Writing The Perfect Cover
Letter, Part 7
(Writing The Best Cover
Letters To Go With Your Resume)
7 Resume
Writing Companies Wrote Resumes For ONE Client - See Who Did
The Best Job!
Three Reasons Why You Need to Customize Your Cover Letter
Writing a cover letter may be the answer to your dream of
getting the job that you want. If you can write a really
smart one, you might get called for an interview even if
your resume is not that good. It’s not saying though that
you should not focus on writing a resume that is effective
and enticing. Rather, it is just a way of giving you an idea
of how powerful a well-crafted cover letter can be. Cover
letters may seem like the thing of the past to the new
generation of job seekers. It is probably true. But, it is
also a reality that most things of the past are still very
much needed in the present time, and cover letter is one of
them. If you are wondering if you really need to write and
include a cover letter for your job applications, then the
answer is yes. Generally, your cover letter should be an
extension of your resume. Just like in resume writing, this
letter should be customized and not generic. Here are
three reasons why you need to customize your cover letter:
1. Customizing your cover letter demonstrates that you
have taken the time and have spent the effort in learning
more about the company.
If your resume is written for a specific job for a
particular company, then you must do the same with the cover
letter. You should sell yourself by talking about your
skills and how the company will gain benefits from them.
Demonstrate in your letter of how you have spent time
researching about company to learn about their goals and
missions. Make yourself enticing enough for the potential
employer or hiring manager to make the purchase (or schedule
the interview).
2. Customizing your cover letter indicates that you
really want to get the job.
A lot of people misunderstand the importance of using a
cover letter. There are those who make the mistake of
writing one letter to use for all their job applications
without any revision. They presumably assume that a cover
letter is not really that significant in the modern process
of job application. When you customize your cover letter to
fit your qualifications to the requirements, you are
presenting yourself in a very good light and as someone who
really deserves an interview.
3. Customizing your cover letter allows you to add extra
information to support your resume package.
Since resume writing only allows you to write brief
descriptions of your highlighted accomplishments and skills,
you do not get to use enough resume space to explain
further. With a cover letter, on the hand, you have more
opportunities to point out other career or achievement
highlights that could land you an interview. The best way to
do this is to tailor the set of skills and achievements that
you have and adding better descriptions like awards or
certifications attained through participating in company
competitions or training programs. With this additional
information backing your achievements, you are putting
yourself out there as an appealing job applicant. Tailor
your cover letter as you would customize your resume because
not all companies are looking for similar sets of skills and
experience requirements.
How to Write a Customized Cover Letter
Writing a customized cover letter for every position you are
applying for, may take more time. But, just like in resume
writing, customizing is important in composing a cover
letter. Always keep in mind that this letter is just as
important as your resume. A resume is undoubtedly an
important document for any job search process. But, it is
not the only important document that could seal in an
interview. It is believed that a strategically-targeted,
well-crafted and tailor-made cover letter is a very
important tool that you can use in your quest for getting a
job. Consider this letter as a weapon that would help you
win a battle. One reason, why a cover letter gets the same
importance as your resume, is because it gives you the
chance to target both job and employer in a more detailed
and specific manner. This leaves your cover letter to be the
marketing tool for your experiences, accomplishments and
skills. That is why it is important to customize. If you
succeed in making your cover letters comprehensively
detailed and customized for each job application, your
resume will not need much tweaking before every submission.
Personalizing Tips for Your Cover Letter
In writing a resume, there is not much need to personalize.
With a cover letter though, this is very important. One
proven-effective way to do this is to find the hiring
manager. This should be easy as in most job postings – like
in LinkedIn - the hiring managers are the ones posting the
jobs. You can also search through the company website and
look for the recruiting personnel’s name. Once you have the
information, address your cover letter to that person.
Name-Drop If Possible
Name-dropping is not really a bad thing. Mentioning that you
know someone who works at the company is just like when you
are writing a resume and providing references. The
difference is that the hiring manager can easily confirm if
you are telling the truth in a cover letter. To be on the
safe side, you should talk to your contact first and ask for
a recommendation or make them aware that you will be adding
their name in your letter. This could even be beneficial for
that employee as some companies offer bonuses for Employee
Referral programs.
It is Worth Mentioning How You Learned of the Job Posting
One way of customizing your cover letter is mentioning how
you became aware of the job posting. When you write
something like, “I saw this job opening on Glassdoor job
posting.” The hiring manager will realize that you are
indeed serious in your job hunting undertaking.
Showcasing Your Qualifications is a Great Way to
Customize
Since hiring managers and potential employers usually only
consider candidates that are qualified and appealing at
first glance, you must customize your cover letter in such a
way that you showcase your qualifications matching the job
description at the top. Also, it would be a good idea to
make sure you match the details on your resume with the
information you want to customize and emphasize on the cover
letter.
Writing Guidelines for an Effective Cover Letter
Having a cover letter is important because it should tell
more about you. It should not be a repeat performance of
your resume though. Rather, it should communicate what
attracts you to the job and why you would want to work for
the company. Composing an effective killer cover letter may
not be a simple task. Just like in writing a resume, it does
require thought, understanding and knowledge but it can be
done for sure. A close to perfect cover letter (if you
really don’t think perfecting one is impossible) should be
able to land you an interview.
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