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Newsletter #1: The Ultimate Cover Letter Guide - 2022

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In this article, I'll be guiding you through cover letter tips and tricks and how to write a cover letter that will land you your dream job. 🚀

What is a Cover Letter?

A cover letter is a separate document from your resume that allows you to stand out from other applications, primarily through written form. While cover letters are not as frequently required, when you do have the opportunity, make sure you express what is unique about you and why you are the best candidate for the company you are applying for and succinctly summarise your resume.

When I was the Recruiting Director (RD) at a top-tier management consulting firm, I would literally see hundreds of resumes that looked the same. Resumes with exemplary results - First Class Honours, High Distinction (H1) averages or cumulative GPAs of 3.8 and above - and I would often look at the cover letter to help me make the decision around whether the candidate made it past the screening rounds. 

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How to start writing a cover letter

Attempting to summarise who you are in a few succinct paragraphs can be nerve-wracking. It's best to outline your cover letter before you begin writing it to ensure you're on the right track. Do your homework on the company, position, and responsibilities before you start typing.

Doing background research on the organisation, you are applying to can help you get a sense of the company's culture and ethos. After doing so, you'll have a better idea of the voice to use in your cover letter. A startup with an artistic focus, on the other hand, might feel more free-wheeling and innovative than a large, established company. My advice is to go to the company’s website and read their “about us” page to get an understanding of their culture and tone of voice.

In the same way, you would tailor your resume to a specific job posting, you can use the job description to guide your cover letter. The hiring manager probably has a short list of must-have qualifications in mind. You might try highlighting those experiences and distinctive expertise to pique their interest. You don’t have to cover every single line item, but ensure that you match up your experience with the top requirements and that you provide some evidence.

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How to Write a Cover Letter

1. Contact details

Provide your full name, complete address (including zip code for ATS purposes), and phone number, including area code. If you want to be hired, you must ensure the hiring manager can easily get in touch with you. If you're using a document (word, pdf etc.), this information should go in the top left corner of your cover letter. This data can be included below your electronic signature at the end of an email.

2. Greeting

Find out who the hiring manager is and introduce yourself to them by name. The name of the hiring manager can be found by searching the company's website or by calling the company and asking to speak to the hiring manager in charge of this position or by a Linkedin search. Once you know someone's name, a quick "John" or "Hello, John" is all you need to say to greet them.

3. Opening

The "hook" is the first sentence of your opening. This is your opportunity to make a good impression on the hiring manager and pique their interest in learning more about you. How does one go about writing an effective "hook"? Consider how your qualifications and experience make you stand out from the other applicants. What is it that you do better than anyone else?

One word of caution: don't overwhelm the reader with too much information at the start of your cover letter (and be cautious of writing a run-on sentence). Choose the one or two skills or experiences that you feel are the most important and relevant to this role.

4. Body

Keep in mind the four w's (why, what, what and why - yes, there are x2 ‘what and why’ on purpose) when writing the main section (or "body") of your cover letter.

• Explain to the hiring manager why you're writing to them.
• ‍What are your strengths that would benefit the company?
• ‍What do you know about the company and the team and why you are the best applicant?

The cover letters' main body paragraphs should be used to advertise the applicant. Don't forget to list a few of your most notable and quantifiable achievements. Evidence of your abilities is most convincing when it can be seen in concrete terms, such as your achievements.

Use the phrase "In Q4 of 2015, I increased sales by 15%" if you're applying for a sales position.

Alternatively, you could say something like "Worked with a team of three developers to build a full mobile app" if you were applying for a position in web development.

A manager's resume could include a line like, "Led a team of 15 to achieve a combined $250,000 in sales in one quarter." Your cover letter, like your resume, should highlight your best qualities. Skimming your cover letter can help you focus the hiring manager on your best experiences and accomplishments.

5. Closing and Call to Action (CTA)

A cover letter's closing is it’s conclusion and you should also finish with a Call to Action (CTA). You can thank the hiring manager for his or her time and mention any additional materials in this section (resume, portfolio, samples). Maintain an air of professionalism as you draw to a close, and avoid coming across as overeager or desperate.

As an alternative to the overly enthusiastic "I look forward to hearing more about the position," a more subdued "I look forward to finding out if I'm a match for this position" is a better choice. To reiterate, remember the tone and character of the business you are writing to.

