10 best tips on how to write a cover letter to get you a job interview
1 Write one
Companies or recruiters who don’t see a cover letter with your CV will often instantly reject you…Why? Because they think you’re not interested. It’s polite, expected and has been standard practice in applying to jobs FOREVER. It also helps show your communication skills and adds some personality into the process. Remember to write one specifically for the role you’re applying for - not just a generic one you send to each role. Your job here is to convince the hiring manager that you’re the best person they can hire and it’s worth their time to meet you.
2 Focus on the outcome
Remember your CV & Cover Letter are there for one purpose only - to secure an interview and get you into the meeting process.
3 Sell yourself
Let the hiring person know why you’re the best person for the job and what skills / experience you can bring to the role & company. Think of it as your 30 second elevator pitch - a summary of what you do. Remember the hiring manager & the applicant have one major thing in common...THEY BOTH WANT YOU TO GET THE JOB :-)
4 Your current situation
It explains what your personal circumstances are & why you’re, for example, looking to move down from Auckland because of the terrible traffic or high house prices in Wellington, family are down in Christchurch or looking to move for the great work / life balance in the South Island.
5 Tailor your cover letter
Personalise it to the person you’re applying to on every different application & keep it short & succinct. For example ‘Dear Paul’. This sets a good first impression and will grab their attention and thus they’re more likely to want to interview you. It also means you’ve thought about this role and why you’re the right person for it, rather than sending the same thing to everyone.
6 Include the job listing reference (number / code / job title)
This is to ensure you are coded up correctly in the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) so it’s helpful & important to include so you’re in their system correctly and can be found & bought forward for interview seamlessly. Also you can add your contact details to the ‘footer’ within the word document so it’s super easy for them to contact you, just in case a page from your CV gets mixed up or goes missing.
7 Research
Is it a recruitment agency handling the role? Or directly with the company? A lot of candidates fail on this first hurdle. Hi Paul I’d love to work for Sunstone Talent….99.99% of the time we’re recruiting on behalf of another company as that’s what we do…not a great first impression. Instead focus on the information you have to hand in the job advert & take a couple more steps to research ensuring what you’re saying is correct & genuine.
8 Keep it short & succinct
This is not a place to copy & paste your CV into. You want the recipient to actually read it ALL. So one or two compelling paragraphs that have impact will do the trick.
9 Follow up
Make a phone call two days later to ensure they’ve received your CV & Cover Letter and politely ask what the next steps are in the process. You might close an interview right there & then. At the very least they’ll look at your CV again and might short-list you on the fact that you were professional on the phone & had the enthusiasm to call up being proactive. This is my killer tip as there is so much digital noise, especially currently in the covid climate with stacks of emails so make it a phone call…right now…go on pick up your phone & ring them.
10 Sign-off your name
Finish strongly with a professional ending. I look forward to hearing next steps etc with a Kind regards Paul or Yours sincerely Paul. This shows professionalism and willingness for the job & can sway them in favour to choose you for an interview.
I hope these tips are useful. Please feel free to pass on any tips, experiences you’ve had or drop me a line if you’ve got a question.
May the odds be ever in your favour…..
I'm Paul, I Iove coffee and I’m Founder & Principal Consultant of Sunstone, an IT Recruitment & HR company specialising in recruiting IT roles within software, web, mobile, blockchain, big data, infrastructure, security & networks in Christchurch, South Island of New Zealand.