Here Is Exactly How To Make Your Cover Letter Work For You Every Time

By Lilian Wamaitha
Competition in the job market has made the job search process so tedious.
But have you ever wondered why, even with so many applications, employers don’t get back to you?
One of the things that play a role on whether or not you get a job is how you write your cover letter.
Side bar…
Always accompany every application with a cover letter unless asked not to.
A catchy and well written cover letter is what will make the employer open your CV because it is the first thing they see when you apply for a job.
A majority of recruiters will take 6 to 30 seconds going through your application and in that time frame, they will decide whether to go through your CV and invite you for an interview or not.
So how do you ensure that your cover letter is making an impact every time you apply for a job?
1. Write to sell
Every sentence in your cover letter should be focused on selling your candidacy.
And on that note therefore, a cover letter is not a duplication of your CV.
More often, it is a more detailed marketing tool where you explain your skills and qualification in a way that you can’t do in a CV.
Every word you use in your cover letter needs to be focused on four things: the position for which you are applying, the organization in which you will work, your ability to meet and exceed the needs of the employer as well as your desire to work for the company.
2. Make it personal, persuasive and professional
Assume that you are explaining to a friend what you do for a living.
You would be as personal as possible and communicate in a way that they understand and can tell the position you fit in perfectly.
That’s the same attitude you should have when writing a cover letter. Make it personal and try as much as possible to persuade the employer why you are the perfect fit for that particular position.
And over and above that, be professional.
Remember that you don’t know the employer and they don’t know you. Your only contact is that application so don’t blow it at that initial stage.
3. Focus on your achievements and not on the tasks you were assigned to perform
Your CV will incorporate your duties and responsibilities and to some extent a few achievements here and there.
But when it comes to your cover letter, you shouldn’t use it to list your duties. Like I said, this is the only chance you have to make the recruiter open your CV.
You want to wow them with your achievements and not bore them with what you day to day was like.
Through your achievements you are communicating that you don’t just do your job but go above and beyond that job description which is what employers are looking for.
You Must See This >>> How to Write a Cover Letter and Win Over Recruiters
4. Always find out who you should address the cover letter to
Another very important thing you need to look into before you write your cover letter is who will receive the letter.
It is no longer advisable to use dear sir/madam or to whom it may concern when addressing the recipient of the letter.
It is equally important that you do not misspell the name of the person you are addressing the cover letter to.
You also need to ensure that you use the right title. You do not want to call someone Ms when she is a Mrs. If you are not sure about the correct title it is better to avoid using it all together.
5. Always double-check everything to make sure it’s error free
There is nothing as annoying as reading something full of grammatical errors and poor formatting. The same applies to your cover letter. A recruiter will throw your application out if it is full of grammatical errors and is poorly formatted.
Because we are human we are bound to make mistakes when drafting cover letters. This means that you should ensure you go through your application letter before sending it. If possible you can have someone else go through it for you just to check if there are other mistakes you missed.
With this in mind
Accuracy is very important when you’re writing a cover letter. If you happen to get something wrong then you will stand out for the wrong reasons and this will not help your chances of getting the job. For helping drafting a professional CV and cover letter, get in touch with a professional CV writer through this link.