“Cover Letter! Nah Nah not really needed.
Have it only if the recruiter asks for that.
Otherwise, the resume would do.”
Heard of that quite frequently?
I’m sure you have. So let me get straight to the point that “A cover letter is as important as a resume.”
Well for those of you who don’t know, Cover Letter is a one-page document written to apply for a job in any organization or for any role. And actually it should be a part of every job application unless you are asked not to.
And surprisingly many recruiters read the letter first. Even before the resume. The tone of the cover letter gives the recruiter a sneak preview of your personality. A well-tailored and crafted cover letter also talks about very relevant strengths of yours like attention to detail, choice of words, structure in communication and ability to engage.
Now that you know the prominence of a cover letter, let us, quickly dive, into a few basic dos and don’ts for writing a cover letter.
- Do your research about the recruiter and the company. Address the recipient and the company by their name. It helps you personalize the letter.
- Craft a story about yourself, your skills, accomplishments and why do you choose to apply for that position.
- Optimize with the keywords in alignment with the job description.
- Customize it each time you apply for a different job in a different company.
- The tone needs to be professional, warm and enthusiastic.
- Talk about your unique selling points. Substantiate it with examples. No bragging, please!
- Avoid long complicated sentences. Keep the content succinct, it should not be more than 3-4 paragraphs on a single page.
- Don’t talk about your weaknesses.
- Do proofread. Avoid any grammatical, punctuation errors. Keep it neat and perfectly aligned.
- An assertive conclusion saying “You can reach out to me on… “Is better than “Anticipating a positive response.”
What to include in content?
- Contact Information: Phone number, email address, LinkedIn profile address. The home address is totally optional to write.
- Start with Hi followed by the name of the recipient. Do not forget to greet, as the opening part of the letter.
- A hooking introduction about who you are can really intrigue the recruiter to read further.
- What makes you the perfect candidate for this position?
- The closure should talk about action items and follow up.
A good cover letter is no less than a one-page story about you. Keep it interesting and do invest a good amount of time and effort into crafting a good cover letter for yourself.
As a part of VLSI RN Course, Business Communication training at Maven Silicon not only trains you but also handholds you to prepare a resume and cover letter as part of the Job Kit.
