The cover letter can catch the recruiters attention, helping the applicant take a step forward in the application process.
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Write In The Companys Voice
Cover letters are a great way to show that you understand the environment and culture of the company and industry. Spending some time reading over the company website or stalking their social media before you get started can be a great way to get in the right mindsetyoull get a sense for the companys tone, language, and culture, which are all things youll want to mirror as youre writing.
How To Write A Cover Letter With No Experience
February 9, 2022 | By Eva Chan, CPRW| Reviewed by Samuel Johns, CPRW
Finding work as a new job seeker can be challenging, especially during COVID-19. Scroll down for a guide on how to write a cover letter using an example to help you get a job and start making money.
Including a cover letter along with your well-written resume shows youve put effort into your application and provided employers with relevant details explaining why you can handle the work.
But what if youve never worked before and dont have the budget for a professional cover letter writing service? Dont worry. Writing a good cover letter is possible even if its your first time writing one.
Here are some tips and an example to show you how to write a cover letter.
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Spacing Within Your Cover Letter
Good spacing is essential for your cover letter. White spaces on your letters will make it easier for the hiring manager to read quickly. Follow these guidelines:
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Make your cover letter single-spaced.
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Add a space between each section: contact information, salutation, opening paragraph, middle paragraph, closing paragraph and complimentary closing.
Customize Your Cover Letters
While it might seem tedious, you should always customize each letter to fit the specific job for which you are applying. After all, an effective cover letter must illustrate how your experience matches up to the requirements outlined in the job listing. Failing to do so can quickly get your application eliminated from the pool.
Echo the keyword phrases that are emphasized on the job announcement in your cover letter.
Employers often now use sophisticated applicant tracking systems to provide a first review of the cover letters and resumes they receive. The more industry-specific keywords your cover letter includes, the more likely it is that your application will be advanced for a deeper review.
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Conclude With A Professional Salutation
Conclude your cover letter with a professional salutation and include your full name. Most commonly used are Sincerely,Regards, or All the best. After the salutation, write your name and, if possible, include your signature. You can add your signature electronically to an email or digital copy of the cover letter or print it out and sign it in pen before sending.
Read more:
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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Include A Complimentary Sign Off
The final components of the cover letter consist of two lines. The first is the complimentary close, a word or phrase you use before you sign off on the document, such as “Sincerely” or “Warmest regards.” Punctuate the complimentary close with a comma and then, directly below, sign off on the letter. It’s possible to insert a digital facsimile of your signature, but it’s also appropriate to type your name instead.
Use A Professional Greeting
To open your cover letter, begin by using a professional greeting. Options such as Dear or Hello are common and the recruiter’s name should immediately follow them. Be sure to spell their name properly and if you’re unsure, refer to the job posting or company’s website. If you’re sure of their appropriate title, such as Mr. or Mrs., then you can include this before their name. If you aren’t sure, simply use their first and last name without a title. Here are several examples:
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Dear Ms. Konto
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Hello Alex Taylor
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Highlight Your Loan Processor Skills
A loan processor is a type of financial clerk who engages a borrower in the first step of a loan application and guides them through the best programs to apply for. Theyre primarily responsible for compiling, overseeing, and processing a borrowers loan application before its passed on to the underwriter for approval.
As a loan processor, youll meet new people every day. So, you should show hiring managers that you have good communication skills to effectively explain financial information. Also, give examples that prove youre good with numbers, because math is a skill thatll help you solve problems like calculating credit scores.
You should put both hard and soft skills on your resume to make it as attractive as possible to employers. Place them in every resume section to ensure the hiring manager sees them.
Here are good hard skills to highlight on your loan processor resume:
- Problem-solving skills
- Negotiation skills
This work experience bullet point from a loan processor resume offers great examples of time management and organizational skills:
Schedule and track closing dates, contingency dates, and rate lock expiration dates to ensure compliance and create repayment plans
Write Informative Relevant Body Paragraphs
Next, its time to make a convincing argument youre the right person for the job by discussing your experiences, skills, and achievements that are relevant to the position.
In one or two paragraphs plus bullet points , show the reader that you easily fit the needs outlined in the job description.
For job seekers withwork experience
Hiring managers will look closely at your cover letter for evidence that youre qualified and worth considering for the position. Use your recent work history and achievements to prove that you have the skills to get the job done.
Here are some things to include in your cover letter that highlight your value to an employer:
- Professional achievements: Did you exceed targets for production, sales, revenue, profit, customer satisfaction, or any other business objectives?
- Professional praise: Have you received compliments from management or colleagues for your work?
- Professional awards: Have you received awards for your work, like Employee of the Month?
In the following examples, weve color-coded the achievements, praise, and awards with underlining to show you how to include each:
Body paragraph example
Ive been praised by management for consistently executing email marketing campaigns that perform 20% higher than baseline. In 2019, I was awarded Employee of the Year for my efforts. With my skill set, Id be a strong asset at Westward Strategies, and significantly contribute to the teams success.
