How to land a dream job
Writing an effective cover letter is one of the most important and demanding steps during the application process, it can help you a lot in landing your dream job. A well-written cover letter should distinguish you and recommend you as the best candidate. Your main goal is to draw the attention of the future employer, that company’s HR team, or the recruiter.
Your expertise, capabilities, and desires along with the main reason why you want that certain position, should be briefly presented in the cover letter. You should also be aware of that company’s current position in the market, possible problems, and challenges that is facing. You can prove yourself valuable if you offer a couple of solutions or somehow demonstrate your skills.
Do your research
One thing you should always have in mind is that you have to be well-informed about your future position and overall job description. What are the basic requirements?, How many years of experience do you need to have? What kind of skill set do you need to possess? What is expected of you? All this useful information you can find on the company’s LinkedIn page or official Twitter profile.[1]
You can try the more direct approach, and contact the HR team or a recruiter via message on Linkedin or e-mail and ask a couple more relevant questions about the job. This action can automatically categorize you as a serious candidate. If you are aiming for a position in the fashion industry, the composition of a cover letter might be different from applicating in the finance sector.
Write a new cover letter for each job
Always start with a fresh blank document. Yes, you can rely on templates or you can repeat a couple of powerful words and phrases from the previous letter, but try as hard as you can to avoid a 100% generic cover letter. Creating a custom letter is a sign of effort and willingness to present yourself in the best possible way and the HR team or a recruiter will certainly appreciate this. Generic letters and repeating phrases are red flags for recruitment teams because they’ll think that you are mass-applying to every job.
Include your contact and other relevant information
Well-written cover means nothing if you forget to add some basic information about yourself. Missing this crucial step can cost you dearly because recruiters won’t be able to reach you or make contact. The contact info you want to include:
- Name
- Last name
- Location
- Phone number(optional)
- Linked-in profile or portfolio (optional)
This kind of information should be at the top of your cover letter, your name, and e-mail are mandatory. If job posting information requires you to submit your cover letter in the body of the e-mail, you can add your contact info at the end after your name. Your sign-off should look like this:
Violet Baudelaire
she/her
vbaudelaire@vfd.org
123-123-1234
https://www.linkedin.com/in/violet-baudelaire/
Adress your cover letter to HR team or recruiter
When you are putting effort into writing a cover letter you want to be sure that the right person is going to receive it. You should use that person’s name including gender marks like “Mr” or “Ms”. Avoid using the wrong title or accidentally misgendering someone. That’s why the first step (researching) is so important, by gathering information about the future company and its team members, you probably won’t make this kind of mistake. Another thing to remember is to dodge generic salutations like: “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern”.
Open your letter strong
How to begin your cover letter is very important, because the first paragraph should draw attention and hook potential readers. It should be memorable, unique, friendly, and extremely relevant for the position you are pursuing. You have gotta let the whole HR team know why you desire that job so much and the first paragraph should illustrate your excitement and delight.
The key to success is to convince the recruitment team that offered position is your dream job. You can add other reasons as well like you would be honored to join a company that is in the top 5 in the industry, or you can point out that you are admiring its products and brands…
You can briefly mention how many years of experience you have in this job and how your expertise would help solve the main problems in the company. If you know someone from that desired company you should mention that as well.
Avoid any kind of humor and stay business-focused and relevant. Say something dynamic and direct such as “Let me draw your attention to two reasons why I would be a great addition to your team”.
Are you the right person for a job ?
This is the backbone of the cover letter, here you are about to highlight the main reasons why you are a suitable candidate for a job. What are your strengths, your expertise, and capabilities?[2]
Recruiters will hire the person who is solving problems and overcoming possible obstacles. That is a chance to demonstrate your skills and capacities in covering letters and backing up your statement with arguments. You can say that you were faced with similar problems in the past and you successfully manage to handle them.
For example, you want to paint a fuller picture of your experiences and accomplishments to make you a great hire. You might want to consider three to five qualifications that you feel you demonstrate the best. For each job, you are applying alongside technical knowledge and expertise, you need to be a quick learner and adaptable. If you possess these skills don’t hesitate to mention them too.
Finish with strong conclusion
In this final part of the letter, you can conclude with the usual phrase for example: “I look forward to hearing from you.”There is nothing wrong with that, but you should also have in mind that this is your final chance to summarise and point out all your enthusiasm, excitement, and competence. In your last paragraph, you can indicate once more that you are the right person for that position.
You want to stay business-related and confident, but not too bold or intrusive. Here is an example to follow how to properly conclude the letter :
“I believe my energy, desire to innovate, and experience as a sales leader will serve OrangePurple Co. very well. I would love to meet to discuss the value I could add as your next West Coast Sales Director. I appreciate your consideration and hope to meet with you soon.”
Ask for a feedback
Before you decide to send a letter, make sure you double-check your spelling and potential grammar errors. Don’t send a text right away read it a couple of times and make some adjustments if you find it necessary.
Ask your friends and family to read your cover letter and ask them if they can spot any errors and try to find out two things :
- Does this sell me as the best person for a job?
- Does it get you interested?
If an answer is negative try rewriting it according to these guidelines. Your cover letter should be relatively short. Keep it under one page. It should be brief enough that someone can read it at a glance.
Now let’s recap do and don’ts
Do :
- Have a strong opening statement that illuminates why you want this job and what are you offering in return
- Be succinct- The hiring manager should be able to read your letter at a glance
- Share your accomplishments and possible problem solutions.
Don’t :
- Send a generic cover letter
- Don’t try to be funny or too bold and arrogant
- Go overboard with flattery- stay professional
Example:
Your name]
[Email]
[Address]
[Phone number]
[Date]
Dear [Hiring manager’s name],
I would like to communicate my sincere interest in the [position] posting with [company name] that I found on [how you found out about the position]. While reviewing your company website, I noticed that your firm is an [compliment them on awards, philanthropy, innovation, being an industry leader]. I am particularly interested in working with you in [specific area/department] because I also find [what you find interesting or inspiring about the company] to be the most important factor in marketing and business.
My keen [skills] are well demonstrated in my over [how many years you’ve worked] in [areas you’ve worked in]. Currently, I work in a [position], focusing on [important projects] where my attention to detail and [other skills] were essential to the success of my team and [project, challenge, task].
I have acquired an understanding of [concepts or responsibilities required in the job description], as well as how to meet and exceed [goals, standards] set by the companies I have had the pleasure of working for.
I believe I am prepared to handle the exciting challenges this position presents, and I hope you allow me to further discuss my qualifications with you in an interview. I have attached a copy of my resume to this application for your review. Please let me know if you require additional information.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Regards,
Source:
[1]- https://hbr.org/
[2]- https://novoresume.com/?noRedirect=true
