FREE Secrets to Writing a Great Cover Letter [ Samples, Tips, and Guidelines ]

Coming up with the perfect cover letter does not happen through miracles. It happens when you put a lot effort into coming up with one. It may just be a document that consists of one page but it will probably be one of the hardest things to craft when it comes to job applications. You have to make sure that it is easy to read, brief, and informative at the same time.

Never miss a chance to grab the attention of an employer by checking out the cover letter examples and writing tips that we have for you. Make sure that you read up and carefully go through each of the samples.

Basic Cover Letter Format

No Work Experience Sample Cover Letter

Employment Cover Letter Sample

Career Transition Cover Letter Sample

Example of Cover Letter Template

The Secrets

To come up with a good cover letter, one has to put a good amount of research and hard work to end up with one. Your effort will definitely help you come up with the right words to say.

We have collected some secrets that will help you out with writing your cover letters. Okay, maybe they are not really secrets. But they are definitely quick tips to a standout cover letter, which is what you want to end up with.

Do not repeat your resume.

Your job resume is already a summary of all the necessary things you need to tell the employer. So you need not make a paragraph form of this. It is going to be redundant.

Instead of regurgitating your resume, use your cover letter as a way of showing what your personality is and how interested you are with the job vacancy.

Research about the company and the field that you will be entering and use it as a means of small talk with the employer. Your small talk will be a means of showing your interest and expertise in the field you are applying for.

One page is all you need.

Keeping it short is one of the main tips to writing a job-winning cover letter. At most, three paragraphs are what you need. Be straight to the point. Go directly to all the necessary things you want to tell the employer.

What would the company benefit from hiring you?

You might be tempted to talk about how much the employment will be beneficial to you. While this might be true, the employer is already aware of this fact. What you need to tell the employee is how they will actually benefit from your employment. The reason why companies put up job postings is because they need someone who will help them solve the problems they currently have in the workplace.

Talk in the same tone as the company.

Make sure that you use the same tone that the company is using. This gives the impression that you know what you are talking about, you know what you want, that you have done your research, and that you are highly interested in the job. How do you exactly match your tone with the company? Through research. By going through the job posting, their websites, and their social media websites. Determine whether you need to use a formal or informal tone. Make sure that you still sound like you but keep in mind the company’s culture.

Quantify as much as possible.

One of the most common ways job applicants mess up their cover letters is by failing to give specific samples for their skills and qualifications. Making use of numbers also gives a sense of intrigue and can definitely grab the employer’s attention making them want to ask for more. For example, you will say, “I led an email marketing campaign that resulted in a 97% response rate. This is 20% more than the expected result rate.”

Make your opening line as memorable as possible.

Commonly, you will think about starting your letter with the canned “My name is [Employee A], applying for the position of [Job Position] in your company.” We are going to be honest with you—that introduction is outdated and will make you sound like an inexperienced applicant. So why don’t we start with something new and fresh from the oven?

How to start your cover letter? You can simply start with quotations or a personal tagline that would best describe what you are as a professional.

Address no one.

You have probably read a lot that you have to address your cover letters properly to ensure that it will get to the right person plus, it gives a more personal touch to it. But what happens when you really cannot find the contact person for your job application? Leave the generic “Dear Sir/Ma’am” opening greeting behind and just jump straight into the more important parts of your letter. You may also make use of a subject line such as “Re: Job Application for Sales Consultant Position.” This way, when the receiver sees the subject, they know who to approach.

Send your letter as a PDF file.

The file type PDF is the best file format to choose when it comes to sending not just your cover letters but your other job application documents as well. Saving it in PDF will ensure that formatting will be intact and what you see on your screen will also be what the employer will see on their screens.

Have a strong closing to your letter.

The last paragraph of your letter should explain how you can be a good addition to the company’s workforce. One more thing you should mention should be a call-to-action statement. Let them know that you are looking forward to meeting them and that you are looking forward to answering any clarifications they might have. Make sure to keep this part brief.

Make sure your cover letter is personalized.

Targeted cover letters are the best cover letters to submit to the potential employer. A cover letter that you have customized accordingly for a specific job helps to increase the chances of you getting a callback, one of the reasons why you should customize your cover letter.

Personalizing each of your cover letters for each of the job positions you apply for may take a lot of time. However, all of those efforts will highly likely be the road you have to get the dream job you have always wanted.

Present it in a professional manner.

Your cover letter should be in a professional business letter format. You should also stick to making use of professional-looking fonts. Sans serif fonts are best for these letters (Arial, Times New Roman, or Georgia). It will also be a good idea to match the font you are using in your resume with your cover letter to keep things uniform and professional.

A few reminders about cover letter presentation are as follows:

• If you are going to print your cover letter, make use of a 20lb. bond paper as this is paper is sturdy.
• One good way of standing out from the rest of the white cover letters is by making use of a different shade of white such as ivory. It is a subtle move but it can help.
• Keep your font size between 10-point and 12-point. These font sizes are easy to read and will reduce eye strain.
• Break big chunks of paragraphs by making use of bullet points. This makes your letter easier to read.

 

Reread and edit.

Time and time again, you will hear or read that one of the most important things to do before sending your cover letters is proofreading it. Reading your letter over and over again, plus editing is a definite must. Getting someone else to read your letter will also be of big help. Remember, typos and grammatical errors are a big no-no for any job application document as you want to avoid having your job applications tossed into the trash bin.

Entry-Level Job Formal Cover Letter Sample

Finance Student Cover Letter Example

Example Cover Letter for First Job

Best Cover Letter Template

Hope you learned a lot from our cover letter tips. There are also a lot of cover letters you need to read now to ensure that your cover letters are on par with the current trends when it comes to applying for jobs. There are even impactful resume updates that you should take note of in order to make your resumes more attractive and memorable. You are sure to grab the attention of the employer as soon as he/she grabs a hold of your documents. Now, just sit back, relax, and wait for those interview invites!