Body paragraph, achievements-focused
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Introduce Your Qualifications In The Introduction
The introduction, the first full paragraph of a cover letter, usually follows a common structure. The candidate first expresses excitement about the opportunity presented by the job opening and specifies both the exact job title and the name of the employer. Then they introduce themselves to the hiring manager in terms of their qualifications and say why they believe they’re a strong candidate.
Here, consider using the last sentence of the introduction as a topic sentence that introduces the particular qualifications you intend to explicate in the body paragraphs. For example, if you wish to highlight your degree, your experience and two or three skills, state those as the reasons why you feel you’re a great candidate for the role. Use the keywords you’ve identified to inform which skills you mention.
Write A Professional Summary
Your professional summary shares your experience and skills in marketing. You can discuss the industries that you worked in previously, your specific marketing duties, relevant skills or career objectives. To keep the statement short, try to omit small words, like ‘the’ and ‘am’. Here are two examples of community manager professional summaries:
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Driven community manager with five years of experience in social media branding for technology companies. Seeking a position where I can assist startup businesses with growing their online presence and engaging new clientele.
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Detail-oriented community manager with eight years of experience in social media advertising. Interested in positions that involve creating strategic marketing campaigns and engaging the public with online posts.
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Include Your Personal Details
Once you choose a format, begin your resume with your personal details. Include your first name and last name, your phone number, email address, and city and province or territory. This shows employers you’re located close to the business or willing to relocate. Placing your contact information at the top of your resume helps employers immediately know who you are so they can easily contact you for an interview.
Two: Review Resume Cover Letter And Cv Samples
Throughout your job search and subsequent career, you will need to be able to write job-related letters, resumes, and summaries. Review our collection of free sample resumes, cover letters, curriculum vitae , resignation letters, thank-you letters, letters to accept or decline a new job, and more career-related letters. These examples will help you craft your own successful letters and resume.
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Explain Why Youre The Best Fit For The Role
The next step after your opening paragraph is to write 13 body paragraphs explaining why youre the perfect job candidate.
Even if you dont have any work experience, hiring managers will still want to interview you if they think youre a good fit and can handle the work.
So prove youre a top applicant by providing specific examples to show youve done your research and have some knowledge of what the company values.
Review the organizations social media platforms, official website, and other online information so you can get a better understanding of the company culture, values, and goals. See if they connect back to your own values and goals and then mention these similarities in your cover letter.
Because youre new to the job world, write about your experiences from school , volunteering, internships, or extracurricular activities.
Additionally, always try to connect your experiences back to the company and describe how you can help it achieve its goals.
Heres an example of an applicants body paragraph connecting their relevant experience to the organizations goals:
Cover letter with no experience body paragraph #1
How To Write A Cover Letter
A cover letter typically accompanies each resume you send out. Your cover letter may make the difference between obtaining a job interview and having your resume ignored. Where a resume focuses on your work experience and accomplishments, a strong cover letter will make a connection between what the company needs and what you can offer.
There are several different types of cover letters, including application letters, inquiry letters, referral cover letters, and prospecting letters. Here’s where you’ll be able to see examples of different kinds of cover letters used to apply for jobs or inquire about open positions.
The body of your letter tells the employer what position you’re applying for, why the company should select you for an interview, and how you will follow up.
Grab the reader in your first paragraph with some specific information about the job you’re seeking and a few core strengths that demonstrate your suitability for the position.
Then delve into what you have to offer the employer by highlighting examples of the work performed and achieved results. Detail your knowledge of the company based on your research and the ways in which you can contribute to their goals. Finally, close the letter by suggesting a meeting or next steps.
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How To Write A Treasurer Cover Letter
A treasurer is someone who manages an organization’s money and finance-related risks. With their skills and qualifications, businesses can both fund their regular obligations and implement long-term financial plans. To become a treasurer, it’s important that you understand how to craft application documents that highlight your skills, credentials and achievements.
In this article, we explain what a treasurer cover letter is, describe the steps you can take to write an effective cover letter and provide a template and example to guide you.
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Final Note: Tailoring Your Cover Letter For Each Job
Now that you’ve got your cover letter, let’s reiterate one final point: It’s important you tailor your cover letter for each job application.
Of course you’ll want to update the company name and the title of the position, but take it one step further and call out specific facts about the company, the job requirements, and your most relevant skills. Doing this will woo the hiring manager and show you’re serious.
You don’t have to write a brand new cover letter for each job, however. Instead, create a cover letter template and make copies of it for each job application you submit. Simply leave blanks for the hiring manager’s name, the specifics about the company, and your relevant skills, then customize them to each job description.
Once you’ve created a solid template, you’ve gotten the hardest part out of the way, and it should make applying to jobs a lot easier.
Nailed your cover letter but still not feeling so hot about your resume? Let an expert help with a resume rewrite.
This article was updated in August 2020. It was originally written by Amanda Augustine.
Use A Specific Greeting
Include the name of the person to whom you are writing as well as the company name and address just above the salutation. In the salutation, greet the hiring manager by name. If you don’t know the name of the person, consider greeting the hiring department or the department with which you would be working if hired.
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