Cover Letters

Providing a cover letter is an important component of the decision-making process among 83% of hiring managers, recruiters, and HR staff. Here's how you can make yours stand out

Why are they important?

In a separate question, 83% of respondents claimed that a great cover letter can secure you an interview even if your resume isn’t good enough.

Even if submitting a cover letter is optional, 77% of recruiters will give preference to candidates who did send a cover letter.

72% of recruiters still expect cover letters even if the job ad states they’re optional.

Cover Letter Guide

STEP 1

Header and Personalized Greeting

Avoid addressing your letter, “To Whom it May Concern”

Instead, write “Dear Mr./Ms. (contact’s last name)

If you can’t find a specific name, use “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear HR Department”

STEP 2

Introduction Paragraph

To catch attention, start off with a hook: a sentence that could make a specific claim as to what benefit(s) you could add to the company and its ideals

Next, to make a positive impression, be persuasive, personal, and appreciative

You could draw connections between yourself and the company or the people who work there

Specific claims about the value you will add can demonstrate why you want to work for this company, and not just any company

Begin to provide evidence of your fit for this particular job by taking the job description and pull qualifications from that job to determine what evidence you will provide

STEP 3

Body Paragraph

Identify 1-2 strongest qualifications as they relate to the specific job

Highlight anything you've done to connect or familiarize yourself with the company

Elaborate on applicable work, education, or service accomplishments

Use data or numbers where possible

Think from an employer’s point of view and be as specific as possible about why they should hire you and why these qualifications would be beneficial to them and their mission.