Signing the document formally closes the deal. You may sign off with "Sincerely," "Best," "Regards," "Yours," or any other appropriate business closing.

You should sign your name using both your first and last name. When sending a cover letter via email, use an account that is not associated with your current employer and does not include your signature. You can also compose the cover letter in a word processor, save it as a PDF, and send it as an attachment in an email.

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How to Format Your Cover Letter

Even though you're writing a letter, that doesn't mean you should just let your thoughts flow onto the page. After all, how you present your information in your cover letter will determine the hiring manager's first impression of you.

If you put your work experience at the end of the cover letter, for instance, the reader will have to wade through the whole thing before getting to the good stuff.

Structure your cover letter according to the standard order shown below.

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Conversational 5-step cover letter flow

Cover letters are best approached as conversations when you're unsure of what to say. In most societies, people start a new social interaction by introducing themselves to one another before diving into a deeper topic of discussion. Consider using the same conversational event markers in your cover letter. This is just one example:

1. 👋 State your name
2. 🗣️ Say hello
3. 🏛️ Explain your work history
4. ✍️ Tell them what you can do for their company
5. 🙏 Say goodbye

Cover letter examples for internship applications:

1. 👋 State your name
2. 🗣️ Say hello
3. 🏛️ Explain your coursework history
4. ✍️ Tell them what you can do for their company
5. 🙏 Say goodbye

Cover letter examples if you have no experience:

1. 👋 State your name
2. 🗣️ Say hello
3. 🏛️ Explain your skillset and character qualities that make you well-suited for the role
4. ✍️ Tell them what you can do for their company
5. 🙏 Say goodbye

If you're still having trouble, pretend the hiring manager is sitting in front of you and record yourself giving a pitch for the job using your smartphone or another recording device. Practice out loud by recording yourself reading your cover letter's various sections. The recording can then be transcribed and revised without any additional work.

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How to title and save your cover letter

Remember that the devil is in the details! Be sure to save and label your cover letter document correctly if you are composing it in Word before converting it to PDF format for email transmission. The hiring manager will find this useful, and you'll benefit from the increased efficiency it will bring to your job search overall.

The best way to increase your chances of getting hired is to make it as simple as possible for the employer to say "yes." This includes making it simple for the recruiter to file away your materials for later perusal. For this reason, it is customary to label the file with both your full name and the words "cover letter." The name of the position you're applying for and the year you're applying to it may also be of use.

Some examples are as follows.

• Your Name_Cover Letter_Job Title.pdf
• Cover Letter_Your Name_Job Title.pdf
• Job Title_Your Name_Cover Letter.pdf
• Your Name_Cover Letter_2021.pdf
• Cover Letter_Your Name_2021.pdf

After you've finished saving the file, put it somewhere you can easily find it again. Having a bank of previously written cover letters to draw inspiration from makes updating and tailoring them for new job applications a breeze.

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Cover Letter Templates and examples

Here is a set of Cover Letter samples from Yale University. What are the key takeaways from these examples:

• No more than 1 page long
• Well researched and clearly state why they are interested in the job and company.
• Targetted and personalised
• Explain clearly how their skills will add value and fill a need
• Sound enthusiastic

Here is another example from Stanford that is clear and succinct and uses bullet points to highlight the applicants professional experience.

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Cover Letter Tips

Finally, some tips on what I usually look for specifically and any deal breakers (immediate no).

• Degree of interest in the job - Did the applicant customise the application to the company? Did the cover letter feel like the applicant was interested in the company or were they just copying and pasting from their last cover letter?
• Applicability of skills - Did the applicant read the job description and then provide examples of what they have done in the past as evidence of how their skills match up to what is in the job description.
• Ability to articulate clearly and concisely - Are the messages clear and succinct or is the cover letter too wordy.
• Ability to write well and spell correctly - This is a hygiene factor. If there are any typos or spelling mistakes, this is an immediate NO, unfortunately. If you can’t even spell correctly on your cover letter, then how could we trust you with more?
• Resume gaps? - A cover letter is the place to briefly and clearly explain the reason for the gap in your employment history. In other words, "I am going back to work after taking some time off to raise my children." What follows, then, is an explanation of your best attributes, credentials, and aspirations. Be sure to stress how eager and ready you are to rejoin the workforce.

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