How to Create an Engaging Cover Letter for a Job

While applying for a job, one of the most critical things that are taken into consideration along with a resume is the cover letter. A cover letter is a personal introduction, providing the candidate with an opportunity to explain more about one's professional experiences (which is not explained in a resume) and gives a chance to convince your employer as to why you are the best fit for this job. The cover letter is submitted along with the resume while applying for a job, increasing the chances of shortlisting. Hence, you must draft your cover letter well.

In this blog, we’ve listed some tips on how to write effective cover letters and provided information about how an effective cover letter helps make a difference. Read on to know more about these tips.

How to create an effective cover letter for a job

• Structure your cover letter

Planning and structuring your cover letter to make it a smooth read is the key to conversion. Structure your cover letter as per below 4 pointers-

1. Introduction: Introduce yourself in this paragraph and discuss your motivation to apply for this position.

2. Talk about your previous experience and education: Try to link your experience and education with the said job role and show how this makes you a better fit for this role. For example, if applying for the position of graphic designer, talking about the graphic designing course or formal education done in fine arts will make your case strong.

3. Talk about your personal experience or attributes: Try to link your strengths, interests, and likes, making you a better fit for this role. E.g., When applying for the position of a content writer, talking about your hobbies and interests in reading books and writing articles will prove to be convincing.

4. Closing paragraph: This section talks about how you will prove to be the best hire if hired for this role and contribute to the organisation, team, and role.

• Make the cover letter easy to read

Since your cover letter is one of the first things that a recruiter or hiring manager looks at, you must ensure that it is aesthetically pleasing and leaves a positive impression of you. Hence, ensure your cover letter can be easily read by the recruiter or hiring manager. While writing your cover letter, ensure it is properly formatted with the right page margins. Ensure that the opening salutation is at the beginning of the cover letter. Choose the right font colour and style, and make sure that this is consistent throughout the cover letter to give it a professional touch. A font size between 10.5 to 12 and margins between 1’’’ and 1.5’’ are appropriate for cover letters.

While writing the cover letter, divide it into multiple paragraphs to ensure it does not look cluttered. Whether it’s the opening of the cover letter, the main body of the cover letter, or the ending to the cover letter, write separate paragraphs for each section.

• Keep your cover letter to one page

When a recruiter reads a cover letter, they expect to read a concise cover letter touching upon all aspects of your professional eligibility and fitment for this job role. Hence, you must organize your cover letter well and keep it to a maximum of one page in length.

• Tailor your cover letter to job role and company

Personalizing the cover letter and tailoring it to the given job role maximizes the conversion chances. For example, imagine that a recruiter reads a cover letter, and they realize that the candidate has not written their name but the name of another recruiter. It would signify a lack of attention to detail. Hence, while writing your cover letter, personalize it according to the company.

While personalizing, ensure that your cover letter includes the right name of the employer/the hiring manager and that you have mentioned the job position you are applying for at the company. In addition, ensure that the skills and experience you mention in the cover letter are in sync with the job role.

• Use the right tone of voice

In your cover letter, recruiters and hiring managers expect you to write in a formal tone of voice. Hence, avoid jargon and abbreviations, and avoid being overly personal. Always remember to be professional and use simple language that the reader understands.

• Go into the details

While mentioning why you are a skilled candidate for a role is crucial, a little bit of detail in your cover letter can help it stand out. For example, if a business-development executive mentions himself as ‘’result-oriented’’, he should specify examples of how he goes the extra mile to close deals with his clients.

• Mention accomplishments and numbers

Since recruiters and hiring managers read many cover letters in a single day, it becomes challenging to select and hire the best candidate for an open job role. Here, the role of suitable accomplishments comes into the picture. For example, a sales representative may state that they could increase sales by 25% over one year. These accomplishments and numbers help candidates stand out and increase their chances of being hired compared to other job seekers in the market.

• Use verbs wherever possible

One of the best ways to showcase your specific expertise or talents is through using strong verbs. Some examples of strong action verbs include ‘’collaborated’’, ‘’cultivated’’, ‘’demonstrated’’, etc. They help you showcase yourself as a strong candidate.

• Ensure a proper ending to the cover letter

Ending the cover letter appropriately is as important as starting it correctly. Hence, use the right sign-off terminology. For example, ‘’Thanking You’’, ‘’Regards’’, ‘’Thank you’’, ‘’Yours sincerely’’, ‘’Respectfully’’, and ‘’Best’’ are examples of polite closing salutations.

• Proofread your cover letter before sending

The last thing that any candidate wants is their cover letter to be seen as not up to the mark by a recruiter. Hence, proofread your cover letter for any spelling or grammatical mistakes before sending it out. Tools like Grammarly can help you proofread your cover letter before you hit the submit button in your email to a recruiter or a hiring manager.

Conclusion

With the knowledge of the above tips for cover letter writing, you’ll be able to know how a cover letter is written in a better way, and how your application will stand out from other candidates. Keep this in mind while applying to companies whose job openings interest you.

TALOP is a recruitment agency in New Delhi helping firms attract and hire the best candidates for open job roles. If you wish to know more about the services offered by TALOP, head over to this page.

TALOP- Where Talent Meets Opportunity We are a recruitment agency helping firms to hire the best candidates for their organization. We specialize into non-tech hiring for startups, SMEs, MSMEs, and Enterprises across managerial levels.