Cover Letter Best Practices

A well-crafted cover letter can be the key to unlocking new career opportunities. It serves as a
personalized introduction, allowing job seekers to showcase their skills, experiences, and enthusiasm
for a particular position. To help you create a standout cover letter, we've compiled a list of best
practices that will make a lasting impression on employers.

1. Personalization is Key Tailor your cover letter for each job application. Address the hiring
manager by name, if possible, and make specific references to the company and the position you're
applying for. This demonstrates genuine interest and attention to detail.

2. Clear and Concise Formatting Ensure your cover letter is easy to read by using a professional
and well-organized format. Stick to a standard font, and use clear headings and bullet points to
convey information. Keep the length to one page, focusing on the most relevant details.

3. Start with a Strong Opening Capture the employer's attention from the beginning. Your opening
paragraph should express your excitement about the position and briefly highlight your most
compelling qualifications. Avoid generic statements and instead, showcase your unique value.

4. Highlight Achievements and SkillsUse specific examples to demonstrate your achievements and
skills. Quantify your accomplishments when possible, and explain how your experiences have
prepared you for the responsibilities of the job. This adds credibility to your application.

5. Show Cultural Fit Express your understanding of the company's culture and values. Align your
skills and experiences with the organization's goals, emphasizing how you would be a valuable
addition to the team. This demonstrates that you've done your research and are genuinely interested
in the company.

6. Be Enthusiastic and Confident Convey enthusiasm for the role and confidence in your ability to
contribute. Showcase your passion for the industry and the specific position, and express eagerness
to bring your skills to the team. Positive language can leave a lasting impression.

7. Proofread Thoroughly Avoid common mistakes by proofreading your cover letter carefully.
Typos and grammatical errors can create a negative impression, so take the time to review and edit
your document. Consider asking a friend or colleague for feedback.

8. End with a Strong Closing Conclude your cover letter with a compelling closing statement.
Express gratitude for the opportunity to apply, reiterate your interest in the position, and provide
contact information for follow-up. End on a positive note to leave a lasting impression.

