Best Cover Letter Tips | Writing a great cover letter to get you hired | Business Talk with Ed Pisani Jr
Best Cover Letter Tips | Writing a great cover letter to get you hired | Business Talk with Ed Pisani Jr
Best Cover Letter Tips: Get hired faster.
What makes a good cover letter?
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip Code
Date
Name
Title
Organization
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name (or To Whom It May Consider) :
I am interested in the position title advertised on XYZ. My resume is enclosed for your review. Given my related experience and excellent capabilities I would appreciate your consideration for this job opening. My skills are an ideal match for this position.
Cover Letter Sample Template Continued by Ed Pisani Jr – Best Cover Letter Tips
Your Requirements:
Responsible for operations in sample location and other facilities, including: overview of skills (i.e. solving customer problems, dealing with emergencies, enforcement of department policies, & etc.).
Assists with hiring, training, and management
Valid state driver’s license with good driving record. Ability to travel if required.
My Qualifications:
Connect Bullet 1 with your relevant skills and abilities
Connect Bullet 2 with your relevant skills and abilities
Connect Bullet 3 with your relevant skills and abilities
I appreciate your taking the time to review my credentials and experience. Again, thank you for your consideration and if you need to contact my phone is __________ and email address is___________.
Sincerely,
Your Signature (for mailed letter)
Your Typed Name
Let’s talk about Your Cover Letter in depth for a few minutes…
Did you know that writing the best cover letter may be one of the most difficult to master. It’s very important because it’s the first thing your potential employer sees. Here are a few popular questions I get about cover letter prep… How long should it be? What should you write about? Do people even really read those things? Well, the truth is yes – many hiring managers and employers do look at the cover letter as an essential piece of the hiring process but not all read it.
I want to look at three things you can do to help you write the best possible cover letter.
1. Make It Look Nice. Yuip, it is important to make a good first impression on paper. I mean really, if you take the time to get ready (grooming, ironing your clothes, and etc. why stop there?) This show you are detail oriented and look closely at all the minor details. The way your letter is formatted says a lot about you. Even if everything is a recipe for a good to perfect cover letter, if your layout looks unprofessional, so will you. Consider using only easy-to-read font, and make sure you include your name and contact information at the top, but not in the header. After that, the information in it depends on the kind of job you’re applying for.
For a more traditional company, a standard three-paragraph letter will do. If you want to work somewhere that maybe very busy, you might want to use a bullet point list so it’s easy to scan.
2. Avoid Being Generic / Cut and Paste. Let’s look at the address first, it can be tricky, especially if you’re not quite sure who will be reading it. If you’ve already been communicating with someone or know who makes the hiring decisions, simply plug in that person(s) name. If, however, you’re not quite sure who’s going to end up reading your letter, you might be tempted to use “To Whom It May Concern” “Hiring Manage” or another generic opening. It can be debated if this a good direction or not based on the company size and the amount of research you do for the job. Will it help stand out? Maybe.So my recommendation is do your research before writing the letter but if worse comes to worse just plug in something that is respectful and professional sounding.
Should you write an amazing greeting or a traditional one? It really depends on your personality style. But either way try to avoid being so generic that the interviewer is looking at your letter and saying to themsles that you copy pasted a template from Google. So focus on your personality to create a great opening sentence, not a boring over used one. This is one reason you want to avoid a generic greeting because carries through to the rest of your cover letter as well.
Remember, your resume lists your experiences, education and skills. Your cover letter is your best chance to introduce yourself on paper and hopefully make yourself stand out from the crowd. So, don’t be generic. Avoid being vague or just throwing in buzzwords they’ve probably heard before. Be specific about who you are and your skills / talents you can bring to the table. It’s okay to use percentages or numerical figures from your past performance reports. Using a few numbers can really help illustrate a point on why you are the best candidate for the job. For example, “I increased trained staff members by 35 percent” is better than “I trained staff memebers.” Lastly dont’ forget never repeat what you said on your resume.
My Cover Letter Thoughts Continued by Ed Pisani Jr – Best Cover Letter Tips
3. Keep It Short & Again Check Your Cover Letter for Mistakes…
When it comes to cover letters, less really is more. So write it to be quick and easy to read, since they’ll probably only glance at it until you grab their attention with something interesting. No need to write a 2 page cover letter unless you are a CEO level candidate and this article isn’t really written for you. Try to avoid adding extra buzzwords that make your letter sound fancy or professional. Simply make your point(s) and finish the letter as strong as you can. (hint hint – ask for the job in your cover letter) If you’re writing your letter in the body of an email, you should lean even harder toward the short side becuase people are skimming emails more and more lately. Remember, you can say a more about yourself in an attached document or physical letter.
When you meet someone for the first time, it only takes them seven seconds to form an opinion about you. Job applications operate the same way. If you don’t get their attention right away, you probably won’t get a second chance. Keep the opening sentence short to the point and in line with your personality style. It’s okay to let them know the job you are applying for in case your resume gets separated from your cover letter. Human errors happen so don’t assume anything. Tell them something unique about yourself, show them why you really want this job or explain your proudest accomplishment.
An easy way to kill your chances of getting an interview is to leave typos and grammer errors in your cover letter. That’s why it’s very important to check and recheck your work. Ask someone to help you edit it as well. Use online and word processor spelling tools like Grammarly and Spell Check too Again, it’s a great idea to have someone read over your letter and look for any mistakes before you send it in. Alot of writing professionals wait a day after writing, and then go back to check for mistakes and edit. My final thought on using the best cover letter tips is always write a cover letter. Because you want to use every chance possible to make a positive first impression with a possible new employer. So spend more time making sure your cover letter is as good as it can be.
