Write a winning cover letter

By popular demand, and following my posts 10 deadly CV sins and give your resume a facelift, I’ll share some useful tips on how to write a winning cover letter.

Many people believe that a cover letter should provide a summary of their resume, which is not the case. To the contrary, a good cover letter gives its reader information that can’t be found in the applicant’s CV and that intrigues the employer enough to read on.

General tips that apply to all type of cover letters

1. Address your letter to a specific person rather than using “to whom it may concern” or “HR department”. If you don’t have a name, you can easily find out with a simple phone call.
2. List your contact details.
3. Make sure your letter is visually appealing, be consistent and use a style that is in line with your CV by using the same font, spacing, etc.
4. Make sure your letter is error free: one spelling mistake can discount years of relevant experience. Have a second set of eyes look over your letter – ask a friend or family member – you can’t proof read your own work!
5. Start with a strong opening sentence that catches the reader’s attention. Don’t use “please find attached my resume for the position of..” or “I read your advertisement for.. with great interest”.
6. Research the company. There is so much information available online, use it! Referring to current projects, company values or news items in your letter demonstrates that you are genuinely interested in the company and invested some time in learning more about it.
7. A cover letter is not an autobiography, keep it to one page.
8. Analyse the job and demonstrate how you match the requirements, don’t make assumptions.
9. Don’t use the same cover letter over and over; change it dependent on the role you apply for. By simply editing some keywords and paragraphs you can personalise it in no time.
10. Don’t tell the employer why the job is important to you, but talk about which experience and skills you can bring to the job instead.
11. Don’t plead with the hiring manager or beg for the role. Give them the impression that they need you, not the other way around. It’s good to use a closing line and thank the reader of your letter but you don’t want to sound desperate.

Types of cover letters

There are several types of cover letters and although the approach of each of them is slightly different, the all have one thing in common: aiming to impress, getting the employer excited about you.

Whilst I don’t want to go into detail about all types of cover letters I can think of (letter to a Headhunter, a Venture Capitalist, a Consulting firm, etc), I want to highlight a few of the letters that are commonly used and list some tips you can easily apply.

Responding to an advert

This type of letter is written in response to an advertised role, whether in a news paper, on the employer’s website, online or through any other media.

1. Make sure you list the role you apply for. If a reference is mentioned in the advert, use it in your letter. Use it preferably at the beginning of your letter so the hiring manager doesn’t need to start skimming through the letter or look at your resume to figure out which role you could be applying for.
   You can either use “Subject: Application for Senior Reservoir Engineer, ref 2009/124BP” at the top of your letter or include the job title in your opening sentence.
2. List where you found out about the role, some employers list their vacancies on various websites.
3. Make sure you follow instructions mentioned in the advert. If it says to send your resume and a cover letter mentioning why you qualify for the role and to include 2 references, do so!
4. If you are addressing your letter to a Recruitment Consultant or Headhunter, make sure you use “your client” rather than “your company”; it demonstrates that you know who you are talking to.

1. Research the company beforehand so that you have an idea of what they’re looking for and can sell your skills in a specific, focused way.
2. Make it clear, at the beginning of your letter that you are enquiring whether a position is available.
3. Be clear about what kind of position you’re looking for. An employer shouldn’t have to guess what type of roles you are considering.
4. If you are addressing your letter to the HQ’s of an international organisation, mention which locations you would consider moving to and whether you would envisage travel.

1. Make sure your referral is aware that you will use his/her name
2. Always mention the name of the person who referred you and their relation to the addressee.
3. Make sure that the person you mention in your letter is immediately recognisable to the employer
4. Only use a contact that is relevant to and well respected by the reader

Some examples of do’s and don’ts

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Related posts:

1. 10 deadly CV sins
2. What you should know about today’s job market!
3. No kidding: a big resume mistake
4. Get hired: 10 job interview tips
5. Give your CV a facelift: 10 resume layout tips