Incorporating these cover letter best practices will enhance your job application and increase your
chances of standing out to potential employers. For professional assistance in creating a compelling
cover letter, consider ordering from BestResumeHelp.com , where experts can help you craft a
document that highlights your strengths and maximizes your job search success.
Many roles — especially in today’s job market — receive hundreds of applicants (or more!). Similar
to the impact cover letter, the author lists some of the more important qualities they bring to the
table, doing a bit of keyword inclusion and resume gap explaining along the way. Elaborate on how
you use your data management skills and the results that you’ve achieved by using those skills. You
are not first person who is in horror of doing something wrong. The company has very specific
needs, so don’t think they are going to change the entire nature of the position to accommodate your
availability. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need additional information. Demonstrate strong
communication and interpersonal skills: Your cover letter should prove that you have great
communication skills, which is the cornerstone of fantastic customer service. If necessary, you can
also use it to explain gaps in your resume or extenuating circumstances related to your employment.
I appreciate your consideration for the marketing strategist role and hope to speak with you soon. Let
your personality shine through, for sure, but also keep in mind that a cover letter shouldn’t sound
like a text to an old friend. How to write a cover letter hiring managers will love OK, you’re sold on
how important cover letters are. The weekly motivation articles also helped me stay positive and
focused in the job searching process. Or take a look at this cover letter hook by a client of career
coach and Muse writer Jenny Foss, who was working to land a leadership role at a nonprofit
specializing in fire prevention. Write one whether or not it is requested, because it will make you
more memorable and separate you from the pack. You should take it a step further and discuss why
you're so eager to get the position. I bet when you see a job listing that says “ cover letter optional,”
you breathe a sigh of relief, gleefully submit your resume, and move on. Consider a period when you
delivered impact with a major project or implemented a new strategy to spur innovation. It is
considered a symbol of royalty, nobility and wealth, thus making it one of the most auspicious
colours for the Dragon. As I tinkered with each post, I became intimately familiar with our internal
CMS. Reviewing every single article we published and following reactions and engagement helped
me gain a deep understanding of what makes a piece really land with our audience. Problem-solving
abilities: I pride myself on resolving customer issues efficiently. I am so excited about the
opportunity to bring my skills and experience to Healthcare Inc. It can be a story about the time you
fell in love with the company’s product. Six months later, I emerged with a certificate in computer
programming and a certainty that I did not want to be a coder. Just be sure you change all the
relevant information (company name, who it’s addressed to, exact job title or position) on each
iteration. The question is: how to make your experience and knowledge be notable and remarkable in
the sea of competitors. When you’re deciding what to include in your cover letter, also be sure to
follow directions from the organization, including all the necessary specifics they request. Target the
jobs you’re most closely drawn to and qualified for and give them all your energy, rather than trying
to churn out hundreds of cover letters, Kahn says. It’s one thing to be proactive and confident but,
to her, this approach feels like a cheesy tactic stripped out of an old school “How to sell yourself”
textbook. I have an independent spirit, agility, and expertise that will help you build important
connections to succeed in business. Whether through email, phone, or chat support, I consistently
prioritize clear and concise communication, resulting in a team-leading customer satisfaction score of
98% over the last two quarters.
But even though that picture is always different (as you saw above) a lot of the types of pieces are
the same. With so much of the same, how do you make a choice. This article explores three cover
letter examples organised by genre and industry sectors to inspire you. Think of your resume as an
outline of your career, and the cover letter as the description. So it’s just as important to show your
skill set in action through eloquent writing. Start With A Marketing Audit Feb 10, 2024, 07:00am
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Beginners: Get Your Money Working For You. Strong Cover Letters Anatomy of a Cover Letter
Strong Cover Letters Open Close. Bold statements are OK, as long as you back them up with facts.
Simply writing “To Whom It May Concern” is a great way to have the letter filed under G (for those
keeping track that’s the Garbage). Do you have experience solving a problem they’re working on. It’s
also okay to include an example here of one thing you’d like to try and contribute to the company. It
will not cover everything on the map, but it will highlight the most relevant stops along the way and
provide additional context. Remember: This is just one small step in the process. You want to play it
safe and conservative with your application materials. How? A good cover letter gives you the ability
to showcase how your experience and skills relate to the customer service role you’re applying for in
a way that a resume might fall short. Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin. Be clear
and concise about what is included in the email and identify the position you are applying for. Take a
sentence or two to explain specific examples of how you’ll be able to help this. Make sure to talk
yourself up in just a few sentences. When you put each component in its proper place (and remove
any parts that don’t fit), you create a complete picture. We’ve got examples of four types of cover
letters below: a traditional cover letter, an impact cover letter, a writing sample cover letter, and a
career change cover letter. With two years of experience in customer service, I’m confident in my
ability to contribute positively to your organization. Instead, mention a few proud moments so that
you can peek their curiosity and get them interested in meeting you. Many roles — especially in
