Do’s and Don’ts of Writing a Professional Cover Letter
You have shortlisted your dream jobs, perfected your resumes, and even practiced for the interview. But you missed out on one most important thing, the cover letter!
Recruiters nowadays look for added value in applicants. Some companies even have a separate space on their online forms to submit cover letters because it helps them in decision-making.
Resumes are factsheets, and a cover letter is made to support these facts. They explain your career aspirations, skills, and education. They hold great value for job openings where you don’t have a network. The recruiter does not know about you, nor will they look online for you. Therefore, documenting an impactful first impression will be a plus point in securing a job.
Writing a cover letter may seem like a piece of cake since you only have to explain what you are told in the resume. However, getting results involves an objective approach, marketing skills, and a great pitch. If you want a complete guide to writing your cover letter, this blog is here to help. It will highlight the do’s and don’ts of cover letter writing.
Do’s and Don’ts of Cover Letter Writing
Do Not Look Desperate for Your Job
The “pick me, pick me!” tone won’t help you. It gives a negative impression to the recruiter, and they will end up dropping your application. It’s common to feel desperate after being unemployed or getting no callbacks when you have no experience. However, it would help to remain objective without showing regret or remorse.
Your goals need to be clear. Someone saying they are open to a role at any company needs a clarity of vision than someone who knows what company they want to work at. The latter sounds more clear, more confident, and more passionate. Always include actionable information that shows how confident you are in yourself. You must convince recruiters with your words that hiring you will benefit the company in different ways. Instead of focusing on what this opportunity can do for you, highlight what you can do for this opportunity.
Discuss How You Can Add Value
Explain your skill sets that are relevant to the opportunity. You can also discuss the parts that must be elaborated on in the resume. You can use a storytelling format to connect your skills with the job position. If you have no work experience but have relevant skills, you can connect them with your academic achievements. For instance, an applicant can talk about their team-leading experience in the thesis project to relate to a project management job.
Move Your Focus From Your Current Job Roles
If you are currently employed at a different company, avoid digging deep into the details. Focus on what you gained from your work experiences rather than talk about the workplace instead. If you keep talking about what your company is and what it does, it will deter attention from your skills.
Always Research Before Writing
Research is a common writing practice. Before working on your cover letter, you should look for company information, social media pages, news, and articles to find relevant information. It also helps to understand their vision and mission to align with your career goals. A recruiter would appreciate it if you took the time to search about the organization. It also shows your sincerity and dedication to the opportunity.
Avoid Negative Mentions and News Articles
While researching, you will find negative news, comments, and articles about an organization. However, it is not preferable to talk about them in your letter. Emphasize the positive aspects of the organization to gain the recruiters’ favor.
Add Relevant Keywords
The recruitment industry is also going digital. You will see many big firms introducing job portals on their websites where you can upload your resume and cover letter when a vacancy arises. However, this has also decreased your visibility to the recruiter. Screening software like ATS filters the application based on skills and relevant keywords.
Therefore, use job-relevant keywords to rank on these portals and get noticed by the employer. You can find these keywords in description tags on a job post. Once you spot them, include them in your letter and CV to make them ATS-friendly. If there are no mentioned tags in the post, read the description thoroughly to find repetitive terms relevant to the company or the job, such as job title, company name, or skill name.
Edit and Proofread Before Sending
How would an employer feel after reading a letter that says good mourning instead of good morning? Not the best. That is why editing and proofreading is the most important step for a successful job application. Look out for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, long list of adjectives and adverbs in a sentence. Read your draft multiple times to edit your text to make it more professional and precise. You can also ask an acquaintance to proofread your letter to ensure it is error-free or partner with a professional cover letter writing service.
Avoid Repetition
Avoid copy pasting information from your resume. Include newer and relevant data in your letter to compel the recruiter to read it. Because it adds value to your application, you can add additional information to help you stand out in the sea of applicants.
Use Professional Cover Letter Writing Services to Get Ahead of Competition
Cover letter writing is a complex process with many do’s and don’ts. But it is an effective way to attract a recruiter’s attention. You cannot send a single letter to every prospective employer. You have to make some changes to comply with the organization’s requirements. You can also hire professional resume writers to do it for you, such as Finest Resume Writers. Our team of trained professionals is up-to-date about recruitment trends and updates. We communicate with our clients and comply with industrial demands to craft the finest cover letters.
