No matter how long you are employed or what position you have in your career. A cover letter is an important document that should consist of every skill, knowledge, strength, experience, recognition, and award you have over the years. It is a way to explain specific scenarios and highlight your essential skills that are not mentioned in your resume.
When creating a cover letter, it is important to keep it concise, and highlighting important points is a must too. Using bullet points to highlight relevant information could be another option. There are different ways to create such a letter. As it is a personalized letter to be presented to the hiring managers. An appropriate format is also an important detail that you need to keep in mind.
If you don’t have experience in work, your cover letter should contain appropriate scenarios that helped you demonstrate your skills and ability to perform one task. Conversely, if you have been unemployed for a long period of time or have a gap in employment. Your cover letter should contain valid reasonings for unemployment and scenarios wherein you have been given a chance to showcase your skills and abilities. It is also an essential tip to list down everything you learned and acquired during your time of employment.
If you are struggling to create a cover letter that could help you land a job you always dreamed of having, this article will discuss the dos and don’ts in creating a cover letter. So, if this interests you, keep reading.
Do’s and Don’ts in Creating a Cover Letter
Do’s
- Tailor it to the Hiring Manager’s Requirements
Every company has a different requirement when it comes to resume and cover letter formats. Thus, it is important to review the requirements before creating a cover letter. Tailoring your cover letter and resume to the requirements of the job, it will be easier for the employer to determine whether or not you have what it takes to be their next employee. Unnecessary information will not be seen as attractive but rather as information that is no use to the job interview. If the hiring manager notices that you have reviewed their requirements beforehand. It could most likely create a good impression on them as it shows that you focus on details.
- Cite your Experiences
It is important that you elaborate on the skills and experiences that are mentioned on your resume, apply them to the new job you are applying for. And explain how you can achieve the same and even better results with the new company. Hiring managers often look for applicants with more experience in their field. As it assures them that the person they are going to hire is qualified for the job and could make a valuable impact at the company.
- List Down Relevant Skills
As mentioned, different companies require different skills too. Not every skill you learned from your past job could be applicable to the job you are applying for. No hiring manager finds it necessary to put unnecessary skills in a resume especially when it is not relevant to the job. Thus, having knowledge about the requirements and tailoring it to your cover letter could just be the next push. You need into landing the job you dream of.
- Create it as Convincing and Attractive as possible
A well-written cover letter is convincing and attractive as is. A cover letter should make an employer feel assured and convinced that you have what it takes for the job. In a resume, you only list the skills with no context explanation of how you acquired them. But creating a cover letter, allows you to further explain how you can utilize those skills.
Don’ts
- Mention any Negative Situations
Mentioning any negative situations you once had at your past company won’t be necessary as it can only bring up many questions by the hiring managers. Rather, put all the lessons and solutions you made during those situations and how you effectively fixed them. Putting negative situations could not do your application any good as it can only create a bad impression of you as an applicant.
- Repeat Information from your Resume
Some cover letters reintroduce the same information in the resume and explain every detail. Though cover letters are the way you can further explain your skills, repeating every piece of information that is already written in your resume is unnecessary. It could be looked at as irrelevant information and repetitive. Ensure that the cover letters consist of important information that is unseen on your resume and use it as a way that could strengthen your place among other competitors
- Use Slang Words
This is mostly the wrongdoings of applicants, using slang and informal words. A cover letter is a formal document, thus the contents should also be formal. Writing a formal cover letter will be beneficial as the hiring manager can see you as someone who could take on the job seriously. Wrong grammar, slang words. And informal words could only be a cause low chance of getting the position for a lot of valid reasons.
Conclusion
In conclusion, writing a cover letter could be crucial especially when your goal is for it to be perfect. Remember that your cover letter is the first thing the employer sees. Thus it is essential to make it as formal, informative, well-written, attractive, and convincing as possible. This could not only raise your chances of landing the job but could also be the reason why you’ll stand out among all the other employers.
