Types Of Cover Letters By Best Cover Letter Writing Service

Previously, we have talked about the three main resume formats and when to use each one. After your brand new resume is ready, it’s time to get down to that cover letter writing. The importance of a properly written cover letter is hard to overestimate. It introduces the hiring manager into your experience, expands on your personality and excites them to pay closer attention to your resume. Not every cover letter can serve this purpose, though. Only a quality and highly tailored one (see here for professional advice for tailoring your resume: https://resumeperk.com/blog/cover-letter-proofreaders-tailoring-your-cover-letter) can generate you the attention you deserve.

Have you heard, though, that there are many types of cover letters? The structure, style and approach to writing vary from type to type, and each cover letter type serves its specific purpose. When making a professional resume, consider these types and choose the correct one to strengthen your application. You’ll find a detailed description and expert tips for all cover letter types below.

Best cover letter writing service: choosing a cover letter type

1. Application cover letter

This is the traditional, most common cover letter type. Actually, when we speak of cover letters, most of the cases we mean an application cover letter. Professionals define it as a written response to an advertised job opening.

The purpose of such a letter is to help you stand out in the competitive conditions and to market you as the best fitting candidate for the job, cover letter writing services say. Nevertheless, it is often conservative so you have to stick to a plenty of rules during your writing.

Tips for application cover letter writing:

• Use the classical structure for writing, i.e. greeting, opening paragraph, letter body, closing paragraph. Don’t get overly creative unless the nature of work or the specific posting encourages creativity
• Read the job posting carefully – there might be the indications on what kind of cover letter the employer expects. They might also ask you to answer some questions in your letter
• Address the hiring manager directly at the top of your letter – it will increase the chances that your resume will be read
• Take your time to understand the needs of the employer and base you letter on it. Since the competition is strong, you have to create a letter which will really differentiate you from the others.

Application letter is the most common letter type; nevertheless, there are much more types of letters. This one is perfect when you’ve located a job listing on the internet and decided to apply via e-mail or a job board. By the way, if you apply for jobs online, check the resume posting tips to make your online job search faster and more confidential.

1. Cold contact letter (letter of interest)

The previous letter type is aimed at applying for jobs which have been advertised. However, the experienced job seekers know that over 70% of jobs out there aren’t advertised.  Thus, some candidates take the proactive approach to their careers and try to find out about possible jobs even before they are posted on the internet.

Is there a dream company that you’d like to work for? A letter of interest is a powerful tool for this as well. Instead of waiting when the jobs will pop up, contact the best companies in the industry with your letter. Even if they’re not hiring at the moment, they will have your resume and will be able to contact you in the future.

Cold contact letter writing tips

• Address the specific person in the organization – as there aren’t open postings, you need to address someone in HR department (or the head of the department) to make sure your letter is to hand.
• Explain your interest in the company – show your connection with the company’s mission and values and give reasoning why you’d appreciate the opportunity to work for them.
• Outline your qualifications – make it clear from the letter why your skills and experience would be an asset for the company.

Tip: if you don’t have a specific position on mind (or not sure whether such a position exists in the company), write a list of position that would match your set of skills. And, if the letter writing seems tough to you, you can always rely on our client services cover letter.

1. Referral cover letter

A referral cover letter can fall under any of the above categories. Everybody knows that a networking plays a vital role during the job search, and knowing the right people can open you the doors faster than a simple resume. (If you are interested in out-of-box ways to find a job and are an adventurous personality, you will find some helpful advice here: https://resumeperk.com/blog/out-of-box-ways-to-find-a-job-by-cv-editing-services).

In a nutshell, a referral cover letter includes a recommendation of your candidacy for a job from your mutual connection. It can be your friend, colleague or acquaintance working for the company you’re interested in.

Tips for writing a referral cover letter

• Include referral information in the first paragraph so the hiring manager wouldn’t miss this important information.
• Expand on your connection with the referral, i.e. for how many years you have known each other and in which context you met
• Write why they recommended you for the role and which qualities of yours make you a successful candidate. If appropriate, you can even insert a quote the referral in a cover letter.
• Don’t let the referral information be the only informative point of your cover letter. In the next 1-2 paragraphs, give your own grounding of what makes you great for the role. 

1. Value proposition letter

Defining value proposition is another effective approach to cover letter writing. Value proposition is a complex of your soft and hard skills that makes you a unique professional. If you are a great professional with unique blend of skills and good reputation in your field, you can use a cover letter to sell yourself.

Tips for writing a value proposition letter:

• your past achievements and current areas of proficiency. Write down everything you’ve ever done, the projects you succeeded at, and the skills you gained. Ask other people’s opinion or use old reference letters to get the idea of how the others see you.
• Focus on what you can do for the employer - as you have defined your key strengths, think of how the prospective employer can benefit from them, and concisely present it in your cover letter.

Tip: if you can prove your professionalism by providing a link to samples of your work, don’t hesitate to do so.

1. E-mail cover letter

Majority of job postings require application via e-mail, that’s why the e-mail cover letter falls under a separate category. With electronic cover letter submission it’s important to closely follow the employer’s guidelines; otherwise your application will not be considered.

Tips for cover letter writing via e-mail

• Paste your cover into a letter body instead of adding it as an attachment unless otherwise is specifically indicated. When they see a short, well formatted cover letter right in front of their eyes, the chance of getting your letter read increase dramatically.
• Think of a smart subject line. Don’t limit it to mentioning a job number and never leave the subject field blank. Think of it as of another selling point. Create a short statement that summarizes your value proposition and use it as a heading for your e-mail.
• Double check the formatting. If you copy the cover letter from a Word document, the formatting is likely to be destroyed, so you might need to re-format it in an e-mail window.
• Make it short. E-mail cover letters are typically shorter than those sent as a separate Word document. Another reason for cutting off the unnecessary detail is that your e-mail might be read from a mobile device. Thus, the shorter your letter is, the higher are chances that it’ll be read through. The same applies for cover letters pasted into an online form of the company website.
• Don’t forget the keywords. E-mail cover letters subject to keywords enrichment as well.

To apply for jobs by e-mail, you’ll need to master effective email writing skills. The knowledge of how to write an effective e-mail will benefit you both during the job search and in your professional activity.

The bottom line

As you see, there is more than one type of cover letter. And each of them has a specific area of application and indisputable advantages. So, before you get down to creating a cover letter, decide on which cover letter type matches your situation and will help you in getting a desired job.

Need assistance with crafting a cover letter? The expert cover letter writers of our company know everything about cover letters and will create a letter you need, considering all your requirements. All you will need to do is to attach your resume and answer a questionnaire. Moreover, it’s highly affordable – check our list of prices. You can also create winning resume for free using our samples and templates.

Recommended reading:

• How To Write Effective Email That Get Opened
• 12 Common Cover Letter Don'ts Everyone Should Know
• 3 Types of Cover Letters & When to Use Each
• How To Write An Email To Get A Job ? ResumePerk
• Relocation Cover Letter: Tips from Cover Letter Proofreader
• How To Write A Powerful Relocation Cover Letter - BEST TIPS!