In the past, cover letters were deemed to be good enough if they simply introduced you and your interest in the role advertised and then referred on to your attached CV They were often too brief, functional at best, added no additional value and for this reason they were rarely read.
Today, a cover letter matters. A well written, succinct and evidence based cover letter that demonstrates that you are qualified and passionate is essential and has become and offers the first chance to separate yourself from other job seekers and dares them not to see you. They are a valuable resource carefully read by employers and strong applicants know this.
In a difficult post GFC labour market, cover letters form a crucial part of your application process regardless of whether you are responding to an advertisement, using a recruiter or approaching a company directly. A strong cover letter demonstrates you are much more than just your CV. But for a cover letter to be of any value it needs to be both accessible and readable and. The following builds on these two points:
Accessible: To ensure that your cover letter is easily accessible it should be placed both in the body of your email and included as part of your CV - not as a separate attachment. Because cover letters are still seen to be of little value there is a temptation by some to skip over them. However, by including it in your email and also in your CV you ensure that it is much more likely to be read and therefore begins the process of distinguishing you from other applicants.
Readable: Having made it accessible you must then make it readable. First and foremost it should never be more than a single page long and ideally a good deal shorter. To help you do this limit yourself to 5paragraphs. They should demonstrate:
1. Passion for the job: The first paragraph must grab the attention of the reader. Employers want employees who are intelligent, qualified AND passionate about what they do. So this paragraph is not a statement about your understanding of the company, where you saw the job advertised or what the role is that you are applying for. Instead it must demonstrate your passion for the role and this is where your earlier research really pays off.
Start with something like, ‘I am an experienced programmer with a passion for developing new and innovative products. Having spoken to, your HR team, many of your programmers and your competitors and stakeholders I know that you are renowned for employing only the best and most enthusiastic staff but one of the key challenges you face is in finding qualified and experienced programmers who also have strong people skills. This was what I did in my previous role and why I am so interested in this position.’
This kind of opening is incredibly powerful. Firstly, what it does is immediately capture the reader’s attention. It then demonstrates from the outset a number of positive qualities - your enthusiasm for the role, your ability to do it, your intelligence, connectedness and (I can almost guarantee) that you have done more research than any other applicant thereby demonstrating you to be proactive. Not a bad beginning.
2. Your Profile: Remember that profile you wrote as part of your CV? The one that summarises your experience, your success, your achievements, your training... that you can do the job. Insert it here, insert it verbatim, cut and paste it so that it becomes your second paragraph. Yes, you are duplicating but you do not want this paragraph overlooked. It is your answer to ‘Why hire you?’
Start with something like, ‘I am an experienced programmer with a passion for developing new and innovative products. Having spoken to, your HR team, many of your programmers and your competitors and stakeholders I know that you are renowned for employing only the best and most enthusiastic staff but one of the key challenges you face is in finding qualified and experienced programmers who also have strong people skills. This was what I did in my previous role and why I am so interested in this position.’
This kind of opening is incredibly powerful. Firstly, what it does is immediately capture the reader’s attention. It then demonstrates from the outset a number of positive qualities - your enthusiasm for the role, your ability to do it, your intelligence, connectedness and (I can almost guarantee) that you have done more research than any other applicant thereby demonstrating you to be proactive. Not a bad beginning.
2. Your Profile: Remember that profile you wrote as part of your CV? The one that summarises your experience, your success, your achievements, your training... that you can do the job. Insert it here, insert it verbatim, cut and paste it so that it becomes your second paragraph. Yes, you are duplicating but you do not want this paragraph overlooked. It is your answer to ‘Why hire you?’
3. Address gaps or issues in your CV: This should be a very short paragraph but everyone has something to address here. Perhaps you are too old, too young, over experienced, under experienced, it is your first job, it might be your last job, you are unemployed, you are changing career or just looking to get out of your current company. You should briefly allay any of your potential employers’ fears so that they do not discount your application because of their preconceived ideas about what you are or have done. For example, if you are looking for a role that is a long way away from your home but you are willing to relocate then this is the place to say so. Equally, if you are unemployed tell them why (were you fired, did you quit, health reasons etc) and what you have been doing that makes you employable (if you haven’t been doing anything see the critical section on Developing Personal Connections). Again, from experience I know how easy it is for employers to disregard an applicant because of ill informed or preconceived ideas. For this reason alone you need to ensure you are absolutely clear on any gaps in your CV.
4. Something Interesting: Who would you employ if you had to make a decision between two or more equally qualified candidates? The one who seemed to have a personality and had demonstrated their achievements outside of work (clubs, sporting achievements, languages etc) or those who could not demonstrate any interests or success outside of a work setting and seemed the same as everyone else?
I once had a client who when they had the choice to add another candidate to the interview list added an applicant who had represented the UK in table tennis. They added him not because of his table tennis skills but because he was the only one they remembered from the list. The reality is that potential employers want to brag about their new hires so you need to give them something to brag about and remember you by.
I once had a client who when they had the choice to add another candidate to the interview list added an applicant who had represented the UK in table tennis. They added him not because of his table tennis skills but because he was the only one they remembered from the list. The reality is that potential employers want to brag about their new hires so you need to give them something to brag about and remember you by.
The next step: How to find those job opportunities
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