Looking to spruce up your cover letter? Here are some top tips that can help:
- Research the organization to learn more about them and why you would like to work for them specifically, and include in your letter
- Follow instructions…include any answers to questions not addressed in your resume (i.e. amount of hours you can work, available shifts, salary, etc.)
- Only include qualifications, education, etc. that are relevant to the position you are applying for
- Match your skills to the organization’s needs, coming up with specific examples of occasions when you have used these skills successfully (i.e. accomplishment statements)
- Your cover letter should be neat, brief/concise, well written and error free, on no more than one page
- It should be branded to match your resume and reference sheet (matching letterhead, font style and sizes)
- Use a business letter format: left-blocked/aligned style (no indents at beginning of paragraphs), typical margin size is 1” around in order to have enough “white space”, and the font should be consistent with your resume and other marketing documents
- Personalize each letter, addressing each to a specific individual (which may require that you contact the organization to get the name and title of the appropriate person). Do not use “To Whom It May Concern”. If getting a specific name is not possible, here are some examples you might consider:
- Hiring Manager, Personnel Manager, Human Resources, Hiring Team
- Capitalize the first letter of each word in a job title (e.g. Long Term Care Aide)
- Use a professional tone
- Avoid overusing the word “I” (aim for approximately 5 or less per letter, or 2 or less per paragraph…this is harder than it sounds!)
- Use keywords, as well as action words and adjectives
- If using a Broadcast/Inquiry letter, let them know you will follow-up
- Do not rely on spellcheck…proofread it a few times, read it aloud, and have someone else proofread it
- Save your document with a file name that the employer (and you!) will easily be able to identify with and file/locate (e.g. John Smith – Cover Letter – 123 Company)
- Keep a copy of every letter you send as part of your job search file (examples: hard copy, email saved in a Job Search folder in your mail program, or electronic copy in your document files)
