Tips for Success | Cover Letter Tips

A cover letter is one of the key documents for your job application. If it's done right, cover letter has the power to make you stand out from other applicants.

Cover Letter Tips

Cover letter helps you show that you are qualified for the job. It provides additional information about your experience and skills and tells prospective employers more about why they should hire you. Quite often, cover letter is the first thing that employers look at. In other words, it is your chance to impress the employer and build a connection with him or her.

To bring you closer to your dream job, Ashton College shares a few cover letter tips that will help you with your job applications.

1. Keep the cover letter to one page.

   Never write lengthy cover letters: no one has the time and patience to go through lengthy text that is not relevant to position or the organization you are applying to. Try to highlight the key information about yourself and your experiences that are most applicable to your role.

   As a general rule, the larger the company the less important a cover letter becomes. However, there are exceptions to this rule (for example, when you are applying for a senior positions at a big company).

1. Look at your opening statement.

   Nothing says “I don't care about your company” like an opening of “To Whom It May Concern.” Today it takes as little as a Google search or a phone call to figure out the name of the hiring manager. Addressing your letter to the correct person (and spelling their name correctly!) will automatically ingratiate you to the reader and show that you've spent some time researching the company and the position.

1. Don't repeat your resume.

   There is a large temptation to re-state the experiences from your resume when you are writing a cover letter. Instead of doing that, try to showcase your personality, interests, knowledge about the company or information relevant to your position.

   The goal of the cover letter is to encourage the employer to read your resume.

Cover Letter Format

Begin with an introduction paragraph to explain how you learned about the job or the company (job fair, newspaper, friend). Name the specific position that you are applying for. If you were referred by a friend or someone else for this position, make sure that you mention it in the cover letter (many jobs are obtained by referrals).

After the introductory lines, write a small summary about your career tailored to fit the needs of the company you are approaching. In the next paragraph lay out the relevant accomplishments. Be creative when explaining why you are the best fit for the job and use numbers and statistics to back up your claims.

At the end of the cover letter always ask for an interview. Proofread your cover letter for correct spelling and grammar, and ask another person to proofread your cover letter if needed. Sign your cover letter at the end – and you are done!