for your cover letters, do you follow a specific template? i been working hard on revamping my cover letters but they don't ever seem good enough and it's really frustrating! anything you can share would be amazing!
cover letters are soĀ hard! as someone just getting back into the swing of things in terms of applying for jobs, and since iām not sure what kind of work youāre applying for, iām not entirely sure how helpful iāll be (i am untried! untested!), but here are theĀ ārulesā i follow:
in terms of structure, keep it simple!
first paragraph is what job youāre applying for, how you found it, and maybe a quick (quick) line about why youāre qualified/perfect for it; something to keepĀ āem reading.
second paragraph is a more explicitĀ ālet me brag about myselfā paragraph: show them why youāre qualified, using statistics or examples if possible. keepĀ āem pithy, but indicate the skills and experience you have that the employer wants or would find useful. donāt just repeat whatās on your resume - they can see your resume! tell them, directly, why youāre great for the job, and try to use phrases and words from their job ad to show them that you know what youāre doing, you read their ad carefully, and that you understand what theyāre asking in terms of the position requirements and what the position entails. depending on what kind of job youāre applying for (ie. academic cover letters will differ greatly from a cover letter for managing a retail store) this can potentially stretch into two paragraphs. typically, though, you want to keep your cover letter to a single page in length. give them only the most important and convincing info, the stuff that applies to that particular job, rather than a list of every single skill youāve ever learned.
third paragraphĀ is practical information plus a big thank you: repeat your phone number and email when you let them know youād love to hear from them, and thank them for reading your letter. donāt get too fancy here, but feel free to express your enthusiasm for the position or the company if itās something youāre really excited about.
things to remember:
people who look at resumes and cover letters already have a pretty solid idea of where theyāre going to find the information that theyāre looking for. you can mix things up a little bit to set yourself apart, but you donāt want to confuse them if theyāre trying to see what job youāre applying for and youāve hidden it somewhere in the middle of the second paragraph.
be pithy. a giant wall of text is not doing anyone any favours. itās kind of like writing an essay: you want to make sure every single sentence is doing important work for you, whether that be communicating your enthusiasm, illustrating a skill, or listing a statistic.Ā
be specific. avoid vagueness! vagueness is hard for future employers to understand in a way that they can measure you up against other applicants. give short examples, explain how your experience gave you the skills you have, and be specific about what those skills are.
watch out for being generic. it is okay - it is good, even! - for your personality to shine through your cover letter. so long as youāre keeping it professional, giving them a glimpse of you as a person can help your cover letter stand out.Ā
you probably need to write a new cover letter for every job you apply for. i know this is a lot of work, but every job is different and every cover letter should be different, too. writing a cover letter specifically for a particular job ad means youāll include their terminology, and the specific skills and experience that they want; specializing and tailoring your cover letter (and your resume!) to their posting will serve you better than a one-cover-letter-basically-fits-all-with-a-few-adjustments letter.