today’s job market — receive hundreds of applicants (or more!). Make every piece of information on
your cover letter relatable to the job. The best practices below are a good place to start: Use a tone
and style that matches the company: The language, tone, and style you would use when applying for
a customer service position at a bank are not the same as if you were applying for a role at a tech
startup. In the Sinic world, Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year is particularly significant and has
deep cultural and traditional roots. Include a copy of the job posting to make sure you've hit all the
right points. \r\n\r\n Then do it. Cover letters are your chance to get a little bit personal so don’t be
afraid to reveal a few details about yourself and your job passions. It’s one thing to be proactive and
confident but, to her, this approach feels like a cheesy tactic stripped out of an old school “How to
sell yourself” textbook.
Provide specific numbers, percentages to show growth, or a range or estimate to quantify results.
\r\n\r\n Offering examples can also help you illustrate what you’ve achieved or elaborate on the
specifics. Avoid giving an exact date of when you’ll be following up because that may turn a
potential employee off from wanting to hire you. Do you have a connection you can mention in the
cover letter. While seemingly cliche, it never hurts to end on a simple, “Thank you for your
consideration.” A few more cover letter tips Here are a few more tips to help the cover letter
process. Take a sentence or two to explain specific examples of how you’ll be able to help this.
Instead, focus on the opportunity to provide context surrounding the resume’s facts. Learn more
about effective cover letters in the online course Writing Winning Resumes and Cover Letters from
the University of Maryland. Or would you like to thrive and aim for prosperity. It can win you
position in famous companies and even help to find highly-paid job abroad. Remember, a recruiter or
hiring manager might be sifting through hundreds of applications. Then, as you fill in the online
form, you realize you can add a cover letter. But downplay the adverbs a bit, and keep the level of
enthusiasm for the opportunity genuine and believable. But you’re truly doing yourself a disservice
by not including a cover letter (or by writing one that’s super generic or formulaic). In addition, be
sure the experiences you’re referring to in the cover letter are actually reflected in the resume. Role:
Customer Service Manager Dear Jessica Smith, I saw your job posting for a Customer Service
Manager on the company’s website and immediately had to apply. ATSs can’t read text that has been
formatted beyond using bold, italics, underline, and color, so keep your font and layout
simple—especially if you’re submitting your cover letter through an online portal. After all, if you
don’t mention this right up front, anything that comes after this will be a total waste of time, and
hiring managers value their time more than anything. All you have to do is search for a few
challenges that the company is having. In this type of cover letter, applicants can highlight relevant
skills related to the job role and their preparedness to learn while on the job. As an SDR, I break my
quarterly sales goals down month-by-month and then week-by-week—so that I always know
whether I’m ahead, behind, or on-track. Before you upload your letter or hit the send button, reread
the job posting to make sure you’ve done everything the employer asked so you don’t raise red flags.
\r\n \r\n\r\n Proofread your work \r\n\r\n Last, but decidedly not least in these suggestions for how to
write a cover letter, proofread your work. Done well, a cover letter gives you the chance to speak
directly to how your skills and experience line up with the specific job you’re pursuing. This
included fact-checking, proofreading, adding in HTML where necessary, and finding photos, videos,
and GIFs that would complement the content and optimize audience engagement. Signing up for a
cover letter writing course on Coursera can give you valuable skills you can put to good use. This
article explores three cover letter examples organised by genre and industry sectors to inspire you.
Those are the points to stress when writing a cover letter. \r\n\r\n Just as important, gather facts and
figures that support your claims. For example, if you're applying for a managerial role, mention the
size of teams and budgets you’ve managed. If the hiring manager is a women it is possible that you
may offend her and she might toss your resume out. If you can't find it on the job ad or the company
website, try social media. Helping people communicate with confidence, clarity, and credibility. A
cover letter is essential when submitting a job application because it allows you to elaborate and point
out critical and essential details about your resume, showing why you are qualified for the job and
should be hired.
For example, if you're applying to be a web designer for a yoga company, talk about your love for
yoga. I appreciate your consideration for the marketing strategist role and hope to speak with you
soon. The traditional cover letter example A traditional cover letter is similar to what you’d come up
with using a position-based cover letter template. Show, do not tell—provide concrete examples that
craft a compelling narrative. I could avoid all the noise of mainstream job boards. It moves in reverse
chronological order through your career history, highlighting parts of your past jobs that make you
well suited for this position. Is writing a cover letter really important? \r\n\r\n The short answer: Yes!
\r\n\r\n Yet, far too often, job seekers treat the process of writing a cover letter as an afterthought to
submitting a resume. Got it Jan 25, 2019, 11:49pm EST This article is more than 5 years old. This is
not a friendly letter to your friend or family, but an official letter for a job placement. But with over
10 years of experience as a recruiter, Foss finds this annoying. On the other hand, the Lunar New
Year is a major festival in the Sinosphere or the Sinic world (Chinese-speaking countries and regions,
and countries and regions historically under Chinese influence), including mainland China, Taiwan,
Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Vietnam, and Korea. I thrive in busy, ever-changing environments
that require me to communicate clearly and concisely. They tend to be ambitious, confident and
