Writing the Perfect Cover Letter

As important as your resume is to an application package, the other important factor is your cover letter. Writing the perfect cover letter will show recruiters and hiring managers why you want the role and your specific interest in the company.

Anyone can write a general letter of introduction, but writing the perfect cover letter means truly showing your passion, why you would do well at that specific job, and why you want to work for that specific company. This information is what will make you stand out and shine. Hiring managers want to hire someone who will succeed and be beneficial to the company. If you can show them how you will be the solution to their problem(s), you’re on the right track to writing the perfect cover letter!

Formatting the perfect cover letter:

It is essential for your cover letter to be reader friendly. One of the most common mistakes many people make when writing cover letters is that they create this page long letter that is dense and hard to read. If hiring managers and recruiters spend an average of 6 seconds looking at a resume, what makes you think they’ll spend any longer looking at your cover letter?

Create a cover letter with a good mix of text and white space so that it is aesthetically pleasing to the reader and easy to read. A good rule of thumb is to have an introductory paragraph about why you want the job and how you would succeed at it, then include bullet points highlighting your qualifications/achievements, and then finish up with a concluding paragraph. The bullet points break up the document, make it more reader friendly, and draw the eye to your achievements. If the reader looks at nothing else, they will read those bullet points.

What information should you include?

Make sure that you explain:

1. Why you want this specific job
2. Why you will do well at this job
3. What you can bring to this role/company
4. Why you want to work for this company

When writing the perfect cover letter, you want to show hiring managers and recruiters that you really want this specific job and that you’ve done your research about it. You don’t want your letter to seem like a general template that you’re sending out everywhere. If it appears as though you don’t care enough about this specific job, your chances of landing the position greatly diminish.

Do Your Research:

Do some research on the company to see if there are any known problems/issues they are having, or see if there’s something you think you could improve upon. For example, you could say something like this:

“I noticed that while you have a strong website, you social media platforms could use some improvement. Given that I increased the social media presence in my last company by x%, I’m confident that I could boost your engagement through market research, SEO, and stronger visual content.”

This statement shows that you’ve done research, can help improve upon their current standing, and it also gives the reader a concrete example of how you succeeded in a prior role.

Similarly, if you’ve recently read an article about the company’s plan to expand or merge, explain how you could be beneficial to them during this time of transition. You want to show that you’re aware of what you’re potentially getting into, and that you want to help smooth over any bumps they may face.

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Writing the perfect cover letter isn’t difficult as long as you follow these simple steps:

• Make sure it’s reader friendly
• Customize it for each job
• Illustrate why you want this specific job/why you like the company
• Show your potential employer how you will help them succeed
• Give concrete examples of your achievements and qualifications