4 tips for writing a compelling cover letter

Posted on Wednesday, September 7th, 2016

Good cover letters are integral to a successful application

Good cover letters are integral to a successful application

A good cover letter is just as, (if not more) important than a well written resume. Your cover letter is, in many cases, an employer’s first impression of you. It is the first opportunity you will have to impress them before they meet you in person.

Your cover letter needs to stand out from the crowd, so that the Human Resource Representative who’s sifting through dozens of applications at a time doesn’t put yours in the “no” pile.

Here are 4 tips to help you write a great cover letter:

Make it different from your resume

Your resume is the culmination of your work history, and your cover letter should not just be your resume in paragraph form. A cover letter is your chance to showcase your personality in your job application. You should utilize your cover letter to help bridge the gap between your background and experience, in the industry, to the prospective job.

This is also the perfect place to explain why you want the job, and why you would be good at it.

Be enthusiastic

Don’t start with “hello, my name is ­­­ , and I am applying for the position of…” They already know this information. That first line of text could be better used to say something dynamic and attention-catching. Start off with a sentence that will grab the hiring manager’s attention. Do some research about the company, and create a dynamic opening about how your skills and the company would be a good fit for one another.

Make it personal

While the process for HireAC is sometimes different, and you might have the opportunity to find out the hiring manager’s name, on a general application you should make a serious effort in making your cover letter as personal as possible. Take the time to find out the name of the hiring manager; with social media there is always an opportunity via LinkedIn or Google.

Use professional language

This is the most important part of any job application, as well as any part of your professional career going forward. Making spelling or grammar mistakes is a sign of unprofessionalism, and will make the decision to not hire you an easy one. Aside from spelling and grammar, your cover letter should not include slang, formatting errors, or abbreviations.

It’s also very important to proofread your work. Sometimes it can be difficult to catch errors if you’ve been writing something for a while though. Ask someone you trust to proofread your cover letter before sending it.

With these tips, your cover letter will be received more favourably by the hiring manager, and your application will have a greater chance of succeeding.

For more professional tips & tricks, be sure to check back on our blog at https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/category/blog/

For more information about co-op at Algonquin College, please visit our website at https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/, connect with us at coop@algonquincollege.com or call us at 613-727-4723 Ext.7623

 


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