www.lifehack.org: The difference between a good cover letter and a bad one is in the result: Did you get an interview? Writing a well-crafted cover letter will help you get your foot in the door at an employer and provides your first impression.
Here’s how to write a cover letter that will land you a job interview and start you on the path to landing that job
11 comments:
While I agree with the remarks regarding specifically tailoring your letter to the company, I really disliked the example they used for their "strong opener." To me, opening with a question is only acceptable if you're selling me a used car or the world's greatest turkey baster for 2 easy payments of $59.99. I'm admittedly fairly conservative with my job search materials (the idea of an infographic resume makes me recoil in horror), but I feel very strongly that your work and your quality of writing should shine through in a cover letter, not some sales gimmick.
This is some pretty good advice. I have trouble writing cover letters as it is; they aren't easy! Also, a lot of the help you find is very generic things: spell things right, use the right company name, stuff like that. I have to say, though, that a lot of the things they say in the article is easier said than done. Making a "strong opener" is difficult, and I don't think a question is a good way to do it....but then again, a simple "hello" isn't too effective either.
This is a useful article to have because we are all getting to the point where we have to send out resumes to numerous companies and knowing how to write a good cover letter is good. Getting a job is not always easy and selling yourself is usually harder, there is almost always a handful of other people who have the same skills as you but you need to make yourself stand out amongst them. The cover letter is the first thing an employer will look out and making sure yours is the one they remember is something this article can help do!
Recently, I've had my first opportunity to be on the other side of the table for an interview process. I read a fair number of cover letters, and it really was the most valuable experience I've ever had in terms of determining what works and what doesn't. I found that the ones which really resonated were those where a person could sell the reader on the fact that this was them. Not some veiled, business suit, "please give me a chance" version of themselves, but just simply a person with their own unique experiences to share. So yes, I think this article gives some good advice in saying that you need to sell yourself. But what actually appeals to people may not be what you initially think. Be specific, choose words wisely, but don't lose yourself entirely in "the game" of it.
This article seems like it has some really valuable advice. It seems as if the more personalized and genuine you can come across in a cover letter the better. This makes sense since your primary concern in a cover letter is to attract good attention to yourself. I agree that a strong opener is important, but I really don't feel a question is the way to go. If I were reading cover letters and read someone posing a question I would think it was really cheesy.
I think Kassondra and Lindsay have some good advice about cover letters. I would completely agree that asking a question is not a good opener. I don't feel that asking questions in a cover letter is good at all. Maybe if you are a car sales person or writing a provocative essay, sure, but writing a letter about you, I think they already have the questions in their mind. Making profound statements without questioning the reader might sell yourself better. As this article does give you good tips, they are pretty generic. I think Kassondra's statement about selling yourself as an individual is the most profound. Knowing how to seek yourself, and not always regurgitate the ad, will make you a stronger candidate. Everyone applying should be "dynamic" if that is what the add calls for. Tell them how you are dynamically different which makes you better, not that you are what they want. Everyone is what they want, hopefully, right?
Its always interesting to see how much thought people put into the logistics of every aspect of an application. It is definitely another form of design in and of itself. Personally, it seems like a lot of these things listed in the articles for advice on how to format your resume or cover letter should just be common sense. Especially now that theres an infinite amount of articles about it.
I agree with Kassondra that the most engaging cover letters I've read are the ones that sounded the least stiff and formulaic. That doesn't mean that it should be unprofessional at all, but it should absolutely do a little bit to show some personality behind the words. I also agree that opening with a question is VERY VERY VERY hard to do well, and 99 times out of 100, I think it would come off as a kind of cheesy used-car salesman or infomercial (like Lindsay said). I do think that this article points out something important: make sure you tailor each cover letter specifically to each job, and use some of the same words as they do in their job posting. Go on their website, and look at how they describe themselves and make sure to tailor yourself to what it looks like they want (without lying or seeming to pander too much).
I agree with my peers. Your cover letter should be clear and concise. However unlike a resume, a cover letter isn't specifically formulaic. Sure the things mentioned in the article is information you should most definitely include in a cover letter. But a cover letter is supposed to be more personable than a resume. You should be able to get a sense of a person through a cover letter. So keeping a clear structure is good, but be sure to make it original and stand out. Otherwise you just blend with the other applicants.
This is definitely a useful article and has some good advice, however there somethings in it I am unsure about, such as asking questions in the letter and making it more than 3-4 paragraphs. I mean if I was reviewing this I do not want to read an intro, 4 body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Other than that, this is deefinitely good to help people get started on writing a cover letter. However, for us @ CMU, I would definitely have a final review done by one of the career counselors and/or a professor/advisor here.
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