HOW-TO: Write a winning Cover Letter

Did you just find the job vacancy of your dreams? Excellent! Now all that’s left to do is bridge that gap between your CV and that dream job with the perfect cover letter. If you don’t want to spend the rest of your working life stuck in a boring job, try to use a little bit of ‘fantasy’. 

First, let’s quickly review the main objectives of a cover letter:

The aim of the cover letter is to let you stand-out from the crowd, to prove that you are the right person for the job, to show that you were born to work in that place.

To write a successful cover letter, first you must think like a recruiter. Remember that your mission is to achieve success. You must not be afraid to try something new, such as phrases and expressions that you’ve never used before in a letter.

Next, let’s get to work on writing that winning cover letter that will instantly help you get the job of your dreams.

Customise the introduction.

While surfing the web when you are reading the news, you click on the headline that is different from the flock, right? Recruiters do the same. Abandon patterns and start your cover letter with something new like “I am looking forward to running for the sales manager role at your company, I am excited to help you break through the market and drive the growth in the EMEA region”. If you want to catch more attention, go beyond the rules and maybe even break them: a story could be the trick to winning creative work.

If you are applying for a position that requires a lot of organisation, then organise your header. It’s up to you to find the way to do it, after all, you’re the person for the job, are you not? Be honest, and tell your personal story. Human beings are driven by emotions, regardless of age, gender or status. I know I love a good story, don’t you?

Now combine all of these ingredients and seize the essence of what made you dream about that particular position in that particular company. Tell the person reading your cover letter how their product has influenced your life or how you came to see the world from another point of view after knowing their brand. Show that you know how to meet deadlines. Auto-praising yourself is somewhat undesirable in a letter of introduction, unless you really know how to do it. An employer needs to know that you are able to get, pick up and deliver a project on time, with no errors.

If you have any ideas outside the box put it in writing, even if it does not correspond exactly to what the company is looking for. This will show that you have some interesting ideas and that you will bring a breath of fresh air to the company, if prompted. Also, a good idea is equivalent to a good story, and this has the same impact on the reader.

And now, the final touch of success…

Keep it simple and close quickly with a “Sincerely …”, and you’ve done it. No need for any “I look forward to hearing from you.” niceties. If you’ve managed to arouse the attention of the recruiter and you’ve made sure that he wants to know more about you, he or she will call you. And when that happens, you know you’ve made it to having the perfect cover letter. 

Cheers,

@leo-dubhlinn