There’s a fine art to letter writing, whether you’re saying thank you for a gift or just dropping a note to say hello. The choice of words, the formality of the tone and the specific purpose are all important ingredients that help to make it work.
And when it comes to developing a cover letter that will land you the job interview, the art of letter writing is elevated to a whole new level. Understanding how and what to say can make the difference in whether or not an employer gives you a call.
Be Bold, Yet Humble
No doubt you’ve heard that in order to stand out from other job seekers you must market yourself. In essence, your goal is to determine what you offer that sets you apart from other candidates. However, in selling yourself as the candidate of choice, you must make sure to do it in such a way that it interests employers and doesn’t put them off.
Just like any product that you might sell on the open market, your first step should be to determine what you have to offer. Knowing what you have accomplished in your career and what this new position requires will help you to explain in a straight-forward manner how your abilities can help the new company.
Clarify Why
One of the best ways to sell employers on the idea of interviewing you is by answering the question of why. Specifically: why are you interested in the job? Why are you right for the job? Why should they hire you?
Telling employers in your cover letter why you are interested in the job helps them to understand your motivation. However, it needs to be more than the fact that you’re unemployed. Think more along the lines of how your skills and experience are a perfect complement to the new job and company.
Why you are right for the position is somewhat similar. However, focus more on the real-life advantages you bring. Look at it this way: these are your skills and experiences, and this is why that’s a good thing.
Finally, the reason they should hire you is because of what you can accomplish. So the third leg of the tripod is explaining how your skills helped you to be successful before and how they can help you to be successful in the future.
Ultimately, you should wind up with a letter which highlights and further explains, but doesn’t just repeat, what is in your resume.
Make Sure it’s Right
It goes without saying that with anything you write it is important to ensure it is visually appealing and grammatically correct.
Visual appeal comes down to using the correct font type and size as well as leaving sufficient white space. You want to make it is easy to read. Don’t clutter the page with too much information or graphics. And your font should match what you use in your resume.
Naturally, you’re going to check for the use of proper grammar as well as spelling. However, you should also give consideration to word choice. Make sure you speak in an active voice, not a passive voice. Here’s a short example of how these pieces might all come together:
“In my current position as Assistant to the Director of Marketing for the XYZ Company, I am frequently required to work independently to organize company-wide sales and marketing events. This ability to work without direction combined with my superior organization skills enables me to move quickly to complete projects in an efficient and timely manner. And for this reason I have been rewarded with the company’s Annual Achievement Award three years running. Your current opening of Senior Marketing Coordinator as described online at HireMe.com clearly indicates your need for someone with these skill sets.”
Notice how this candidate states what they have done, backs it up with the accomplishment of earning the awards and then ties it into the new company’s current needs. And the job seeker was sure to include the job she was applying for, too.
That’s how to write a cover letter that will land you the job interview.
Deborah S. Hildebrand - Deborah S. Hildebrand is a freelance writer & HR consultant with 20+ years in human resources & a Bachelor's degree in Business.
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