charismatic. Frankly, hiring managers are aware of that—what they really want to know is what
you’re going to bring to the position and company. If you’ve held unique roles in your past — like
the time you trained dolphins at SeaWorld — it’s also a chance to highlight how those unique
experiences make you the best possible candidate. But those skills are most likely in their resume
already, and leaving them out gives them the space to discuss specific projects and tell a story not
visible on other parts of their application. If you nail yours, you could easily go from the “maybe”
pile straight to “Oh, hell yes.” Cover letter FAQs (a.k.a., everything else you need to know about
cover letters) Are cover letters still necessary. Don't be surprised to see eight pages of someone's CV,
it's natural to describe everything more detailed than in resume. They should show that you
understand what the organization is looking for and spell out how your background lines up with the
position. Spiegel Law Firm’s 20 years in practice proves that the firm has strong values and excellent
attorneys, and I’d be eager to join such a talented team. It is a time for families to gather, pay
respect to their ancestors and welcome the arrival of spring. Did you bring in new clients, make a
process more efficient, spearhead some campaigns. Run sales presentations during in-store sales
campaigns with the goal of increasing brand awarenes s. This content has been made available for
informational purposes only. The combination of the animal sign (Dragon) and the element (Wood)
designates the year as the Year of the Wood Dragon. Instead, mention a few proud moments so that
you can peek their curiosity and get them interested in meeting you. When you’re skimming dozens
or hundreds of resumes, you’re likely seeing similar things over and over — bullet points of similar
experiences, similar roles, and so on. However, this may be an appropriate time to provide additional
information about a gap in employment, adding focus on the way that the break between jobs
improved job fit in some way by adding context, independence, or some other skill that can be
translated to the job at hand. While working there, I came up with and implemented a plan for
digitizing their old files while still ensuring security and privacy. You may feel your resume covers all
the essential information about your professional and educational background, but your cover letter
can highlight pertinent skills you possess for the job, explain gaps in work history, talk about how
you can add value to the specific company, and more.
I have an independent spirit, agility, and expertise that will help you build important connections to
succeed in business. If your cover letter includes an example of the results you drove in your project
management role with a volunteer association, be sure you reflect the details (for example, the name
of association and type of responsibilities) similarly so they can make easy references. Role:
Customer Service Representative Dear Jessica Smith, I recently came across the Customer Service
Representative position at Healthcare Inc. This article explores three cover letter examples organised
by genre and industry sectors to inspire you. If the hiring manager is a women it is possible that you
may offend her and she might toss your resume out. Your cover letter should translate how your
experiences have developed both technical and non-technical skills necessary for the role. You want
to play it safe and conservative with your application materials. Is a letter of intent different from a
cover letter. However, this may be an appropriate time to provide additional information about a gap
in employment, adding focus on the way that the break between jobs improved job fit in some way
by adding context, independence, or some other skill that can be translated to the job at hand. Also,
take the time to read the company’s mission statement and mention a little bit about what strikes you
about the company. The cover letter is where you should promote yourself, describe your ambition
and express your enthusiasm for a new role and company in a way that is distinct from your resume.
But downplay the adverbs a bit, and keep the level of enthusiasm for the opportunity genuine and
believable. Just as you personalize your resume to the role, you should also address the cover letter to
the person actually hiring for the position, as opposed to Dear Employer. Consider adding a sentence
or two — or even a bullet list, as long as you’re not duplicating your resume — of key achievements
backed up with quantitative data. Address specific job requirements with real examples: Your cover
letter should provide plenty of real-life examples that show how you uniquely meet the requirements
from the job description. The hiring manager has no time to read neither an essay version of your
resume, nor irrelevant information. Problem-solving abilities: I pride myself on resolving customer
issues efficiently. Your words should do more than restate salient details from what's already in your
resume. Stick to pertinent facts and omit personal details unrelated to your ability to perform the job.
A cover letter should communicate why you want the role, why you’d value working for the
organization and why you believe you’re a good fit to the role and the culture. Many roles —
especially in today’s job market — receive hundreds of applicants (or more!). This marks the start of
the Year of the Wood Dragon. Writing clearly and eloquently is a very important skill set for a writer.
We're here to help you create the an amazing profile with our 13 best practices for writing a cover
letter. They should show that you understand what the organization is looking for and spell out how
your background lines up with the position. If you thoroughly do your research on the company, this
is one of the key cover letter phrases that will help you land a job. This: “I was in charge of
identifying and re-engaging former clients.” Or this: “By analyzing past client surveys, NPS scores,
and KPIs, as well as simply picking up the phone, I was able to bring both a data-driven approach
and a human touch to the task of re-engaging former clients.”. You should also use the closing
paragraph to express thanks for consideration and to request an opportunity to discuss the position.
In the job description, you mentioned that you're looking for a candidate who learns quickly. He also
currently operates Supported Content, a niche content marketing company that helps CX brands
attract and retain customers.