Judging by the cover: Your guide to write the perfect cover letter

How to impress your potential employer by writing an effective cover letter

Ever wondered what the secret to getting hired is? What is more important, the cover letter or the résumé? Human Resources (HR) managers get bombarded with job applications for a position, but only a handful of candidates make it to the interview stage. This is largely because most skip the cover letter while applying for a job.

The primary reason behind writing a cover letter is to get someone to want to read the résumé. Writing a good cover letter is often the key to getting noticed. Yet, candidates spend so much of their energy on writing and editing their résumé that they have nothing left to offer in their cover letter. While there are countless websites on the Internet to help one create a generic cover letter, here are seven simple steps to writing an effective one.

MIRRORING THE EMPLOYER’S NEEDS



Every individual is different and HR managers look for a candidate’s unique selling points that can add value to both the position as well as the organisation.

PRE-PLAN



To be successful, it is important to research beyond the standard job description or job advertisement. Find out about the company and the industry to which you are applying, the problems and challenges it is facing and where the growth factor lies.

ADDRESS IT TO THE RELEVANT PERSON



Find out who the cover letter should be addressed to. The conventional “Dear Manager” or “To whom it may concern” is as lifeless as trying to talk to someone at a personal level without knowing their name.

MAKE IT ATTENTION-GRABBING



Refrain from starting the email by mentioning your name or the advertised job position. Most HR managers look for what excites the candidate about the job. Hence, begin the email by mentioning your years of work experience and write about the talent and expertise that you can contribute to the organisation. The closing paragraph should not explain how life and professional work experiences will help in this job; it should be very brief and include a line on when to expect hearing from them.

MARKET YOURSELF SMARTLY



The body of the paragraph is the heart of the cover letter, which lets the employer know what the candidate has to offer to the organisation. Truth is that unlike the résumé, which is all about the candidate, the cover letter is all about the employer and how the candidate is the right fit. Employers want to know what the candidate has to offer, how they will mesh with co-workers and how trainable they are. Do not ramble or summarise the résumé, instead use words that show enthusiasm and passion for the position and not the money or the fringe benefits.

KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE



The cover letter should be limited to a page. In terms of its structure, the introduction and the conclusion should be one paragraph each, whereas the body of the letter can be either one or a maximum of two paragraphs. Make use of clear and concise business-formatted font and layout style.

BE ASSERTIVE



End the cover letter by asking for an opportunity to be interviewed personally.

Moez Allidina is an OD Trainer at Maktab Learning Solutions and works as lecturer in Management.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, June 21^st, 2015.