Edition: November 13th, 2021
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
- Excerpts from article by Ashley Stahl, published on Forbes
If you’ve ever assumed that cover letters are dead, you’re sort of right — 90% of hiring managers don’t read cover letters. However, 53% of employers prefer a candidate that has submitted one. This might sound counter-intuitive, but it means one important thing: while they don’t get read often, they are positively acknowledged.
This means you still must write a cover letter because it could be a deciding factor as to whether you’ll be hired. It becomes particularly vital when the company is wavering on your application. It would be a shame to make it to the final round of employees only for this simple sheet of paper (or the lack of it) to ruin your chances.
The format and overall look of your cover letter matter, but the content is the deciding factor.
Incorporate these 4 concepts into your cover letter to make it impactful:
1. Emphasise on the experiences that matter most
- Resist the urge to ‘word-vomit’ your entire resume into the cover letter or dive into long stories about every job you have ever had.
- This will become crowded, confusing and boring for the hiring manager.
- Consider what experiences you have that are relevant to the job you are seeking.
- Place emphasis specifically on these accomplishments to showcase who you are and what you have to offer.
- Show your power and accomplishments in a light that reveals what they can do specifically for the company you are applying to.
- You want them to envision you working there and making an immediate impact.
2. Don’t overshare information
- No one wants to read about something they would rather not know.
- A cover letter is not the time or place to go into why you got laid off or fired from your last job.
- This is a professional letter, not a diary entry.
- While 91% of employers agree that an applicant whose cover letter shows they’ve done their research on the company will receive greater consideration, that doesn’t mean sharing a long list of the things you admire about the company.
- Use your letter to explain how you would be good for them, not why you love them.
3. Showcase creativity in your writing
- Don’t follow the cookie-cutter version of an automated letter. Write experiences that highlight the results and impact you’ve made in your job and weave in some personality with professionalism.
- Consider a statement about what brings passion into your work or a short two-sentence story that led you to this career and industry.
- Emotions move a reader and science has proven that an emotional image increases memory. And you want to be remembered by a prospective employer.
- From here, share your accomplishments and big wins. They will see how your purpose drives your actions.
- When it comes to describing yourself, in a cover letter or in an interview, ban the stereotypical descriptors of “being a team player” or “hardworking”.
- Go a level deeper and ask yourself, what makes you a great team player and in what way are you hardworking. The answers will set you apart from the rest.
4. Make the conclusion count
- End the letter by listing your two key strengths and how they’ll serve the company.
- Include your contact information both at the top of your cover letter and in the closing, and make sure it is visible.
- Nothing is worse than a recruiter wanting to reach you and having to put in efforts to do so!
- A cover letter is not the place to provide references; wait for the employer to request them.
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(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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