How To Start Cover Letter To Make It Eye-Catching
What is a cover letter? It’s a self-description, marketing tool and an outlet for explaining details about your personality which don’t belong to resume. For a hiring manager, however, the cover letter is something different. It’s the reason to read your resume carefully – or to trash it without any consideration.
If the prospective employer mentioned that you should apply with a cover letter, then it does matter. So, you need to use all your creativity and motivation to create the letter which they will find appealing. The advice from our professional resume services will help you to write it in the right way.
Writing a cover letter: what makes the difference?
If you’re not familiar with the rules of writing a cover letter, check here: http://resumeperk.com/blog/how-to-write-winning-cover-letter-for-job-applications. If your cover letter only has one paragraph, or sounds weak in comparison with other cover letters you’ve found in the web, consult the above article too to learn the basics of cover letter writing.
Just like with any web writing, the success of your cover letter depending a lot on choosing the right structure. The one you should apply is called “the inverted pyramid”.
What does it mean?
When writing a cover letter, you should put the most relevant information first. Putting forward your biggest strengths is the chance to catch the wandering eye of a busy recruiter, who is unlikely to read through every single letter he received via email.
So, communicate your objective and advantages with clarity and confidence. Don’t waste their time by writing lengthy introductions you’ve copied from someone else’s covering letter. If you need a working free cover letter examples, feel free to check our Samples section: http://resumeperk.com/blog/manager-free-cover-letter-example.
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How to start a cover letter?
As you’ve figured out that you should impress the recruiter from the very first paragraph, it’s time to put this knowledge into practice. Cover letter is too important to make write it like everyone else does; so, you’ll need to take advantage of your creativity. Here are a few techniques you can implement right now:
- Open it with the position name
Most career experts agree that you don’t need lengthy introductions before you get straight to the point. Get the cat out of the bag in the very first sentence. Write what you specialize in, how many years of experience you have to offer, and which are your key achievements. However, don’t go overly detailed here – you’ll have the chance to add detail in the body of your cover letter. - Showcase your enthusiasm
Employers value enthusiasm. What is more, they value passion over your skills and years of expertise. It doesn’t mean that the enthusiasm can replace the experience and skills. However, if you’re truly enthusiastic about getting in, you’ll have good chances for the job even if you lack in skills.
Writing that you’re ‘enthusiastic about joining the team’ is not enough, though. Show what the reason is that makes you feel passionate about working with them. Give examples, if any. And remember that from the employer’s perspective, excitement means loyalty and dedication with the future, that’s why showing genuine interest works. - Show your love to the company
If you’ve consumed some of the company’s products or tried the services, or are somehow connected to what the company does (or did), do mention it. Tell a personal story if you have something to share. For instance, if you are applying to the software company that specializes in xbox games development, you can tell how you used to spend hours playing their games as a teenager and it is this passion to video games that determined your career path as a game developer. Stories are 22 times more memorable that just facts, so you’ve got serious odds to get noticed and remembered. - Highlight the personal connection with the company
Does your friend or acquaintance works with the company and recommended you to apply for the job? Use the power of personal connections when trying to get an interview (if you want to master the art of passing interviews with ease, click here: http://resumeperk.com/blog/top-15-questions-to-end-the-interview-with). Start your cover letter with the name of the person who has recommended the job to you – the higher position your friend obtains, the better will the result be. Networking and personal connections themselves can get you the job, so be sure to use the power of personal connections. - Enrich your cover letter with keywords
If you apply for a big company that uses the ATS, be sure to stuff your cover letter with keywords – just like you did with your resume (for more tips on resume keywords, check the resume keywording tips). Adding more keywords guarantee you the higher ranking in the ATS and more visibly. - Show you’re up to date with their news
What to do if none of the above tips suit you and you feel totally discouraged about writing the opening paragraph? If you can’t think of how to present your strength, use the different approach. Show that you follow the company news and recent events and got interested in what had happened recently. For example, you can mention the recent interview with the company CEO, their latest advertising campaign or launch of the new product.
Awareness of the company’s events will differentiate you from the rest of applicants. Moreover, you can go further and use the following tip for better result. - Offer a solution to the problem
This doesn’t have to be the first sentence, though. But if you manage to do so, your chances for interview will increase tremendously.
Do a research about the company’s goals or problems and briefly offer the solution within your area of specialization. For instance, if you are a SMM specialist and you’ve noticed that the company’s instagram page looks weak and doesn’t promote the brand effectively, you can come up with your thoughts on the promotional strategy. Real solution are much more impressive that statements that you’re “highly motivated individual with a can-do attitude”. - Be unique
in a highly competitive corporate world being unique is the key to being noticed. Think of some other technique or approach to make your cover letter different from other applicants’ and use it. However, if you are not sure if your creativity will be appropriate within the corporate environment, ask for advice of a hiring manager or career consultant from your network.
The approach to writing a cover letters is slightly different in various industries and varies depending on the job level. However, the rules for success are pretty much the same. You need to grab the attention of the reader from the very first paragraph to make sure they’ll read the rest and give your resume the consideration it deserves. Secondly, you need to be unique – tell a story, align the company values with your personal goals or interests or come up with a solution to a problem.
And finally, don’t forget to address the hiring manager with their name – failure to do so in the internet age is just the bad tone.
The role of an eye-catching cover letter
Job seekers who attach cover letters to resumes get more chances to get invitations to job interviews. It is because a well-thought-out letter implements such functions:
- draws the hiring manager's attention to your resume;
- explains your motives to get a new job;
- gives the best-selected arguments in favor of the candidate;
- shows your respect for employers;
- ensures the candidate’s individual approach to a particular job description.
All in all, a good cover letter is an efficient instrument to make a good impression on your future employer and implement your career goals.
How to make a strong cover letter?
A well-considered cover letter contributes to the success of your job application. The point of this document is to briefly convince the recruiter that you are a valuable candidate.
Concise paragraphs
As a rule, a modem cover letter consists of several paragraphs. All of them must be short and to the point, beginning from the first phrase and to the final paragraph. Thus, there is no sense to mention that you played for the Chicago Cubs when studying at college if it’s irrelevant to your next job.
Evoke interest and prove that you are a good fit for the chosen company
Research the job description and explain how the necessary skills and experience in the current company will help you solve future work tasks.
“...With more than ten years of professional experience managing at XYZ company, I have fresh efficient solutions for your enterprise. In my role as a project manager, I have successfully coped with 30 big projects in your sphere. So I have enough relevant skills to brilliantly cope with the responsibilities mentioned in your job advertisement…”
Make your cover letter stand out among others
Avoid using cliches and try to pick your unique style. Your approach to writing a cover letter must be based on the expectations of your future employer as well as your individual talents, experiences, and achievements.
Should I use cover letter examples?
Hiring managers expect to read a unique cover letter written precisely for their company or organization. So, please, do not blindly copy others’ texts, even when it deals with a brilliant cover letter example.
Your goal is to create a one-of-a-kind particular letter specifically for your case. You can draw inspiration from samples and notice logical connections in them, and that’s it.
A successful cover letter can become the best shot for an applicant to get a dream job. Thus, do not ignore it. If you are not sure about your writing skills or lack time, please, turn to our experts. We create awesome resumes and cover letters for all candidates, careers, and the newest jobs.
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