5 Cover Letter Tips To Get You That Interview

Here are five essential cover letter tips to fast-track your application to the top of the ‘yes’ pile.

Give yourself a fighting chance and improve your response rate with these cover letter tips. Sending a cover letter with your resume remains an essential step in the job application process. It doesn’t take long to tailor an application to the position you are applying for but so many employees disillusioned with the recruitment process fail to do this. Capitalise on their mistakes and put together a letter that leaves your competitors for dead.

Cover letter tips #1: Personalise your applications

When you have been searching for a job for a few weeks/months, it can be easy to turn onto auto-pilot when you’re churning out application after application. But it only takes a few seconds to personalise your letter – this can cut out the clutter and make your cover letter stand out. The letter for most applicants is the first point of contact and first impression you will make on potential employers. You can personalise your applications by:

• Addressing your letter to the person looking at applications.
• If you were referred by someone to the position, mentioning this in the opening line
• Mentioning how you found about the job in the opening paragraph.
• In the body of the letter, tailor your skills to the position advertised demonstrating why you would be a good fit for the company.
• In the closing paragraph, outline why you would like to work at the company.

Cover letter tips #2: Check spelling mistakes and grammatical errors

The most important thing to check before sending out a cover letter is to make sure you have spelt the recruiter’s name correctly with the right salutation – this is one of the most commonly made mistakes. Take the time to read a cover letter carefully and if possible ask a family member or friend to proofread it for you as it’s not always easy to pick up on your mistakes. Don’t start off on the wrong foot by not proofreading your work.

Cover letter tips #3: Market yourself – self promotion is key

When putting together a cover letter, this is no time to be shy. While you don’t want to come across as bragging, you do want to demonstrate how you can be an asset to the company and contribute to their continued growth. Highlight your key achievements, skills and experience. You want to make the link between your previous work experience with real-life examples and how this is relevant to the position you are applying for.

Cover letter tips #4: Keep the design simple

The design of your cover letter also has significance. Unless you are applying for a creative role, keep it simple and professional. Use classic fonts such as Verdana and Arial in 10 or 11 point and left align your text with a standard margin size. The use of short paragraphs and white space is important to separate important points in your letter. Where possible, use bulleted lists to display information on the page.

Cover letter tips #5: Make sure you send your letter in by the due date

When you see a job that may have a lot of competition, email your cover letter as soon as possible. Some organisations inundated with applications may take off their job advertisements in just a few days. Put yourself in the running by sending your cover letter in a timely manner. However, don’t compromise a swift reply by sending a letter that has spelling mistakes and typos – make sure you proofread it carefully before emailing it.

Your cover letters with your resume are the most important job search tools to land you your dream job. The correspondence you send with your resume may be the only opportunity you have to impress your potential employer. But you don’t have to spend hours tailoring your applications. By following these simple cover letter tips, you can make sure your application stands out from the crowd and wins you that all-important interview.