Things to remember while sending a Cover Letter
A cover letter is a tool which helps to introduce yourself in a very memorable and a personal way during a job application. The cover letter is your first introduction to the person who may hire you, and its goal should be to make it more catchy or attractive as far as possible.
The format of a cover letter should be according to the company that you are applying for. The objective of a good cover letter is not just to show you as a prospective candidate, but to introduce you as one.
To write a cover letter effectively, keep it brief and to-the-point don’t exaggerate. The main thing is to address the cover letter to an appropriate person in the organisation and ensure that the document contains no errors. An effective cover letter should spell out why a candidate thinks he/she is the best and trustworthy person for the job/position.
A cover letter typically accompanies each and every resume you send. Employers use cover letters to screen applicants for available jobs and to work out which candidates they might wish to interview or not.
Making your Cover Letter reader-friendly
Since the hiring manager or recruiter has to examine several applications within a short span of time, its advisable to make your cover letter as easy to read as possible by avoiding usage of complex english words. Not using very long sentences and ensuring usage of bullet points, underlining, italics and capital letters to emphasise key points.
By following these tips, this will help to convey your messages more effectively and will also make your letter more aesthetically appealing.
Necessary Inclusions
While writing/customizing a cover letter, there are certain rules that you must follow. They are:
- Make sure to use the same style/font/format as that of the Resume. The resume and cover letter must “match” each other. The content shouldn’t be an exact copy but should rather bind each other.
- Include experience and skills in the resume as well as in cover letters that relate directly to the job you are posting for.
- Unlike the resume, you can use pronouns in your cover letter like- “I, me, my”. Also don’t forget to focus more on the employer's perspective because that is what the employer wants.
- The first paragraph of the cover letter should be catchy and attractive . Show them your impressive background and experience. It is the most important part of the format.
- You should try to make your cover letter more unique and concentrate on what makes you different from other candidates. Many hiring managers read the cover letter first and decide whether or not to read the resume of the respective candidate.
- Always proofread your resume and cover letter for errors and take help from friends and family members to read the cover letter.
- Including a ‘call to action’ in the closing paragraph may make a difference. End your cover letter providing contact details. (For example, direct them to your cell phone number, if that’s how you want to be connected.)
- Providing them with your exact contact details and to make sure that all the contact details which you provide are up to date and without any errors.
- Utilize catchphrases to make your cover letter look more professional by making a list of synonyms and spreading them smartly throughout the letter to show your proficient language abilities.
Go through your cover letter carefully
Reviewing your cover letter is a very important aspect of a cover letter. Just go through the Cover letter very carefully and see to it that you take note of every single mistake. Check the cover letter at least twice or thrice before sending it.
Also make sure to check spellings and rectify the grammatical mistakes as far as possible .
Points to be kept in mind before sending the cover letter
Some necessary points that should be kept in mind before sending the cover letter are:
- Double-check that you’ve written the contact person’s name and also the company name correctly. If you copy and paste a company name into a cover letter, you can mistakenly copy a wrong name.
- Proofread your resume and cover letter for errors and if possible have friends and family read through the cover letter. Watch especially for words that spell check won’t catch.
- If using the cover letter and resume to submit online, confirm you’ve stripped out any formatting which will wander away within the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software, or which will corrupt the content of the document as it’s being uploaded into the ATS.
- Avoid including irrelevant information in your cover letter. Irrelevant information can confuse the reader, causing them to miss the important points in your cover letter. This can be a loss for you.
- Don’t go much about what the job means and what all you know about the company . Rather focus on what you can do for them instead.
- Don’t ramble on about your experience and career. Showcase the cover letter specifically to the job you are applying for simply.
( for example: the wrong word spelled correctly - like ‘pubic sector’ instead of ‘ public sector’ )
Address the recruiter or hiring manager by name
Usage of salutation like “Dear Sir/Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern” is fine when addressing the recruiter . Many people have a tendency of using these words . But the sad part is that most people don’t get the job.
If you want to create a strong impression , then it would be preferably better to address the hiring manager / recruiter by their name specifically.
How to send a Cover Letter
Many people are confused as to what they should do to send a cover letter. Many of them have doubts in their mind whether they will be correctly able to send it or not. You can send your cover letter through an email which is a good method of doing it.
Emailing cover letters will help to highlight your accomplishments therefore motivating the hiring manager to read your entire cover letter.
Some of the steps that you should follow while emailing your cover letter are:
- Follow company instructions
- Use a professional email address
- Add an informative subject line
- Save your file correctly
- Send yourself a test email
Cover letters can generally be sent in one of the two ways:
a)
Email as attachment
b)Body of the email message
Your email address does matter while sending a cover letter via email.Use a professional email address made up of your first and last name preferably.
A straightforward and informative subject line can increase the chances of the recruiter opening your email It's very important that they can immediately identify which role you’re applying for before opening the email.
To preserve the original appearance of your cover letter then save your file as a .doc or .pdf .
Before you click send, make sure your attachments are working properly by sending yourself a test message .Then download the attachment via your test mail to ensure that it's the correct file.
So here you are now ready to go about a cover letter and make a lasting impression on the recruiters. All the best!!
Career Expert at CV Owl
Your CV or resume is your first impression for any company. With the help of CV Owl, you can get a well-structured CV and your time will be saved. Everything on your CV should be written in a formal manner and in a precise way. You have only 20 seconds to impress your recruiter with your CV, make the best out of it. Visit our series “The HR Talk” where we help you know everything about your job interview from the recruiters.
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