What is a cover letter?
A cover letter, also known as a cover letter or application letter, is a one-page document that presents a job history, professional skills, and the personal interest of a job applicant in applying for a job.
Although it may seem old-fashioned in 2020, cover letters are still needed. The goal of your cover letter is to expand your resume achievements, show your personality, and explain why it would be a good choice for the company. In general, your cover letter help managers and recruiters evaluate your job application.
What to include in your cover letter
Introduction: Carefully written to grab the hiring manager’s attention and explain why you want the job.
Body paragraphs: At least two paragraphs detailing your relevant education, skills, work experience, and suitability for the job.
Conclusion: A concise ending that reiterates your strengths, and asks the hiring manager to contact you (known as a call to action).
This cover letter writing guide will teach you how to write each of those sections step-by-step, with examples showing exactly what to say. You may need these additional resources to assist you, depending on what stage your cover letter is in:
I haven’t started writing: find a free Microsoft Word cover letter template that suits your sense of style. Or instantly download a simple one here.
I’ve already started writing: consult this library of cover letter examples by industry (for those with work experience), or entry-level cover letters (for those who are students or recent graduates).
If you’re pressed for time, consider using a cover letter builder to finish the writing process in less than 15 minutes, or follow our sample cover letter template to quickly write a letter that works for most job applications. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a perfectly formatted and persuasive cover letter that will look like this:
Did I proofread my cover letter?
You might be sick and tired of cover letter builder after agonizing over each word and sentence, but you have to proofread it anyway.
Don’t just run a spell check and scan the page for typos, as you’re likely to miss mistakes due to your over-familiarity with the letter. Here are two quick tricks professional editors use to combat over-familiarity and make good edits:
Read it out loud: Doing this will force you to go over every word and punctuation, and also make it obvious when you’ve written a complicated sentence that’s hard to read.
Put it in a different font: A new font forces your brain to grapple with something that looks new, and will help you notice mistakes you’d otherwise skim over
How to write the perfect cover letter
Never settle for a less-than-perfect cover letter
Many job seekers wonder: Are cover letters important, and do they matter? The truth is that it depends on the hiring manager’s personal preferences. Some cover letters may go to waste, but most won’t.
For the sake of your career, you should assume that writing a good cover letter isn’t optional. Remember, writing an awesome cover letter doesn’t have to be an aggravating experience. Some of the best cover letters are a joy to read, so try to have fun writing yours.
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